ONE OF THE MOST EXCEPTIONAL PHENOMENA IN THE
United States is the coastal Gullah culture that still exists between Georgetown and Charleston, South Carolina, and on the area’s remote Sea Islands. Historically, Gullah was the language spoken by black slaves (also called Geechees) on the vast Lowcountry rice plantations. While much of the African patois is now gone, you can still buy sweetgrass baskets and mats woven by descendants of slaves all along Highway 17 north of Charleston (I have four mats that are at least two decades old), and on St. Helena Island (near Hilton Head), where this hearty stew is another example of surviving Gullah life. (Until fairly recently, Frogmore, named after an ancestral English county estate, was the official name of the island’s town center.) Frogmore stew, which is not unlike a Louisiana crawfish boil, is traditionally an outdoor dish of corn on the cob, shrimp, hot sausage, and heaven knows what else boiled in a highly seasoned stock (or beer) and served on newspapers at picnic tables with lots of ice cold beer. With any Frogmore stew, flexibility is the rule—that plus the proviso that no ingredient should be overcooked. The best container to use is a large, heavy stockpot, whether the stew is prepared outside on a propane cooker or on top of the stove.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 gallons water
- 1⁄4 cup Old Bay seasoning
- 4 pounds small, whole, new red potatoes
- 2 pounds hot smoked link sausage (such as kielbasa), cut into 11⁄2-inch slices
- 6 to 8 ears fresh corn, broken into 2 or 3 pieces
- 4 pounds large fresh shrimp, unpeeled
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large, heavy stock pot or Dutch oven, combine the water and Old Bay seasoning and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add the potatoes, reduce the heat slightly, and cook until almost tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the sausage and cook for 5 minutes longer.
- Add the corn and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the shrimp and cook until they turn fully pink, about 1 minute.
- To serve, remove all the ingredients with a slotted spoon onto a large serving platter or onto a newspaper-lined picnic table set with paper plates.
