Why Are There No Frogs In Frogmore Stew?

Frogmore Stew is a favorite of "Low Country" Cuisine. It is not really a stew and it doesn't contain any frogs. I had never heard this term "Frogmore Stew" until I lived in Atlanta in the early 1990's. We lived in a neighborhood that had a community club complex with tennis courts, a swimming pool and a clubhouse for social events. A couple of the "good ol' boys" loved to conduct an event they called "Frogmore Stew Night".   

Living most of my life in the South, I have heard the term "Low Country Boil" or "Seafood Boil" but never "Frogmore Stew". In Tappahannock, Virginia, where I spent my high school years, we had "Crab Boils". This name was applied because the predominate local seafood was the blue crab. In the South, there are several variations of this dish depending on local fresh ingredients. The perpetual accompanying beverage is "Ice Cold Beer" and of course, "Sweet Tea" for those who don't partake of demon rum. The "good ol' boys" in Atlanta always had a keg of "Ice Cold Beer".   

"Low Country" refers to the geographic and cultural area along South Carolina's coast including the salt marshes and sea islands. It is a beautiful area and the waters are abundant with shrimp, blue crabs, fish and oysters. This area also grows luscious produce like corn, potatoes and peaches. 

A lot of movies are filmed in the area around Beaufort, South Carolina, about midway between Charleston and Savannah. Forrest Gump, The Big Chill and The Great Santini being the ones most people know. The namesake of this dish the town of Frogmore, South Carolina is about 11 miles east of Beaufort on St. Helena Island. Originally the town consisted of a post office across the road from a general store. Because of its proximity to beach areas that has changed a bit in recent years.

The name originated from Mr. Richard Gay of the Gay Fish Company back in the 1960's. He was in the National Guard and at one time tasked with feeding a group of 100 during a 2 week annual training session. He made the one pot dish his father, Buster Gay had been making for years. When asked what it was they were eating, Richard said "Frogmore Stew". When he returned to the family business, he wrote up the recipe and made sure they sold all the ingredients in their seafood market. The title he gave the recipe was "Frogmore Stew". The origins of this dish probably go back a couple hundred years to the first settlers and fishermen in this area but this name is fairly new. The dish had a jump in popularity when it was featured on the cover of Gourmet Magazine in 1980.    

Frogmore Stew has four main ingredients: shrimp, potatoes, corn and smoked sausage. As with most Southern regional dishes, there are variations that are added based on who and where it's being prepared. Everyone agrees on the main four ingredients but some add onions, crabs, crayfish or scallops. I've even seen lobster tails.

Ease of service is a major factor. After draining the liquid the whole pot is dumped on a newspaper or butcher paper topped table. People either stand or sit and go at it. If it's a crowd, people grab a paper plate, fill it up, grab whatever accompaniments they want and then move to an adjacent table to feast. Return visits are always required and encouraged. The only utensil I've ever seen used is a fork, usually plastic. Most of the time people use their God given utensils, their hands. Napkins are paper and usually in the form of rolls of paper towels, the quicker picker upper. Everything is disposable. There are never any food elements left over. Everything else is tossed on the table and rolled up in the newspaper and deposited in the trash. Nothing is much easier than that.    

The liquid in which the Frogmore Stew is cooked is subject to variations. Most people choose water and maybe a little or a lot of beer. Some add melted butter ie. the original Gay Fish Company recipe. Some add Worcestershire Sauce and/or a halved head of garlic. They all have some kind of seafood boil mixture. There are hundreds of these seafood seasoning blends on the market. A trip to Amazon.com will show you quite a few. The top 2 are Old Bay Seasoning and Zatarain's. Zatarain's is based in New Orleans and is more prevalent the farther south you go.

The seasoning mixture I like is Old Bay Seasoning, a blend of celery salt, black pepper, red pepper, paprika, laurel leaves, mustard, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. I'm sure there are other things in there but these are the ones the company admits to. Old Bay Seasoning has been around since 1939 as a product of the Baltimore Spice Company and is now owned by McCormick & Company. It is a regional spice mix and is used in a lot of other things, not just as a seafood boil seasoning. I use it in my cocktail sauce and crab cakes. I have seen it as an ingredient in deviled eggs, potato salad, potato chips and popcorn. It is quite tasty. 

Zatarain's Crab Boil is a bit spicier, as you would expect coming from the Cajun Capital of the South. It's a company that was started in 1889. It too is now owned by McCormick & Company. Those folks don't miss a trick in the spice business. 

A lot of people use fresh cut lemons in the boiling liquid as well as served on the side as an accompaniment. Other accompaniments include cocktail sauce, melted butter, sour cream, Tabasco and sliced jalapenos. Some people like the heat. Some people like Dijon mustard for their sausage. I do.

Timing is important in Frogmore Stew. After the cooking liquid has come to a boil with all its seasonings, it's allowed to meld for a bit, 4 or 5 minutes. Then the potatoes are added. They take the longest to cook. When they are almost done (10 to 15 minutes), the onion, corn and sausage are added. I like to use a combination of Kielbasa and Andouille. This gives the option for a little more heat, if desired, with the Andouille and I think it has a different texture and more flavor than the Kielbasa. After this cooks for a bit, the last item is the shrimp. They take the least amount of time and must be watched carefully so they don't overcook and become tough.   

Frogmore Stew

½ - Cup Old Bay Seasoning       1 - Lb. Small New Potatoes

½ - Lb. Andouille Sausage        ½ - Lb. Kielbasa Sausage

2 - Sweet Onions, Quartered     4 - Ears Sweet Corn, Halved

2 - Lbs. 16-20 Shrimp, Shell On 1 - Head Garlic, Halved

2 - Lemons, Halved                    Cocktail Sauce

Melted Unsalted Butter             Dijon Mustard  

Bring a large stockpot (at least 12-quart) of water (filled 2/3 of the way, about 9 quarts) to a simmer. Add Old Bay and lemon. Simmer to infuse. (The water should be abundantly seasoned and aromatic.)

Add potatoes, garlic and sausage. Bring back to a simmer and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Keeping water at a simmer, add sweet onions and corn. Cook until kernels are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until the shrimp becomes pink and white (instead of opaque), about 4 or 5 minutes. Strain solids from cooking liquid. Transfer everything to a large platter or dump it on a newspaper covered table.

Serve with melted butter (for potatoes and corn as well as the shrimp). You will need a lot of melted butter. Also serve mustard (for sausage), cocktail sauce, sea salt, Tabasco, sour cream (for potatoes) and lemon wedges. 

This recipe serves 4 people.