Frogmore stew

Perhaps no dish better represents the essential simplicity of lowcountry cuisine than Frogmore stew. Some claim that the one-pot dish originated in the Frogmore community on St. Helena Island, near Beaufort, but the truth is that Frogmore stew (also called Beaufort stew or Louisiana boil) exists throughout the coastal regions of the South. That is its innate beauty–it is like a tidal marsh with infinite variations of creeks, eddies, and bays. There are two main ingredients, fresh shrimp and newly shucked yellow corn, but most anything that is good boiled, such as crabs, redskin potatoes, and even crawfish, can be added. This is a casual meal best eaten with the fingers and served on a picnic table covered with newspaper. Two keys to success with Frogmore stew are to stagger the addition of the ingredients and not to overcook the shrimp. Fill a large steamer pot halfway with water. Add two tablespoons of crab-boil seasoning per gallon of water (or more to taste). Several halved lemons may be added as well. When the seasoned water comes to a boil, add one-inch slices of spicy smoked sausage (4 pound per person) and boil for five minutes. Add the corn (12 ears per person, broken into halves or thirds) and boil another five minutes. (Begin timing immediately. Do not wait for it to boil again.) Then add the shrimp (2 pound per person). Cook three minutes, drain, and pile on a table. Serve with lots of paper towels, icy beverages, butter, cocktail sauce, and perhaps tartar sauce. The most important ingredient is the last one: serve Frogmore stew in a Carolina beach house surrounded by friends and family.