East Coast Seafood
Wadmalaw Island. 2659 Cherry Point Dr. 559-5085
Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
All kinds of culinary treasures are hidden along the winding roads of Wadmalaw Island. Celeste Albers has her farm nestled among the live oaks, and Leland Farms is only a country mile from there. Near Rockville, Jimmy Green and his family run East Coast Seafood. At East Coast you will find some of the freshest shrimp — and the saltiest dogs — in the Lowcountry. Second generation owner and shrimper Jimmy Green greets visitors with a hearty smile. He’ll share with you what’s fresh in the coolers — whiting, shark, shrimp, and crab make seasonal appearances — and he might even let you in on how his wife prepared the catch for last night’s dinner. Unwind, take a summer drive. The prices are right, and you will be doing your part to preserve the age-old Lowcountry shrimping industry. If you don’t gain access to any of the Green family’s secret recipes, try one of these from Charleston foodie cookbooks:
Short-Cook Shrimp and Grits
from Nathalie Dupree’s Shrimp and Grits Cookbook
By Nathalie Dupree and Marion Sullivan
Wyrick & Company
$21.95
2 c. cooked grits, cooked with shrimp stock, milk, or water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed with salt
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Dash of cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled
Preheat the broiler. Season the hot grits to taste with salt and pepper. Heat the butter, oil, and garlic in a broiler-proof frying pan. Stir in the parsley, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. Add the shrimp, tossing to coat. Place the pan in the oven and broil 6 inches from the heat, 3 to 5 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, until the shrimp turn pink. (Alternately, sauté the shrimp over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until they turn pink.) Divide the grits between two plates, put the shrimp on top of them, spoon on the juices, and serve.
Boathouse Crab Cakes
from Charleston: The Boathouse, Tales and Recipes from a Southern Kitchen
By Douglas W. Bostick and Jason R. Davidson
Joggling Board Press
$26.95
1 lb. claw meat
1 lb. lump meat
1 lb. backfin or special meat
2 c. Duke’s mayonnaise
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 lemon, juiced
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt and pepper
3 c. panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
Thoroughly pick the crab meat to remove any hard parts. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Old Bay, parsley, lemon juice, eggs, salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Add crabmeat and gently mix to incorporate all the crab into the mayonnaise mixture. Mix in the 2 cups of bread crumbs and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This gives the bread crumbs time to absorb. Form the crab cake mixture into 4-ounce or half-cup cakes. Roll the cakes in the reserved 1 cup of panko. To cook the crab cakes, heat oil over medium heat in cast iron or fry pan. Place cakes into pan and sear until golden brown; turn over and repeat on the other side.
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