It's my birthday and I'm having a Low Country Boil party...

Hello to everyone from my fabulous vacation. The weather has been great and I am feeling so rested that I think by the time I come home I will be too limp to go back to work. Yea, like that could ever happen, but at least I feel that way today. Today is my birthday, 39 again for the millionth time but who is counting. For my birthday party tonight my family is fixing me a Low Country Boil. Although this is a re-post from much earlier I thought it was just right for today. I will be back from vacation soon with lots of new posts and photos so until then, enjoy this post and I'll eat lots for you all.
My family can't have a group gathering on holidays, birthdays or vacations without throwing together a Low Country Boil. It always serves a lot of people and it has something for everyone. We all love it and I've been known to down size it so that it will serve just two or three on a weeknight.

What is known as the low country region stretches from the coastal plains of the Carolina's to the Georgia border. Being a location heavy of seafood, produce, grits and rice the people were, and still are, known for their combinations of local shrimp, crabs, oysters and fish cooked together with what is plentiful at the time.

This low country boil is a combination of shrimp, smoked sausage, corn, potatoes, onions and if available crabs. Great to take to the beach and really easy to create for a crowd. Low country boil can be served on newspaper for easy clean up. The only rule of thumb here is the bigger the crowd, the bigger the pot. It doesn't have a exact measurement of anything since it is based on whatever you have or want so this is as close to what my family throws together and it is a solid hit every time.

Our Low country Boil

Note: Items are layered in pot and not stirred throughout. Put lid on pot as the steam rising from the bottom of pot is steaming all the flavors together and cooking them as the are added.
4 pounds small red potatoes washed but left whole
6 or 8 whole medium Vidalia or Sweet onions peeled but left whole
6 quarts water
1 small bag of crab boil seasoning optional but better with it.
4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning (double if no crab boil)
3 pounds kielbasa or smoked link sausage, cut into 6 inch pieces
6 ears of corn, halved
5 pounds large fresh shrimp, (peeled and deveined optional)we cook ours with the peel on for added flavor.
Melted Butter and Cocktail sauce on the side.

Add potatoes and onions to large tall pot, then add 6 quarts water and seasonings. Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil; cook 5 minutes. Add sausage and corn on top of the potatoes and onions, and return to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add shrimp to stockpot; If adding crabs add now for 10 minutes then add the shrimp and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain and dump the pot out onto the middle of a paper covered table or into a few large bowls and serve with bowls of cocktail sauce an bowls of melted butter.

Open a cold beer or pour a glass of sweet tea and dig into the pile. You eat it all with your hands and laugh and enjoy!

Hurray for long weekends!!

After such a stressful and busy week I'm so glad we are having a long weekend to kick back and regroup. One of the smartest things our government ever did was to move most all holidays to a Monday so people could have tiny vacations all during the year. Me, I am going over to the shore to Mom's and hang out at her pool, veg out and eat steamed crabs! Don't get much better to me. I am crazy about steamed crabs, love everything about it, the picking, the mess and the great taste.
Maryland is known for the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab, the best there is when it comes to steaming crabs. All you need is a big pot, a bushel of live (most cook live, sorry)crabs, water, beer and our equally famous Old Bay Seasoning. Get yourself a bunch of old newspapers to cover the table, some knives and hammers for opening, lots and lots of napkins and a cold drink. Holidays are meant to have crabs in Maryland.
I hope you enjoy your holiday as much as I will and I will be back next week. If I have some crab meat left I'll make crab soup for you and give you my recipe. I know you'll like it. Until next week...

Oh Boy, Crab Cakes...

Living in Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay makes me happy, it may not be my beloved Ole Miss and the Gulf of Mexico but it offers up some of the best seafood treats available. My favorite is the Blue Crab and all the goodies you can make from it after the fun of picking it all apart. There are many who wouldn't even attempt to break one open and dig out the lumps, eating them one by one, because of the major mess involved, but to me part of the fun of eating steamed crabs is the picking and making a messy pile of shells and legs.


For the less adventurous ones there is the wonderful crab cake, rich and golden and loved by many, this fabulous treat is something I can't get enough. If steamers are not available or too expensive the seafood shops or grocers offer crab meat by the pound. You don't need to have the terribly expensive lump, although it is wonderful if you do, when the back fin and even what they call special (which is a mixture of back fin and leg meat)is perfect for crab cakes. Make sure you buy fresh and with a few ingredients you are on the road to a seafood delight.


When it comes to making your crab cakes or even eating them steamed it isn't properly prepared without Old Bay Seasoning. Old Bay used to be a Mid-Atlantic seasoning but I am sure it is now available country wide. It is the prefect blend of spices and salt to set off the delicious crab meat. Here is my families recipe, it is the one most requested by everyone that visits us during the summer.

One Pound fresh crab meat
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning (little less if you like yours milder)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Stir together all ingredients except for the crab meat. When blended, then slowly stir in the crab meat trying not to break it up too much. When all is mixed, make into patties. Depending on size wanted it will do between 8 and 12. Size and quantity is your decision. Place on plate, cover with wrap and put into the refrigerator for an hour. Putting them into the frig helps blend the flavors and helps them stay together when cooking. There are two equally good ways to cook them, one, melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil together in a frying plan and fry them on a medium heat, turning once when you see the edges turning golden brown. Cooking time is around ten to fifteen minutes on each side. Don't mess with them or they will come apart since they aren't loaded with bread filler. Remove the little golden cakes from the pan and serve warm however you like them. We love crackers and fresh tomatoes with ours. The second way to cook them is baked in a 375 degree oven, on a greased baking sheet, for 10 to fifteen minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Again, serve warm however you like them.

For a fun treat to serve as an appetiser, make the mixture into balls, about the size of a walnut or golf ball, and deep fry them till golden brown. Serve them with a great seafood dipping sauce and you will be the hit of the party.

I hope you try them, they are much easier than you think. If you love to order crab cakes when you're at the shore or a seafood restaurant you'll enjoy having them for a special weekday meal. We sure do!