FROM THE BAIT
To The Plate BY BY Chef Chef Gary Gary Williams Williams
D
UDES enjoyed our first issue. I was just wondering how many of you DUDES & DUDETTES took advantage of the great summer fishing tips, trips to the Mariculture Center, wine and cigar tips and great eating with the recipes we provided. If there was something you really liked or would like to see in the future, just drop old Harold a line in his mailbag. For now, we’re going to switch gears to a favorite time of year and some of the great things that come with it. Let’s start with an old, well used, outdoor festive meal known by all the native old timers of Beaufort as Frogmore Stew. What is it? Where did it start and what’s happened to it’s true recipe over the years? Frogmore Stew is a down home stick to your ribs feast enjoyed by family and friends. Frogmore Stew originated from a very small unincorporated farming and fishing community on the outskirts of Beaufort, right after your travel through Lady’s Island on Hwy 21 and before you get to Hunting Island State Park. Legend has it that it was created by a local shrimper who was running low on food and starting throwing things in to a boiling pot and finished it off by throwing in some fresh shrimp off the boat. I think a version of it has to be traced back to the Gullah culture. Call it what you will; Seafood Stew, Beaufort Stew, Beaufort Boil, Lowcountry Boil...it will always be FROGMORE STEW to me. As a young boy growing up, I used to love traveling through the small little town of Frogmore heading out to Hunting Island Beach. My father would always stop at the old tomato packing plant where we could see how tomatoes (the ripest you’ve ever seen with a sweetness that’s unforgettable) were grown right there in Frogmore. They were then and still are now, packed and distributed throughout the East coast. After learning about and visiting the plant, we would pull over to the side of the road and pick the sweetest yellows plums growing along the roadside. What a great start of a day heading out with the family for a day on the beach and on the way back, there were, always roadside stands selling farm grown fruits and vegetables and kettle cooked Frogmore Stew. Oh and boiled peanuts too! We would sit outside on the picnic tables eating off of paper plates till we couldn’t eat any more. We always finished it off with ice cold watermelon as we headed our way back home. All the way home, all I could think about was the sweetness of the large local shrimp, corn on the cob, kielbasa sausage, red skin potatoes all cooked in boiling water with seafood seasonings like Old Bay. How it happened, I don’t know, I guess some call it progress of the times but Frogmore one day took down their sign and the community/town was no longer known to the new generation. For those local folks who still pass through it today, it will always be known to us as Frogmore and home to the Gullah culture. Now there are different names and ingredients that have been added to the original Frogmore Stew. One of the most popular names is Lowcountry Boil. The main ingredients didn’t change, but now some chefs have added, blue crabs, snow crablegs, mussels, oysters and clams. Some old school chefs may be caught actually putting a few beers in there as well.
Fall/Winter 2010-2011
Does it taste good with beer? Why sure it does DUDES! The community of Frogmore can always be proud that it was their creation that actually put this great recipe on the map. So to finish my blast from the past memories, the Frogmore Stew recipe is the greatest during the fall months with the cooler weather and the smell of burning leaves and pine straw from the neighbor’s yard. Friends and family will gather around the back yard fire celebrating the cool changes of the season. The shrimp are larger in the creeks and there are still great ingredients to gather for your own version of the Lowcountry’s historical dish. So I’ll leave you with the recipe I grew up with and serve at the Sea Shanty, when we have it for a special. Don’t forget to answer our trivia question after the recipe and email it back to Harold’s Mailbag. Who knows, you too could win lunch or dinner for two at The Sea Shanty this Fall. See you next year DUDES!
GARY WILLIAM’S FROGMORE STEW (Serves at least 6)
Ingredients: 3 1/2 pounds of fresh wild large lowcountry shrimp 1 dozen (1/2 ears of frozen corn on the cob) 3 pounds of Kielbasa Sausage 4 to 5 pounds of red skin, new potatoes Old Bay Seasoning to taste Beer optional Preparation: In a medium to large size cooking pot, complete with draining basket inside, fill it about 1/2 full with water and bring to a boil with Old Bay seasoning. Put in potatoes first and cook them separately until about 3/4 quarters done, then throw in your cobbettes and sausage. When your water comes to a boil again, turn it off and leave for 5 minutes, then throw in your peel on shrimp for 2 or 3 minutes or until they are pink. Serve immediately. If you cook your shrimp for over 5 minutes, you’ve ruined the recipe. Pour out on a table covered with DUDE newspapers, after you’ve read it of course, and dive in. Fun, family and friends eating for sure DUDES. Cheers and Happy Holidays Y’all!
DUDE TRIVIA QUESTION
(send your answers to Harold’s Mailbag at harold@dudesc.com) When was the town sign of Frogmore removed? Must be the year and if you know the correct month, we may use that as a tie breaker. We will randomly pick from the correct answers and contact you via email for your FREE LUNCH or DINNER FOR 2 at THE SEA SHANTY.
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