Gluten Free Frogmore Stew

Let me take you back a couple weeks. A Firefighter I work with was hosting some friends over for a 4th of July party at his house. Our families live in the same neighborhood. He told me not to worry about bringing any food because he was making Frogmore Stew for everyone. Frogmore Stew sounded a bit familiar, I think I had it at work several years ago but I didn’t remember it being all that spectacular. My wife and I are also cautious when someone else is cooking and they aren’t used to the precautions needed for Celiacs. I did a quick Internet search and found that nothing in Frogmore Stew has gluten. So what is Frogmore Stew you ask? The name comes from Frogmore, South Carolina. It is essentially a mix of small potatoes, corn on the cob, spicy sausage, and shell fish like shrimp and crab all boiled together in a large pot of water seasoned with Old Bay Seasoning. Back to the party, everyone was sitting around on the back patio enjoying the sunshine and having a cold drink when my friend came out and covered his patio table with packing paper and dumped a big pile of food on top of it for everyone to pick at. Everything was perfect and delicious. My wife and I looked at each other and knew that we had to make this for everyone at our upcoming family vacation. So I went from having Frogmore Stew once several years ago to having it three times in the past three weeks. This is the easiest, most delicious meal to serve to your family and friends this Summer. Plus the presentation will have everyone's attention.
Frogmore Stew
serves  8-10 people- adjust the amount as necessary
Old Bay Seasoning- about 1/3 to  1/2 cup per gallon of water- It’s great if you can use 1 large pot but you need about 2- 2 1/2 gallons of water for this recipe. I don’t have a pot that big so I used a couple smaller pots. Just season the water in each pot and it will be fine.  
Onion- 1/2 an onion sliced
Lemons- Juice from 3 lemons
Potatoes- small whole red and Yukon gold-about 2 pounds
Corn on the cob- about 5 ears shucked and cut into thirds
Sausage- Andouille or any kind you like- about 12 links cut them in half
Shellfish- Mix and match however you like- 2 1/2 pounds of medium shrimp cleaned but with the shell on, 2 pounds of Snow crab legs, I even used 1 pound of steamer clams the second time I made this.The view from our rented lake house near the Southern Oregon Coast.My first time making Frogmore Stew at the lake. Set out a little bowl with melted butter.My Brother in Law and my dad caught a several Dungeness crab that we brought home, so I had to make this again. Prep your vegetables.
Add the Old Bay Seasoning to the water along with half an onion and the fresh lemon juice.Rinse off the shell fish before cooking.Cooking is very simple, everything goes into the same pot of boiling seasoned water. It’s all about timing.  Start with the potatoes because they take the longest. Boil for about 15- 20 minutes or until just about cooked all the way. You want the potatoes to be just a bit under done when you start adding more ingredients so that they will be perfectly cooked when everything is finished. Next, add the corn. After 5 minutes, add everything else-the sausage, shrimp, crab, and clams. The sausage and crab are already cooked, they just need to warm up. The shrimp and clams only take a few minutes to cook. Finally, strain off  and discard all the liquid and pour everything onto the middle of your table lined with newspaper or packing paper. If you don’t want to dump this on your table, just pour it into a large pan or bowl and set it in the middle of the table for your guests to pick at. Serve with a little melted butter and you are set. This is a great hands on Summer time meal. Enjoy!!!