One thing is for certain though – no matter how you cook your Lowcountry Boil, with or without beer, with or without crab and crawfish - there won't be any left! It's the perfect summer feast that all your guests will enjoy.
½cupOld Bay seasoning, plus additional for serving [See Note 1]
½tablespoonkosher salt
2bay leaves
4garlic cloves, roughly chopped [See Note 2]
1lemon, cut in half
3poundsbaby red potatoes
2poundsmild or hot smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
6ears fresh corn, cut in half
2poundsunpeeled, medium-size raw shrimp
2poundsfresh crawfish
Optional garnishes:
Cocktail sauce[See Note 3]
hot sauce, your favorite, [See Note 4]
extra lemon wedges
Instructions
Bring water, beer, Old Bay, garlic, lemons, bay leaves, ½ tablespoon kosher salt, and garlic to a boil in large stockpot over high heat.
If necessary, skim foam from top and then add potatoes, cover and cook 10 minutes.
Add smoked sausage and continue to boil for another 4 minutes.
Add the shucked corn pieces and boil for 7 more minutes, before adding the shrimp and crawfish.
Cook shrimp until they just turn pink and begin to curl, about 2-3 minutes.
Immediately drain cooking liquid and discard lemons and bay leaves. Pour contents of pot into large serving bowl, platter, or on top of a paper-covered table. [See Note 5]
Sprinkle with additional Old Bay, if desired, and serve with prepared cocktail sauce, Tabasco and plenty of napkins.
Notes
Crab & Shrimp Boiling seasoning may be substituted for the Old Bay seasoning. The other thing to note is that Old Bay is made by McCormick, and McCormick clearly lists gluten. Old Bay Seasoning is gluten-free.
Prepared chopped or minced garlic (2 tbsp) may be substituted for the whole garlic.
Cocktail sauce made the traditional way (ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice) would be gluten-free. The one thing to double-check is the Worcestershire sauce – the biggest brand out there is Lee & Perrins, which does not contain gluten, but generic sauces may so take a moment to read that label!
Not all hot sauce is gluten-free, be sure to select a gluten Free variety if you are on a gluten-free diet.
You can dump everything on some newspaper spread over a tabletop or serve it out of an ice chest (without the ice). Food stays hot in the ice chest for longer serving times.