Stupid simple seafood for the blue crab novice

July 24, 2024 10:12 AM

We're staying on the North Carolina coast next week (Wilmington area), and there are seafood markets everywhere. Our vacation rental has a decent kitchen and a propane grill, and we can bring specialized equipment from home if recommended. We love eating seafood, but don't prepare it at home often, and also aren't familiar with what might be especially worth seeking out in a coastal NC area. What should we buy, and how should we cook it?

We want to spend most of the day beaching, so recipes on the flavorful but less complex side would be great (think shrimps on the grill rather than lobster quenelles).

posted by Wavelet to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

Best answer: The local favorite is bluefish. Try some, they're delicious! Just fry up the filets after dusting with flour.

Another seafood delight on NC beaches is grilled tuna, cooked 'til it's crusty, after marinating it for a while.
posted by Rash at 10:33 AM on July 24, 2024

Best answer: Crabbing is one of the few things I really miss from growing up in the coastal south. Blue crabs are so stupid. Tie a chicken neck to a string, dangle it over the edge of a pier in a marshy area, and just pull them back in. Make sure there's a crusty looking old guy 4 buds deep crabbing nearby so he can look at your haul and throw back the breeding females. Catching your own dinner tastes great.
posted by phunniemee at 10:48 AM on July 24, 2024 [8 favorites]

Best answer: Not at Wilmington, but when we go to Topsail Island we get a steam pot from Topsail Steamer. Clams, shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, potatoes, spice packet and directions, all neatly packaged in a tin (like you get popcorn in at Christmas time). Follow the directions and it’s magical. They give you brown paper and traditionally you pour the steamed feast onto the table and dig in.

Perhaps also available in Wilmington?
posted by kabong the wiser at 10:53 AM on July 24, 2024 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Some place like Seaview should be able to steam a dozen blue crabs for you with sausage/corn/potatoes. Hopefully you have an outdoor table where you can make a mess. I get by with a heavy butter knife instead of the mallets and crackers. Don't forget the vinegar, or butter if that's your thing (I just dip in Old Bay)

You can't go wrong with shrimp -- easiest way to prepare is to boil from frozen with some seasoning, head off tail on.
posted by credulous at 10:54 AM on July 24, 2024

Best answer: Cape Fear Boil Company in Carolina Beach sells the kinds of steamer pots kabong mentions upthread. There’s also a Topsail Steamer in Wrightsville Beach. Check out Motts Channel Seafood for local catches like flounder, grouper and mahi, all of which will take mere moments on a grill (or in a pan on the stove, for that matter).

If you love shellfish, the local oysters, clams and shrimp are also incredible. I’m a NC native and both parents were from the coast of NC. There’s nothing like the seafood we can get on the coast in summer. Have a great trip.
posted by little mouth at 10:59 AM on July 24, 2024 [1 favorite]

Addendum to my pre ious - you can steam it in the tin they give you, and put the paper on the table before you drop the food on it. Sorry for not including in original post.
posted by kabong the wiser at 11:01 AM on July 24, 2024

Best answer: Do you like oysters? Because if so, you can go on a tour of an oyster farm.
To prepare them, you'll need an oyster knife and a thick kitchen towel. It takes a little practice to shuck an oyster, but if you have them firmly on the towel, it's not so bad. Wouldn't be surprised if they are willing to teach you on the tour.
I like them raw, sometimes with homemade cocktail sauce. Last week I tried putting some basil oil on some and it was divine.
If you want them cooked, you can broil or grill them - recipes abound. I do like angels on horseback, which involves wrapping them in bacon, fixing with a toothpick and broiling. Besides the toothpick, for boiling you'll need a cookie sheet with a lip so it doesn't drip on the bottom of the oven.
posted by plinth at 11:33 AM on July 24, 2024

Best answer: If king or spanish mackerel are available, get some that are 'steak cut' from an actual seafood market. Place them on a grill and top with butter. Cook 1 minute then flip and again top with butter and cook a couple more mins until barely done. Add salt if necessary. Serve with fresh corn.
posted by mightshould at 2:49 PM on July 24, 2024

Best answer: Summer is the time for fresh shrimp in the Carolinas and I have to say I miss it. There are so many ways to cook them and they're all good, starting with just tossing them into a pot of boiling water (with Old Bay in it) and pulling them out as they turn pink and float. Squeeze a half a lemon over them. Then just sit there, peeling and eating and dunking them in melted butter or cocktail sauce, or, hey, both. If you want to peel and clean them first for shrimp and grits or something like that, you can almost certainly pick up a shrimp deveiner at the local seafood market, probably with their phone number stamped on it, and they can show you how to use it.
posted by mygothlaundry at 2:56 PM on July 24, 2024