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| Seafood at "Shuckin Shack" |
Hungry for the sweet taste
of crab and the crunchy texture of fried soft shell, my family and I decided to
head to North Carolina coast. After driving for about 2 ½ hours south, passing
Wilmington, we reached the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. The sea surge can be
as high as a 3-story building during many hurricanes in this neck of the woods.
The area we went to is called “Carolina Beach”.
I was pleasantly surprised to find warm water, soft white sand and a laid back downtown in the area. The Gulf Stream does wonders to the temperature of the water and the availability of seafood along the strip.
We stumbled upon a dive bar called "Shuckin Shack", 2 blocks from the beach. With 2 young children we visited the joint early and found the freshest seafood on the strip. On top of the quality, the price was just right. We had a dozen oysters, 1 pound of steamed shrimp, a basket full of steamed blue crab claws, corn on the cob, coleslaw and hush puppies, all for under $30. The oysters were cold and briny. It was served with house-pickled chili. The shrimps were sweet, succulent, perfectly cooked, and sprinkled with a dust of old bay seasoning. The blue crab claws were steamed to perfection. I finish the basket without any help of craw crushing tool. Our children shared a basket of fish and chips and they want to go back.
I was pleasantly surprised to find warm water, soft white sand and a laid back downtown in the area. The Gulf Stream does wonders to the temperature of the water and the availability of seafood along the strip.
We stumbled upon a dive bar called "Shuckin Shack", 2 blocks from the beach. With 2 young children we visited the joint early and found the freshest seafood on the strip. On top of the quality, the price was just right. We had a dozen oysters, 1 pound of steamed shrimp, a basket full of steamed blue crab claws, corn on the cob, coleslaw and hush puppies, all for under $30. The oysters were cold and briny. It was served with house-pickled chili. The shrimps were sweet, succulent, perfectly cooked, and sprinkled with a dust of old bay seasoning. The blue crab claws were steamed to perfection. I finish the basket without any help of craw crushing tool. Our children shared a basket of fish and chips and they want to go back.
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| Seafood at Blackburn |
We also found a seafood market, right off the boat docking area in Carolina
Beach--Blackburn Seafood market. Though they did not have any live soft shell
crab there, they had an abundance of local fish. Spotted trout, flounder, blue
fish, Virginia mullet, black Sea Bass, Tuna, Mahi Mahi, and Spanish mackerel
were a few. The North Carolina shrimp were abundant as well. After finding out
that I was looking for live soft shell crab, the store clerk picked up the
phone to inquire about live soft shell crab at another market and sent me to another
seafood market. What a camaraderie the fishermen have, helping one another out!
I was impressed.
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| Live soft shell crab and conch at Sea View |
The crab place that I was sent to was "Sea View Crab". The live crab
was not the only thing there. There were live conch and lobster as well. The
fish selection was not as abundant, but what they did have looked awesome.
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| More NC fish at Sea View |
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| North Carolina Shrimps...Yum! |
Small, laid back, the beach town of Carolina Beach has it all...soft white sand,
warm water and fresh seafood. My cooler was filled with the goods as we set
sail for home, but really, I wanted to stay....and flow with the Gulf Stream.
Cheers!
Teera
Cheers!
Teera
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