Frogmore Stew

[hawgheaven]

Frogmore used to be a small town on St. Helena Island near Beaufort, South Carolina, though the Post Office officially abandoned the name in the 1980s. (The name itself is likely derived from Frogmore Estate, a 33-acre plot of private gardens adjoining Windsor Castle in England.) The name lives on today as the classic Lowcountry South Carolina dish.

This recipe can be adjusted to serve any number of hungry folks; just allow 2 teaspoons of “boil†per quart of water and ½ pound of shrimp, ¼ pound of sausage and 1 ½ ears of corn per person.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Seafood Boil (recipe follows) or commercial shrimp boil with 3 tbs coarse kosher salt added.
• 2 lbs hot smoked sausage links, cut into 2 inch pieces. Can be substituted with smoked kielbasa or andouille sausage, with ½ tsp crushed hot red pepper per serving added.
• 12 ears freshly shucked corn on the cob, broken into 3 to 4 inch pieces
• 4 lbs unpeeled large fresh shrimp

In a stockpot, combine the Seafood Boil with 6 qts of water and bring to a boil. Add the sausage and boil for 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and firm – about 3 minutes. The corn should be crisp and tender. Drain immediately and serve in a large bowl.

Seafood Boil

In the deep south, recipes for boiling shell fish invariably call for a commercially prepared “boil†such as McCormick, Old Bay, or Zatarain, plus added salt. This mix combines herbs, spices and salt.

Yield: About 1 cup

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup mustard seeds
• 2 tbs whole black peppercorns
• 2 tbs crushed hot red pepper
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 tbs celery seed
• 1 tbs ground ginger
• A few blades of mace
• ¼ cup coarse salt – kosher, sea, or pickling

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients except the salt and blend until evenly ground. Add the salt and blend briefly to incorporate. Transfer the mixture to a well sealed jar and store in a cool, dark, dry place for up to 2 months.

 

[vlap]

Its rare that I see a recipe call for mace... I will have to give this recipe a try.

 

[keywesmoke]

My C'lina friends call that a "Low Country Boil".

 

[bigarm's smokin]

that sounds great. thanks.

Terry

 

[Dutch]

Let's see. . . . the last time I was maced was in '86 for certification. . .oh wait-that kind of mace-sorry my bad-

Mace- http://www.mccormick.com/content.cfm?id=8220

 

[payson]

"Frogmore used to be a small town on St. Helena Island near Beaufort, South Carolina, though the Post Office officially abandoned the name in the 1980s."
My wife and I pass through Frogmore on our yearly trip to Hunting Island. It still exists, at least the signs still proclaim its existence. Blink and you'd miss the entire town though!

 

[richtee]

That is sooo bizarre, I bet it's delicious... I'm gonna try it while corn's still available!

 

[gooose53]

When I've made this I've always added potatoes and onion and lots of garlic. There are always a number of variations that be made to suit your own taste so experiment and have fun with this.

 

[deejaydebi]

It sounds good - I might try it MINUS the shrimps.

 

[gooose53]

Here's two more to try: the first one is from Georgia and the second from South Carolina.

The amount of each of the following will vary depending on the size of the crowd you want to feed, but you will
want roughly equal proportions of the following. The amounts shown will create 16 pounds of boil, which with
extra side dishes is enough for 30-40 people. We make three batches in varying degrees of spiciness to serve
about 100 people.
5 pounds.whole new potatoes (cut into quarters)
3 pounds.corn on the cob (cut in half or thirds to make pieces about 3-4 inches long)
3 pounds.sausage (polska kielbasa style cut in pieces 2-3 inches long)
5 pounds.shrimp (with shells on)
Old Bay Seasoning to taste.
Cooking Low Country Boil
Start by filling the container (we use a 30-quart pot for this recipe) half full of water and adding Old Bay Seasoning
to taste. About two ounces of the Old Bay, which is a third of a large can, seems flavorful without being
too hot for most, you may want more or less.
Bring water to a boil and add potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes and add sausage. Cook for an additional
five minutes and add corn on the cob. Cook for an additional three minutes and add shrimp. Cook roughly two
final minutes or until shrimp is pink all over and begin to float. But be quick with the shrimp once they begin to
float or they will get rubbery.
A commonly found variation is to boil each of the individual ingredients separately, but this misses the
two main advantages of the low country boil.ease of preparation and the shared flavors of the various ingredients.
Another common variation is to add crab legs to the mix.


INGREDIENTS
Old Bay Seasoning TM to taste
5 pounds new potatoes
3 (16 ounce) packages cooked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ears fresh corn, husks and silks removed
5 pounds whole crab, broken into pieces
4 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

DIRECTIONS
Heat a large pot of water over an outdoor cooker, or medium-high heat indoors. Add Old Bay Seasoning to taste, and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, and sausage, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the corn and crab; cook for another 5 minutes, then add the shrimp when everything else is almost done, and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes.
Drain off the water, and pour the contents out onto a picnic table covered with newspaper. Grab a paper plate and a beer and enjoy!

 

[payson]

I was in Pawley's Island SC last week and the family always makes the beloved Frogmore. This time my brother suggested adding mushrooms. they were a hit. He also mentioned that he'd eaten some with whole artichokes in the boil. He said it was delicious. I'm not a huge fan of either but thought it was worth mentioning. I know there are alot of "Low Country Boil", "Frogmore", (or whatever name you choose to call it) purists out there that would cringe at anything above and beyond the basics but hey, if it's good it's good!