Low Country Boil

With the NFL playoffs in full swing, many people are planning parties to celebrate their favorite teams. If you are looking for something different for your football get-togethers this year, try a low country boil. There are many definitions for "low country", but for this recipe low country refers to South Carolina and Georgia coastal areas. It's a quick and easy way to feed large numbers of people.

I've never lived in South Carolina or Georgia to know whether my recipe is authentic (or not), but the basic idea of it comes from an insert that was included with the turkey fryer my brother-in-law gave me for Christmas more than 10 years ago.

The turkey fryer kit consists of a propane burner, a 5 gallon aluminum cook pot, and strainer that fits inside the cook pot to contain the food.

Here's my version of the recipe.

Ingredients

• Old Bay Seasoning
• 4 ears of corn on the cob (cut to 3 inch sizes)
• 2 lbs red potatoes (new potato size)
• 1 lb baby carrots
• 1 large sliced onion
• 1 - 2 lbs of andouille sausage (I use pre-cooked)
• 2 lbs of shrimp (fresh is better)

--Start with 2 1/2 gallons of water in the cook pot.
--Bring it to a rolling boil.
--Add 4 tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning.
--Add new potatoes and baby carrots.
--Cook the potatoes and carrots for 25 minutes in the boiling water.
--Check the potatoes and carrots for tenderness.
--Add 2 more tablespoons of Old Bay Seasoning
--Add corn on the cob and cook for 5 more minutes
--Add andouille sausage and cook for 3 more minutes
--Add the shrimp and cook for 4 more minutes (if using fresh shrimp cook until shrimp turns pinkish color).

Enjoy!

If you don't have any Old Bay Seasoning, you can try making your own. I've not tried it yet, but the following sounds about right to me:

• 6 parts paprika
• 4 parts celery salt
• 1 part cayenne pepper
• 1 part black pepper

If you've got a favorite seafood seasoning recipe, I hope you'll share it by posting a comment!