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Seafood harvesting is one of the largest industries on the Outer Banks. Commercial fishing boats land fresh seafood
in Wanchese and other towns along the coast nearly every day. Because so much fresh seafood is landed right here on the Outer Banks, visitors who know what to look for
will find an abundant supply of the finest seafood in the world.
Long before the first European traveler landed on the shores of the Outer Banks, Native Americans journeyed to these barrier islands to reap the bounty of the sea. Even today the sea and sounds yield a remarkable diversity of delectable sea life.
The list of fresh seafood that is landed locally is so long that we can’t possible name
it all here. From offshore fish like yellow-fin tuna to inshore fish like rockfish (striped bass) and speckled trout to bottom-dwellers like flounder, the variety of fish alone is vast.
There is wahoo, a beautifully mild white fish that grills to perfection; mahi-mahi (also
called dolphin but in no way related to the mammal), a darker fleshed fish that is surprisingly mild; and bluefish, a very strongly
flavored fish that has more omega-3 fatty
acids than salmon (if the flavor is too strong, try it smoked). There is amberjack, grouper, cobia … the list goes on and on.
If there is, however, one seafood item that North Carolina is noted for, it is blue crab.
“Traditionally, North Carolina is the top producer of blue crab,” says William Small, seafood marketing supervisor for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Blue crab abounds in the Outer Banks sounds, and at almost every phase of its life, the crustacean offers something tasty for the discriminating palate. As a hard shell they are served steamed and seasoned. With sweet tea or a cold beer, a steamed hard crab is one of life’s simpler pleasures. Almost every restaurant offers its own version of crab cakes – the best loaded with lump or jumbo lump crab meat with just enough filler to hold it together. Just about everybody who lives on the Outer Banks can tell you where to find their favorite crab cake, but taste in crab cakes is as varied as taste in wine, so take some time to experiment. Oh, and by the way, a nice buttery Chardonnay is the perfect accompaniment to a meaty crab cake.
As the blue crab goes through its life, it must shed its hard shell in order to grow. As
it sheds its shell, a soft, unformed shell covers the crab. These are the soft shells that send epicureans into a state of bliss. A simple food, its preparation consists of cleaning the crab (if you don’t know how to do this, ask, or go to a restaurant to eat them), then either breading it and frying it or sautéing it in butter and wine. Its simplicity belies a marvelously rich delight. The taste is distinctly sweet and mouth-filling, and is one of the true delights of the Outer Banks. The crabs start shedding in mid to
late April (depending on the weather) and continue through mid-October, though the main season is in May and early June. Frozen soft shells are available in the off-season, and they are good but nothing like the real thing.
Shrimp is the most popular seafood item
in America, according to Small.
“Shrimp is the number one seafood in
the U.S. market,” he says. “We consume
four pounds per person per year in this country.”
Unfortunately, most of the shrimp Americans consume is farm-raised overseas, processed and frozen and shipped a long, long way. But the Outer Banks and North Carolina shrimp harvest is abundant. Beginning in late June or early July through mid-September, local fishermen start landing fresh wild-caught shrimp. The difference in taste is
so great between
farm-raised and wild shrimp that they
could be two separate species. Wild shrimp are lightly sweet
with a firmer, meatier texture. If you have never had fresh shrimp, you owe it to yourself to explore the difference.
With such a wide variety of seafood from which to choose, there is sure to be something for every palate. Dewey Hemilright, who has
been fishing the waters of the Atlantic for more than 20 years, takes full advantage of
his occupation when choosing his favorite.
“It’s hard to pass up fresh big-eyed tuna or
yellow fin,” he says. “I love to eat sushi.”
But everyone will find their own favorite.”
For consumers who want to try some of
the local catch, a number of restaurants and seafood markets strive to offer fresh, North Carolina seafood whenever it’s available.
Look for the “Freshness from North Carolina Waters” emblem on the door of the business;
if you see it you’ll know that the chef is
preparing dishes from the local catch or that the seafood market is selling local seafood.
Hemilright sees for himself the pride
some of the Outer Banks chefs take in their preparation. “A lot of times,” he says. “The owners or chefs are coming right down here
[to the dock in Wanchese] and picking out their own seafood.”
The rules about what to buy are simple, according to Small. “Seafood that is fresh and local will be better,” he says. “There’s just so much available. If you see local seafood, buy it.” |
