South Carolina Shrimp Boil

By mz0926

From Cook's Country

August/September 2009
Why this recipe works:
South Carolina Shrimp Boil is inspired by Frogmore stew, a South Carolina shrimp boil made by simmering local shell-on shrimp, smoked sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes in a broth seasoned with Old Bay. We wanted perfectly cooked meat, seafood, and vegetables flavored by Old Bay, but not overwhelmed by it. We began by browning the smoky, spicy andouille sausage to render fat and boost flavor. We replaced some of the cooking liquid (water in this case) with clam juice, which reinforced the taste of the sea and amped up the flavor. We used only enough liquid to barely cover the ingredients. You don’t eat the broth in this boil, but if it has no flavor, the stuff you do eat won’t either. This amount of liquid concentrated the flavors so they weren’t overpowering but also weren’t watered down. We staggered the ingredients’ cooking times, starting with the potatoes and corn first until the potatoes were almost tender, then adding the sausage and shrimp. This ensured intact potatoes, plump corn, and nicely cooked sausage and shrimp.

Ingredients

• 8 8
• 1/2 2-inch pounds andouille sausage, cut into 2-inch lengths (see note)
• 2 2 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 4 4 4 cups water
• 1 1 bottle 1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
• 1 1 can 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 5 5 5 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1 1 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
• 4 4 2-inch ears corn, husks and silks removed, cut into 2-inch rounds
• 2 2 to 25 extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound) (see note)

Preparation

Step 1

Instructions
1. BROWN SAUSAGE Heat sausage and oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until fat renders and sausage is browned, about 5 minutes; using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to plate.


2. SIMMER VEGETABLES Bring water, clam juice, tomatoes, 3 teaspoons Old Bay, bay leaf, potatoes, and corn to boil in empty pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until potatoes are barely tender, about 10 minutes.


3. STEAM SHRIMP Return browned sausage to pot. Toss shrimp with remaining Old Bay and transfer to collapsible steamer basket. Following photo 4 (below), nestle steamer basket into pot. Cook, covered, stirring shrimp occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Strain stew and discard bay leaf. Serve.



Layered Cooking


Our staggered cooking method develops flavor and guarantees that each ingredient is perfectly cooked.


1. Browning the sausage renders fat and builds flavor, giving the stew a spicy base of flavor.



2. The potatoes and corn get a head start, giving them time to soak up flavors and become tender.



3. For tender sausage, return the browned sausage to the pot for the last 10 minutes of cooking.



4. Steam the seasoned shrimp over the simmering stew to ensure they are just tender and well seasoned.