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Lowcountry Boil

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Living: A Southern Gentleman's Kitchen"


Recipe Introduction

"I will forever be indebted to the kind folks who have shared their opinions, philosophies, and methods about making the perfect boil. I can say that mine is a mix of Louisiana (the crawfish and sausage blend) and the Lowcountry styles (Georgia and South Carolina). Such a mixture is the sum of my experiences, travels, tastes, and preferences. That reminds me — boils are always remembered by number and season, and this is the third boil of the season."

List of Ingredients

◦  1½ cups kosher salt
◦  10 bay leaves
◦  2 garlic bulbs
◦  1 bunch celery
◦  6 lemons, cut in half
◦  ½ cup black peppercorns
◦  1 cup smoked paprika
◦  ½ cup ground red pepper
◦  6 (12-ounce)cans or bottles light beer
◦  5 pounds small red potatoes
◦  5 pounds Vidalia or sweet onions, quartered
◦  5 pounds fresh corn, husks removed and halved
◦  5 pounds andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
◦  10 pounds live fresh crawfish, purged*
◦  5 pounds unpeeled, large raw Gulf shrimp with heads and tails
◦  Newspaper
◦  Fresh lemon wedges
◦  Cajun seasoning



Recipe

Add water to a 44-quart stockpot, filling almost two-thirds full. Add salt and next eight ingredients; cover and bring to a rolling boil over high heat (about 25 minutes).

Add potatoes and onions; return to a boil, and cook 8 minutes. Add corn and sausage; return to a boil, and cook 5 minutes.

Add crawfish; return to a boil, and cook 3 minutes. Add shrimp, turn off heat, and cover. Let stand, covered and undisturbed, 10 to 30 minutes. (The longer it stands, the more flavorful the boil will be.)

Uncover and stir mixture to be sure all crawfish are bright red and shrimp are pink and firm.

Spread newspaper on a large table, and arrange lemon wedges around edge of table. Sprinkle desired amount of Cajun seasoning over newspaper inside ring of lemon wedges. Drain mixture, and pour onto newspaper-lined table; remove and discard bay leaves. Sprinkle mixture with desired amount of Cajun seasoning. Eat — and drink — up!


Serves 20


* To purge crawfish of mud and debris, place them in a 48-quart cooler with a pourable spout. Add cold water and 2 cups salt. Gently stir crawfish; let stand 3 minutes. Open spout, tilt cooler, and rinse crawfish with a steady stream of cold water until water runs clear.