The Lo Country Boil: Introducing the Famous Coastal Feast

I love the lo country boil. Its easy, quick, fresh, locally sourced and a snap to do at the campground. A few years ago I was introduced to an amazing campground right off the Carolina coast. There is easy access to a thriving metropolitan downtown and opposite that, a great little beach town. At the same time I was introduced to crabbing. The only limits on crabbing is size and you can’t keep one if its pregnant.

Tossing crab traps off the pier and reading in the sun is just about the most relaxing thing in the world, and when you’re tired and ready to head back to camp for dinner, you’re carrying it with you! Blue crabs are a little harder to harvest meat from, but fresh pulled from the water are incredible! The coastal south has known this for centuries. That’s why the lo country boil exists. 

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Let’s Get Started!

 You don’t need much for this. A big pot, some tongs, a “spider” and a crab cracker and you’re basically all set to go! Some people will want to go with a special seafood boil pot with an included strainer. Those things are awesome and if you want to go that route, you won’t regret it, but you can get the same results with just a regular large aluminum pot.

I put on a couple quarts of water with the special boil seasoning. Some use Zatarain’s some use Old Bay. Other’s have their own special mixes. I tend to go with some of the local blends wherever I happen to be. I like to really get into the local flavor of things and there are always plenty to choose from. 

Once the “boil” is boiling, I add in some onions, some large dice potatoes, some andouille sausage, cut up corn on the cob, and some quartered lemons.  After a couple minutes of cooking, I drop those crabs in one by one. Unless you’re a pro, you need to do this very carefully with tongs. Grab them by the body, preferably from the rear and dropping them into the pot. They’ll get a little squirrelly on you so be careful! I have had one pinch a finger and that claw went right through my nail and hung on to the tender flesh of my thumb. You do not want this to happen! If you’re careful the crabs will go right in with no problem.

Timing is everything

The crabs need about ten minutes to cook through. Shrimp need no more than 5 minutes. If I’m adding shrimp, I put a timer on for five minutes and after that goes off add them to the boil. Reset your timer for five minutes and start setting your table!

When that timer goes off, pull the pot off the heat and lift out the liner leaving all the liquid behind. Now you’ve got a choice: Platter it up nicely, stacking the various foods in a beautiful array worthy of a catered feast, or pour the contents out in a steaming pile of delicious on a great platter in the center of the table and let everyone gather and grab! There’s no wrong way here! Sometimes I want to impress and I’ve got time, sometimes I’m so excited about the meal I just want to dig in with everybody.

What’s all in it?

The lo country boil can include shrimp, crabs, oysters, scallops, cut up fish, crawdads or whatever you can get your hands on. I prefer to use locally sourced, fresh products because you get a better idea of the local culture. Often times I don’t catch any crabs worth keeping or don’t get a chance to do the crabbing myself, so finding a local fish merchant that sells catch of the day works the best.