This instant pot low country boil is the perfect way to enjoy a hearty, delicious meal of shrimp, corn, sausage in brothy goodness. An Instant pot is perfect for a shrimp boil, and makes short work of this meal!
What is a low country boil?
It’s a classic Southern recipe, popular in the low country (a region alongside South Carolina’s coast). It basically consists of shrimp, potatoes, sausage, and corn on the cob cooked with plenty of seasoning and broth. Shrimp boil dishes have really exploded in popularity recently, all across the world.
Why should I make instant pot low country boil?
A shrimp boil in itself is such a delicious dish, with shrimp cooked to juicy perfection, soft potatoes, and crunchy corn all in a saucy broth.
An instant pot makes it even more delicious. The method of pressure cooking the food gives it intense flavor fast, with a really beautifully flavored broth.
Once you add the ingredients to the instant pot, it just requires 3 minutes of high pressure cooking time to be ready, and no need to wait for the pressure to naturally release!
What do I need to make instant pot shrimp?
Frozen shrimp or prawns: I like getting as big as I can find- they’ll still cook through in a pressure cooking situation and they give you lots of juicy, tender meat. You don’t need to thaw the shrimp, add them directly from frozen.
Spices and seasoning: Old Bay seasoning is a huge part of the flavor profile, as well as salt, coriander and onion powder, celery salt, bay leaves, lime leaves.
Lemon juice: Half added to the broth before cooking, and half added to the shrimp boil after cooking.
Butter: Unsalted butter gives richness to the broth, and butter coats the shrimp beautifully.
Garlic cloves, green bell pepper, and onion: All of which are sauteed in olive oil. We also add some extra fresh garlic to the dish after it’s done cooking. SO much flavor, trust me.
Baby potatoes: The smaller the better so you can keep them whole, but if you have any larger ones just chop them in half.
Corn: I used fresh corn on the cob and recommend this, but you can use frozen corn in a pinch.
Sausage: I actually had Turkish style sausage in the freezer (sucuk) that worked amazingly in this, straight from frozen. You can use any smoked sausage you like, or leave it out all together.
Vegetable stock and water: I make vegetable stock using a single vegetable bouillon cube.
Fresh parsley: Finely chopped, added at the end of cooking, plus a little for garnish if desired.
How do I make instant pot or ninja foodi shrimp boil?
- Turn the instant pot to saute mode. Drizzle in the olive oil, and once hot, add the bell pepper, onion, and half the garlic.
- Add the spices, and stir and saute for a couple minutes. Add the baby potatoes, lemon juice, bay leaves, sausage, shrimp, vegetable stock and water.
- Close the instant pot, make sure the valve is set to seal, and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. The instant pot will take time to come to pressure, then once it does it’ll count down from 3 minutes. Once cook time is over, force release the remaining pressure by switching the valve to vent. Don’t wait for the pressure to naturally release or you might overcook the shrimp.
- Open up the instant pot, add the remaining lemon juice, garlic and the chopped parsley, stir and enjoy!
What to serve a shrimp boil with:
We like eating this with plain fluffy rice, because it’s the perfect vessel for all that broth. This also works really well with crusty bread to sop up all that shrimp broth. Yum! You can serve it with a side salad or coleslaw if you prefer.
FAQS:
Yes! Use the same cooking times.
Yes you can, keep cooking times the same.
Yes. You start by sauteing the bell pepper, garlic, onion mix in olive oil, then adding the seasonings in addition to the lemon juice, water, and veggie stock. Add the potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes until nearly tender. Add corn and cook for 3 minutes, then add the sausage and cook another 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until opaque and cooked through which should just take 2 minutes (even 1 if the shrimp are smaller). Add the remaining lemon juice and garlic, the butter, and the fresh parsley.
Yes, I’d say so. Nothing is overtly spicy, just seasoned well. If you’d like to make this spicier you can add a couple dashes of hot sauce or red chili flakes to the finished product.
That’s up to you! We like this really brothy and saucy, especially if having it with rice or bread. If you’d like it less saucy, drain most of the broth before adding the final seasonign of butter, lemon juice, garlic and parsley.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Instant Pot Low Country Boil
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 finely diced green bell pepper
- 1 finely diced onion
- 6-8 minced garlic cloves, divided
- 1.5 tbsp Old Bay seasoning 3 tsp
- 1-2 tsp salt start with 1, add more after cooking and tasting if you think it needs
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 2 lemons squeezed, juice divided
- 1.5 lb baby red potatoes, larger ones cut in half 600g
- 2-3 ears corn, cut into quarters
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 lime leaves (optional)
- 10-12 oz sausage cut into 2 inch pieces 300g
- 2 lbs large frozen shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined but tail on 1 kg
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup vegetable stock 1 vegetable stock cubed dissolved into a cup of water, can also sub chicken stock
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter 85g
- 1 handful parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot onto saute mode, and add the olive oil. Let it heat up briefly then add the diced green bell pepper, the onion, and half the garlic.
- Add the Old Bay seasoning, salt, coriander powder, onion powder, celery salt, and stir to combine and saute for a couple minutes until softened.
- Add half the lemon juice, the baby potatoes, the corn, bay leaves and lime leaves if using, sausage, frozen shrimp, water, and vegetable stock.
- Close the Instant Pot, making sure the valve is set to seal, and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. It'll take time to come to pressure. Once the 3 minute cooking time is over, manually release the pressure in order to open the Instant Pot immediately so that the shrimp doesn't overcook.
- Add the remaining lemon juice, remaining minced garlic, butter, and the chopped parsley and stir.
- Enjoy immediately, either plain, or with some rice or some crusty bread!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I love shrimps, and the combination with seasonings was terrific.
So happy to hear that!
That’s quite a feast there, where do you start? I haven’t tried a low country boil, but I’m excited to dig in! Thanks for the background info on what is actually is, it’s good to know!
So glad you enjoyed it Charla!
This sounds like proper southern comfort food to me! Delicious.
Thanks so much Beth!
Love this! Never thought to make a boil in the instant pot and it’s such a great idea. Came out wonderful, we loved it!
So happy to bear it Danielle!
I’m going to make this low country boil at the weekend, it looks fantastic!
Thanks so much Mandy!