Frogmore Stew, which hails from the low country of South Carolina, is a longtime family favorite in the summertime because of its wonderful flavor, aroma, ease of preparation and the way it brings people together over a backyard or beachfront picnic table.
Contrary to its name, Frogmore stew has no frog in it, nor any connection to the estate owned by Great Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex. A seafood boil, it gets its name from a place in South Carolina that has only a post office on one side of the road and a two-story white country store on the other. Frogmore is the mailing address for the residents of St. Helena Island just off the coast. The village was named by John Grayson, an early owner and settler from England.
Frogmore Stew features two main ingredients, fresh shrimp and freshly shucked yellow sweet corn, but most anything that is good boiled, such as crabs, red skin potatoes, clams and crawfish, can be added.
It’s served on paper plates around a newspaper-covered picnic table out back, usually with plenty of ice-cold beer. Although some might consider it a waste of good suds, I always add a can of beer to the cooking pot.
Frogmore Stew
- 1 ½ gallons of water
- 1 can of beer
- 1 lemon, cut in quarters
- 3 Tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
- Red skin new potatoes (3 or more per person)
- 2 pounds of sausage, such as kielbasa or andouille, but into ½ inch slices
- 10-12 ears of corn on the cob, broken into 3-inch pieces
- 4 pounds jumbo shrimp, uncooked
In a large stock pot over medium high heat, add the water, beer, lemon pieces, salt and Old Bay. Bring to a boil.
When the water comes to a boil, add potatoes and boil for 20 minutes. When done, the potatoes should be easily pierced with a fork, but not mushy. Add sausage and gently simmer uncovered for five minutes.
Add corn and cook an additional five minutes. Add shrimp and cook 3-5 minutes longer. Do not overcook shrimp. Remove from heat and drain immediately.
Serve with lots of paper napkins, lemon wedges, butter for the corn, cocktail sauce for the shrimp and sour cream for the potatoes. Be forewarned, this is a messy dish, but so tasty and fun to eat. You’ll wish summertime was a year-round affair (but being a somewhat unconventional person, I’ve served this, as well as homemade lasagna, at Christmastime—with no complaints)!
Yields 8 servings.
About the Writer:
Rebecca Jackson is a veteran newspaper person/journalist based in Bedford County, VA. A native of California and an M.A. graduate of Arizona State University, she has a passion for pets (animals), good food/cooking, music, wine, horticulture, photography and travel.
