I spent this holiday weekend in beautiful Isle of Palms with a group of friends from DC including trip planner extraordinaire Cat.  It was her great idea to stay in one night and cook a traditional Charleston supper: The Low Country Boil.

One of the girls started calling this Viking Stew, a great name so from now on, Low Country Boil is Viking Stew to me.

It was a  group effort to get dinner on the table especially after I forgot to boil the shrimp and we had to improvise with grilled shrimp (this is what happens when you sit in the sun all day and drink one too many glasses of wine!)

Low Country Boil is a great meal when you need to feed a crowd and spend minimal time in the kitchen.  It is easy to make and is meant to be messy and eaten with your hands while you sit outside.  All you need is a very large stock pot and a hot stove.  We added in bacon (again Cat’s good idea) because bacon makes everything better.

What to buy: (this fed 10)

• 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning
• 3 pounds red potatoes, quartered
• 1 package kielbasa sliced into chunks
• 4 ears corn, halved
• 2 1/2 pounds shrimp
• 10-12 asparagus stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 package, 10-12 strips, of bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

What to do:

• bring Old Bay and 3 quarts of water to a rolling boil
• add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes
• add the kielbasa, asparagus and corn
• boil for 10 more minutes
• cook the shrimp for 3 minutes until they’re pink (I forgot to add them so our shrimp were grilled on the side – still delightful!)
• when the shrimp are cooked, strain the liquid from the pot and pour everything into a bowl, adding bacon crumbles and tossing gently (you don’t want the potatoes to mash)
• add salt and pepper (or more Old Bay) to taste
• enjoy with good friends on a table covered in newspaper!

U pdate: I made this for the family over the 4th of July and it was a big hit.