A seafood boil is a communal one-pot dish in which shellfish, potatoes, corn, and seasonings are boiled together and served straight from the pot, also known as a low country boil or Frogmore stew.
The dish grew out of the cooking traditions of the Gullah Geechee communities of coastal South Carolina and Georgia, who used readily available shellfish, vegetables, and spices to feed large gatherings quickly; the specific name "Frogmore stew" dates only to the mid-20th century.
Ingredients go into a large pot of water, beer, or seasoned broth: shrimp, crab, crawfish, or lobster, along with potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, and seasonings like Old Bay, cayenne, and lemon. Everything is boiled then briefly simmered, dumped onto a newspaper-lined table, and eaten by hand.
Regional versions vary by seafood and seasoning: Louisiana's is a crawfish boil built around crawfish and Cajun/Creole seasoning blends; Florida versions often add stone crab; other coastal areas add oysters or mussels.