Boiling Shrimp

Statesboro Georgia, is a good hour away from the coast, but you taste the ocean in Lowcountry boil at the Boiling Shrimp (aka The Saucy Shrimp). Choose shrimp, crawfish, mussels, clams, crab (in season) and even Maine lobster (in season), and it will be boiled with whatever flavor mix you choose: Cajun, garlic, lemon-pepper, or chili pepper, or a combo mix called The Whole 9 Yards. Tell the waitress how spicy you like it, from not-at-all to xxxtra!, and in a short while you will be brought a sturdy plastic bag filled with dinner. It is the customer’s job to empty the bag on the plate and separate crustaceans from their shells; but such labor yields very tasty seafood meals. The fish of choice is accompanied by sausage, a length of sweet corn, and potatoes: a big, happy mess of a meal.

For those who prefer supper to be less of a chore, Boiling Shrimp offers a full repertoire of fried or grilled seafood as well as po boys of fish, shrimp, oysters, and even fried chicken. I very much enjoyed the plump fried shrimp and extra-large, cream-fleshed scallops in their thin, crisp coat.

In addition to Key lime pie and cheesecake, the dessert menu offers such novelties as fried Oreos and fried ice cream and one I could not resist: sweet potato fries. They’re like regular sweet potato fries, except they have been battered AND fried, then smothered with sweetened condensed milk, chocolate syrup, and powdered sugar. It’s an inelegant and overwhelming dish — really, enough dessert for three or four or six people — but intriguing enough that I plan to order it again when I return.

The Boiling Shrimp is a big, cheerful restaurant with a casual fish camp feel (disposable paper tablecloths, paper towels in lieu of napkins) and waitresses who are delighted to share advice about their favorite foods from the exuberant kitchen.