We spent Labor Day weekend with our friends at the beach again.  This year I got to learn how to make an awesome Southern recipe that we had last year, Linda's Low Country Shrimp Boil ™. 



Low Country Shrimp Boil

-3 lbs large raw shrimp in shell, heads removed
-1 large andouille sausage, sliced crosswise
-1 large polish sausage, sliced crosswise
-baby red potatoes, 2 or 3 per person
-fresh corn cobs, 1 per person, cut into fourths
-1 small white onion, peeled
-1 lemon, sliced
-1 package Zatarain's Crayfish, Shrimp, and Crab Boil Seasoning
-4 bay leaves
-red pepper flakes
-Tony Chacheres Creole Seasoning
-salt
-olive oil
 
        

Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot.  Put the sliced sausages and onion in and let them brown, shaking the pot to toss them.  Add the Zatarain's, red pepper  flakes, and bay leaves.  Stir them around to release their fragrance a little.  On a side note, Zatarain's boil is mostly a mix of coriander seeds and mustard seeds, which you could just add yourself if you have several handfuls of each around.  Fill the pot with water, leaving enough room for the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil.

           

 Add the lemon and the potatoes and boil until they are almost fork tender, approx 8 minutes.   Add a few pinches of salt and sprinkle a layer of the Chacheres Creole over the top.  Add the corn and let it come to a boil again.  Add another pinch of salt the shrimp and boil until they cook through and turn pink, just a few minutes.    Toss the contents of the pot in a strainer in the sink, just like when you cook pasta.

    

Arrange the shrimp boil on a large platter.  Lots of spices will remain, leave them on.  Everything will taste spicy and aromatic and fabulous.  You can also serve garnishes like cocktail sauce and sour cream.  Since we were at a tropical paradise on the gulf coast we were able to use shrimp that were caught a few hours before we boiled them.  It was the best meal I had eaten in months.