5 Star Reader Comment
Made this for a family reunion and it was a massive hit. Everyone gathered around the table and nobody wanted to leave. This is exactly the kind of meal that brings people together.
Karen
This Is Not Just a Recipe. It Is an Event.
In the South, a Low Country Boil isn’t something you make for dinner. It’s something you host — the meal people mark on the calendar, always show up for, and linger over long after the last ear of corn is gone.
I’ve made this every summer for as long as I can remember. Same big pot, newspaper down the middle of the table, warm, melted butter, and cold drinks. It never changes, and that’s exactly the point.
Everything cooks in one pot, gets dumped in the center of the table, and everybody digs in with their hands. No fancy plating, no fuss — just shrimp, sweet corn, potatoes, and smoked sausage, the people you love, and a meal that doesn’t need a thing more to be perfect.
Enjoy, y’all!
The 3 Things That Make or Break a Boil
- Fresh shrimp is everything. Buy the best you can find, shell on, and do not overcook them. Three to four minutes is all they need. Pull them the second they turn pink and curl.
- Old Bay is non-negotiable. It ties every ingredient together and gives the boil its signature flavor. Y’all do not be shy here!
- Timing is the whole game. Everything goes in stages. Potatoes first, then corn and sausage, then shrimp last. Follow the order and everything comes out perfectly cooked. Trust the process; it works.
Donya’s Best Tips for A Low Country Boil
- Cook outside if you can. A large outdoor propane burner is the traditional way and for good reason. It heats a big pot of water fast and keeps the steam out of your kitchen. No worries, though; use what you have.
- Add beer to the water. Two bottles of your favorite beer added to the pot deepen the flavor in a way that water alone cannot replicate. It is a small thing that makes a real difference.
- Squeeze the lemons in, then drop them in too. The juice flavors the water and the lemon halves keep releasing flavor as everything cooks.
- Do not lift the lid while the shrimp cook. Three to four minutes, lid on. The steam does the work. Lifting the lid drops the temperature, and you end up with uneven cooking.
- Serve with the right accompaniments. Melted butter, lemon wedges, homemade cocktail sauce, and a good hot sauce on the side. These are not optional. They are part of the experience.
What Goes In and Why It Matters
Small new potatoes hold their shape in the boil and absorb the seasoned water beautifully. Sweet onions, halved and cooked in the pot, add a gentle sweetness and absorb the seasoned broth in a way that makes them one of the most underrated things in the pot.
Smoked Kielbasa brings a rich, savory depth and a slight smokiness that seasons everything around it as it cooks. Old Bay Seasoning is the backbone of the whole boil. Three-quarters of a cup sounds like a lot, but it’s exactly the right amount.
Fresh Corn on the cob, broken into pieces, soaks up the seasoned broth and the drippings from the shrimp and sausage. Summer corn at the height of the season is something else entirely.
Lemons squeezed directly into the pot brighten every flavor and balance the richness of the sausage and butter.
Shell-on Shrimp cook fast, stay juicy, and peel easily at the table. The shells protect the shrimp during cooking and keep them from going rubbery.
How to Time a Low Country Boil So Nothing Overcooks – How I Do It
- Fill a large pot three-quarters full of water and bring it to a rolling boil — an outdoor propane burner is ideal, but your largest stovetop burner works too. Stir in the Old Bay and two bottles of beer.
- Add the potatoes first, since they take the longest, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the corn, sausage, onions, and squeezed lemons, and cook 5 minutes more.
- Add the shrimp last, put the lid on, and cook just 3–4 minutes, until they’re bright pink and curled. This is the make-or-break moment — don’t walk away.
- Drain and dump the whole boil right onto a newspaper-covered table. Set out melted butter, lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, and hot sauce, and let everybody dig in. Full measurements and timing are in the recipe card below.
How to Set Up the Perfect Low Country Boil Table
This is where the whole experience comes together. Here’s exactly how I set the table every summer:
Keep plenty of paper towels and cold drinks within arm’s reach. A Low Country Boil is a hands-on, elbows-on-the-table kind of meal, and that’s exactly what makes it so much fun.
Cover the table in newspaper. It’s traditional and practical — it catches the shells, soaks up the butter, and turns cleanup into a five-minute job.
Dump the boil right in the center. Everything goes straight onto the table — no bowls, no platters. That’s the whole point.
Set out small bowls of melted butter, one for every two or three people so no one has to reach too far. Then spread lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, and hot sauce in little dishes down the length of the table.
Add something cool and tangy on the side — creamy coleslaw, sweet heat pickles, or Southern refrigerator pickles — for the perfect bite.
More From My Kitchen, Made for Your Table
Ingredients
- 5 lbs small new potatoes
- 4 lbs sweet onions – halved
- 4 packages of smoked kielbasa cut into 2 inch pieces
- 12 ears of corn – broken into halves or thirds
- 6-8 lemons – halved
- 5-6 lbs shrimp – shell and tail on
- ¾ cup Old Bay Seasoning
- 2 bottles beer (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot about ¾ full of water, place on an outdoor cooker and bring to a boil.
- Turn the burner to a medium-high heat. Add Old Bay Seasoning and 2 bottles of beer, then mix into the water.
- Gently place potatoes into pot – cook 10 minutes.
- Add corn, sausage and onions – cook for 5 minutes.
- Squeeze lemons and add to pot along with shrimp, cover with lid – cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Drain liquid and dump boil onto a table covered in newspaper.
- Serve with melted butter, hot sauce, and tarter sauce.
Nutrition
Things People Ask Me About Low Country Boil
This recipe serves eight to ten people generously. For a larger crowd, scale up the shrimp and corn first — those are what people reach for most.
Sure, just make sure to use your largest stock pot and your highest burner. It takes longer to come to a boil but works perfectly. Just make sure you have enough ventilation — a big boil produces a lot of steam.
Large or extra-large shell-on shrimp are ideal. Fresh shrimp if you can find them. Frozen and thawed works well too — just make sure they are fully thawed before they go into the pot.
Ways to Make This Boil Completely Yours
- Add crab legs for an even more impressive spread. Drop them in with the shrimp and they are ready at the same time.
- Swap andouille for kielbasa if you want a spicier, smokier sausage with a little more heat built in.
- Add clams or mussels in the last three minutes alongside the shrimp for a real coastal feast.
- Use Cajun seasoning in addition to or in place of Old Bay for a deeper, spicier flavor profile.
- Make it a party. Double the recipe, rent a propane burner, and invite everyone you know. This is the kind of meal that is perfect for feeding a crowd.
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Is Zatarain’s Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil a good alternative to Old Bay Seasoning? Don’t want to mess this recipe up, but I have the Zatarain’s already. Any thoughts?
Sure! Zatarain’s is a great choice for seasoning. Enjoy the recipe.
~Donya
Do you always cook the shrimp in their shells? I like to remove the shells and clean shrimp prior to cooking. I was thinking if I did clean them, maybe I should cut their cook time down a minute?
Sounds great! I’m going to make this.
Made this tonight and it was mouth-watering delicious. Would not change a thing – timing was perfect.
Thank you, thank you!
~Donya
I often cook LCB for large crowds. Your recipe basically allows for 1 pound of shrimp per person. That is a lot of shrimp. Typically I count on about 1/3-1/2 pound per person and usually have leftovers. Am I being too conservative?
I use those amounts because I like to be flexible with how many people I’m feeding. Sometimes, the recipe card only allows me so much leway regarding information.
Hope you enjoy the recipe,
~Donya
How much does your recipe feed?
My first time to do this I,m hoping it turn out well.
Best low country boil I’ve ever made. It was delicious!
Thank you so much, Donna! And I really appreciate the outstanding rating.
~Donya
I’m going too host a Low Country Boil on the 19th for 12 people. Do I just double the original recipe? Also, I assume raw shrimp? And what size? Thank you!
Hey Debbie!
Thank you so much for reaching out, these are all great questions! I would double the original recipe if you’re hosting 12, and I might throw in some extra sausage and shrimp because that’s what people tend to eat the most of. As for the shrimp, you can use raw or frozen; I use raw but that’s just personal preference. As for the size of the shrimp, this is again personal preference, I use either normal or jumbo depending on how many people are eating. I hope this helps, let me know how everyone enjoys it! Thanks for your support!
~Donya
Can you give me a recipe to use for cooking for a large croud..like 30-50 .. using a 100 quart pot
Hey Jennifer!
That’s a great question! I would quadruple the recipe for 30-50 people. I would use 20lb of potatoes, 16 lbs of sweet onions, 16 packages of smoked kielbasa, 36 ears of corn broken in half, and about 20 lbs of shrimp. For the corn you can just buy as many ears of corn as there are people attending end then cut in half so everyone gets 2. It sounds like y’all are going to have a great party, let me know how the Low Country Boil turns out!
~Donya
We did our boil in June and hit was a big hit!! Doing another with a different group this weekend. Could I add scallops and if so how long would we leave in?
Hey there Debbie!
I am thrilled to hear y’all enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for your sweet words! Adding scallops sounds like a great idea, I would wait until the very end to add them though. Scallops only take about 2 to 3 minutes to cook, so I would just adding them to your pot about 3 minutes before you are going to drain the water and serve it. I hope this is helpful, let me know how it goes!
~Donya
I so want to try this recipe but I don’t see how many it serves?
Hey Patti,
I can usually feed around 6 people with this recipe.
Enjoy!