Eat at a Seafood Boil
While there are plenty of ways to celebrate and enjoy the togetherness of a family vacation, there are few ways as good as a seafood boil: a time honored tradition in the coastal United States.
A seafood boil is a social event where the act of cooking and eating seafood is the focal point of the event. In other words, it's like a barbecue or a potluck, but with seafood as the main course!
Whether it's crab, lobster, shrimp, or shellfish, all of the seafood, vegetables (like corn on the cob or potatoes), sausages, and seasoning like Old Bay and garlic are tossed into a large pot to be boiled together into a delicious concoction. Sometimes instead of boiling the food (known as a "Low Country Boil" or sometimes a "Frogmore Stew"), it can be baked, steamed, or sometimes even raw!
Seafood boils are normally served right on the table! After laying down butcher paper or a waxed tablecloth, the boil itself is spread out across the entire table, with everyone grabbing what they want with their hands.
Generally, condiments are offered in little bowls across the table, like melted butter, cocktail sauce, and hot sauce. Other (empty) bowls are normally scattered around the table for participants to dump their crab shells and corn cobs into.
If it's your first time hosting a seafood boil, or if you simply don't have the time or space to do it yourself, there are plenty of companies that offer catering options and will bring the boil to you!
Our #1 recommended boil company is the Outer Banks Boil Company, which has locations in the eponymous Outer Banks, but also has locations in Virginia Beach, New Jersey, and even Florida!
The Boil Company does a mix of boiling and steaming, and makes a mix of Jumbo Shrimp, andouille sausage, red bliss potatoes, corn on the cob and sweet Vidalia onions with their own special sauces. They also offer add-ons like snow crab legs, clams, mussels and lobster tails!
The Outer Banks Boil Company offers catering and takeout options (as well as special event services). If you choose takeout, the Boil Company will give you a kit with your choice of seafood, vegetables, and spices, which you can combine with any liquid you want to boil it in (water, beer, or white wine are common additions) and boil on your own stove!
If you want to have the experts at the Boil Company handle it, simply provide them the address for your vacation rental and they'll show up an hour before dinner to set up the equipment and make the boil, fresh for your enjoyment! They'll bring all supplies necessary for the feast, including table cloth, plates, forks, and knives, and they'll clean up afterwards, too!
We love our local businesses, and so do they! The Outer Banks Boil Company offers discounts to any guests of Sandbridge Blue staying in one of our luxury vacation rentals.
Simply use the discount code "Blue" while making your order with the Outer Banks Boil Company for 10% off the per-person charge for catering and a free pound of crab or shrimp with any to-go pot order.
With dinner taken care of, you are free to enjoy the best of what Sandbridge has to offer! There are so many different things to do, and you'll be able to enjoy it to the fullest!
And, when you return back to your vacation rental, you'll be able to feat on a delicious seafood boil, prepared by our friends at the Outer Banks Boil Company.
