Last Thursday I went to our local farmer's market and got a great deal on some locally caught shrimp--$10 for 5 lbs. of shrimp! So I snatched 'em up and called some friends and on Friday night we had a Low Country Boil. Basically, it's shrimp, potatoes, corn and smoked sausage boiled together with Old Bay or a similar seasoning. Yum!
Low Country Boil is a great meal to entertain with because it's inexpensive and very simple to prepare. I won't bother explaining how to make it because there are SO many great articles already written. Here are a few links you may want to consider if you'd like to host a Low Country Boil:
Normally a Low Country Boil would be hosted outdoors with a pot over an open fire and the table would be lined with newspapers and the cooked food is simply dumped down the middle for serving. Well, we live in the 'burbs so we did a variation on tradition. Each person had a placemat of newspaper and the center of the table was covered in brown packing paper. I made bread and laid it directly on the table. Now that's unpretentious dining, huh?The whole dinner cost under $40 for 10 adults--and there were leftovers that went home with our guests. Now that's a Spartan way to entertain!
And if you're curious--I had about 2 lbs of shrimp heads (YUCK!) left over after prepping the shrimp so I made 3 quarts of fish stock! And then I discarded the shrimp shells in my compost bin... No food left behind, right?!
Thats what I love love LOVE about South Carolina. The shrimp here is sooo cheap! My husband and I usually go straight to the docks and by a few pounds at a time. We love to make buffalo style, scampi and boiled shrimp then invite friends and family over to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThe boil sounds good. We will have to try that next time!
What a fun night! Everything was so yummy. Ol' Uncle Rad knows where to get the good shrimp. :)
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