No Frogs Allowed, Please!

Labor Day is the time to keep the pots boiling.

Sundays in the Lowcountry were never about getting anywhere fast. They were about letting the day wander where it pleased, like a stray dog napping in the middle of a dirt road. One hand on the wheel, the other hanging out the window, the salt air tangled in your hair, and life felt unhurried—just as it should.

On St. Helena Island, we rumble past porches painted haint blue (because evil spirits were never welcome to supper), or down to Machete Landing, where fishermen with muddy boots were stirring up bait like backyard sorcerers. They’d scoop up pluff mud and fish meal, mixing it for the night’s shrimping, eyes fixed on Trenchards Inlet. The tide was restless, but never enough to keep a man from chasing shrimp.

What followed was the reward: a shrimp boil. The table in the backyard, layered in newspaper like a painter’s canvas, becomes a work of art—shrimp, corn, sausage, and potatoes piled high. Steam rose with the scent of spice and tidewater. You don’t eat with forks and knives. You eat with your fingers, your laughter, your appetite.

When it comes to ingredients, listen carefully. Whatever you do, only use large, wild-caught local shrimp because imported, farm-raised shrimp are an abomination to your heritage and will not make your mama proud.

And let’s be clear: Frogmore Stew may carry the name, but don’t you dare think a frog has anything to do with it. If anyone shows up with a frog, we’ll hand them a to-go plate and directions to the nearest pond. The only thing leaping at that table was the joy of grabbing seconds before someone else did.

The truth is, a shrimp boil isn’t just dinner. It’s a peace summit. Nobody can stay mad with a mouth full of shrimp, and everybody leaves a little happier than they came.

Here’s how you do it - just in time for your Labor Day picnic. Only local shrimp are allowed.

Lowcountry Shrimp Boil (a.k.a. Frogmore Stew, but hold the frogs!)

Serves 6–8

Ingredients

• 4 quarts of water

• 1 (3-ounce) bag Zatarain’s Crawfish, Shrimp & Crab Boil seasoning (or similar)

• ½ cup Old Bay seasoning

• 2 pounds small red potatoes, halved

• 2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces

• 6 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut in halves (or frozen if out of season)

• 4 pounds large, wild-caught shrimp, unpeeled

• Optional: a few blue crabs if you’re feeling festive

Directions

1. In a large stockpot, bring water, Zatarain’s seasoning, and Old Bay to a rolling boil.

2. Add potatoes and cook 10 minutes.

3. Toss in sausage and cook 5 minutes more.

4. Add corn and cook another 5 minutes.

5. Finally, add shrimp (and crabs, if using). Cook just until shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook!

6. Drain and pour everything onto a table covered with newspaper.

7. Cut open the seasoning bag and sprinkle the spices across the feast for extra flavor.

8. Call everyone to the table and remind them—no forks, no fuss, just fingers.

Serving Suggestion: Cold beer, sweet tea, and a stack of napkins. For dessert? Something simple, like watermelon slices or peach cobbler—because no one wants to fuss after a feast like this.