Lowcountry Shrimp Boil
I have been dreaming of doing a crab/shrimp/crawfish boil for years. Finally after some research, a very important favor from a foodie friend, and an oportunity, I had the stuff to make the magic happen.
There are two kinds of boil seasoning that come prepackaged. Old Bay and the most famous, Zaterians and in order for this to be authentic, you need one of the two. I was able to get my hands on a package of the Zaterians and did a shrimp boil during a recent camping trip, so I made this over campfire. Here's the process...its super easy and impressive:
Feeds 5-6 people
2 lb Jumbo Shrimp (you can use crab or crawfish, if you can find them, or any combo of the three)
2 lb little White or Red Potatoes
6 links of Andoulli Sausage (I used hot Italian Sausage)
4 Cobs of Corn (halved)
3 Lemons (halved)
1 Large Sweet Onion (Vidalla if you can find it)
1 head of Garlic (top chopped off)
4-5 Bay Leaves
1 package of Zaterians Crab, Shrimp, & Crawfish Boil Mix
1 Bag Ice
Fill a large stock pot with enough water to more than cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil and add the Zaterian's Mix, Bay Leaf, Lemons (squeeze and add), Onion and Garlic. Let the mixture boil for 10-15 minutes so that everything is dissolved and/or permiated through the mix.
Add the other ingredients in stages based on how long they take to cook. First, the potatoes, 10 minutes later, the Sausage, 5 minutes later, the corn.
Once the corn has had 5 minutes, add the shrimp. The shrimp only need 2 minutes if fresh or 4, if frozen. Once that time has elapsed, add as much ice as you can fit in the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes. The reason for this is to stop the cooking process but allowing the spices to penetrate the food.
Strain your food out and serve with butter, lemon and your favorite hot sauce. This is meant to be eaten with your fingers and will get messy...but that's the beauty! (The garlic is awesome just squeezed out of the bulb onto toasts)
Grab a beer, turn on some Zydeco and you're all good...
