History

Frogmore stew (called Lowcountry boil elsewhere) takes its name from Frogmore, a small community on St. Helena Island near Beaufort. The recipe is credited to Richard Gay, a National Guardsman who fed his unit on the cheap in the 1960s by boiling whatever they had. The format scaled to family gatherings and church suppers. Today it lands on newspaper-covered tables across the Lowcountry, often at oyster roasts in winter and crab boils in summer. The Old Bay, while not historically Southern, is now non-negotiable; some kitchens add crab or sliced kielbasa.

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Common allergens: Shellfish

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 25 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1kg small new potatoes
  • 500g smoked andouille or kielbasa sausage, cut into 5cm lengths
  • 6 ears fresh corn, halved
  • 1kg head-on Carolina shrimp
  • 4 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 lemons, halved
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • Hot sauce, butter, cocktail sauce to serve

Method

  1. Bring 4 litres of water to a hard boil in a large stockpot. Add Old Bay, lemon halves and garlic.
  2. Add the potatoes; cook 12 minutes.
  3. Add the sausage; cook a further 5 minutes.
  4. Add the corn; cook 3 minutes.
  5. Add the shrimp; cook 2 to 3 minutes until pink and just firm.
  6. Drain quickly. Pour straight onto a newspaper-covered table or a deep platter.
  7. Serve with melted butter, hot sauce, cocktail sauce and cold beer.

Tip from the editors. Time the additions in reverse order of cook time. Shrimp take 3 minutes; overcooked shrimp ruin the whole pot. Cold beer is part of the recipe.

Where to eat frogmore stew

Frogmore stew in Charleston

Bowens Island Restaurant ★ 4.6

$$ Seafood, OystersJames Island

Bowens Island Restaurant near Folly Beach has shovel-fed steamed Lowcountry oysters since 1946. James Beard America's Classics winner in 2006.

OrderA bushel of steamed oysters opened table-side and a bowl of Frogmore stew.

TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Cash and card; no reservations. Tide-line tables fill at sunset.

Directions Book

Hyman's Seafood ★ 4.0

$$$ Seafood, LowcountryDowntown

Hyman's Seafood in Charleston serves the city from a Meeting Street row of historic buildings the Karesh-Hyman family has held since 1890; the seafood.

OrderShe-crab soup and a fried-fish plate with hushpuppies.

TipNo reservations; arrive before 17:30 or expect a 45-minute wait. Hush puppies are free.

Directions Book

Page's Okra Grill ★ 4.3

$$ Southern, LowcountryMount Pleasant

Page's Okra Grill in Mount Pleasant has run family-owned Southern cooking on Coleman Boulevard since 2008. Kitchen leans southern, lowcountry.

OrderAshleigh's shrimp and grits with andouille and tomato gravy.

TipNo reservations. Walk-ins only; cash and card both accepted.

Directions Book

Hannibal's Kitchen ★ 4.5

$ Soul foodEastside

Hannibal's Kitchen has fed the Eastside of Charleston soul food since 1985. At 16 Blake St. Reservations advised. A neighbourhood favourite.

TryCrab rice, smothered pork chop, fried whiting, lima beans

TipCounter order, dining-room seat. Lunch beats dinner; the line peaks 12:30-13:30 weekdays.

Directions

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