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Bring Home the Flavors of the Outer Banks
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More than seven million people visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina every year, and they all fall T
in love with its coastal Southern cuisine. the Outer banks Cookbook is a true celebration of the
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many flavors of North Carolina’s coastal communities with an emphasis on local food and products. e
The second edition features beautiful full-color photographs and more than 200 easy-to-follow O
recipes for appetizers, chowders, entrees, desserts, cocktails, and more. Included are family recipes, u
traditional dishes from locals, and specialties from the many restaurants dotting the Outer Banks. t
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Some of the delectable a
recipes include: n
Outer Banks cOOkBOOk
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Crabmeat Pâté
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Recipes & Traditions from North Carolina’s Barrier Islands
Sautéed Soft-Shell Crabs
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Clam Fritters O ElizabEth WiEgand
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Bourbon Pecan Chicken
Elizabeth Wiegand is a north Carolina k
Grilled Shrimp Salad
native and author of The New Blue Ridge B
Hatteras Clam Chowder Cookbook. her articles on food, travel, and O
design have appeared in the Washington
Nag’s Head Bloody Mary O
Post, Southern Living, Our State, and
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Ocracoke Oyster Stew & Grits Edible Piedmont. She maintains a blog at
www.CarolinaFoodie.blogspot.com and is a
member of the Southern Foodways alliance.
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Cover design by diana nuhn
Front cover photos: top left and bottom
right licensed by thinkstock.com; ® Globe Pequot Press
top right and bottom left licensed Guilford, Connecticut
by Shutterstock.com
GlobePequot.com
® Globe Pequot Press
Guilford, Connecticut
GlobePequot.com
The
Outer Banks cOOkBOOk
Recipes & Traditions from North Carolina’s Barrier Islands
ElizabEth WiEgand
Second edition
®
Introduction i
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This book is dedicated to the wonderful people of the Outer Banks,
especially Della Basnight, a true “Banker” even if she is from
“Maddeo” (Manteo), as the folks down Hatteras Island would say.
Copyright © 2008, 2013 by Morris book Publishing, llC
all RiGhtS RESERVEd. no part of this book may be reproduced or transmit-
ted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be
expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should
be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, attn: Rights and Permissions department, PO
box 480, Guilford, Ct 06437.
Photos and illustrations licensed by Shutterstock.com except page 123 © david
Stick Collection and page 306 lisa M. Stroud
Editor: amy lyons
Project Editor: Julie Marsh
layout artist: Casey Shain
text design: Sheryl Kober
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available on file.
iSbn 978-0-7627-8141-6
Printed in the United States of america
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Contents
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Drinks & Cocktails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Appetizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Chowders & Soups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Clams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Crabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Soft-Shells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Oysters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Scallops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Shrimp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Chicken & Duck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
Vegetables & Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
Sauces & Dressings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
Breads & Muffins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255
Desserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .306
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Acknowledgments
i would like to thank all those wonderful home cooks and professional chefs who so
willingly shared with me their food, stories, and recipes:
della basnight, a true friend who opened so many doors to her friends, family,
and restaurants up and down the banks; Peggy Snead, for the secret to her mar-
velous cake; luther daniels, Frank White, John Gaskill, natalie Gould Mandell,
tom and alice Skinner, John Gillam, Missy and tommy Manning, dale Mutro,
dennis Williams, and Sharon Peele Kennedy, her cousin lisa tolson, and their
nephew, Chef Rusty Midgett, who shared what life was like on the Outer banks
when they were younger, along with their recipes; lynne and Ernie Foster, for their
connections on hatteras and their recipes; denise Selby daniels, with the marvel-
ous Wanchese Watermen calendar; and these chefs: annie davis of the Great Gut
deli; bud Gruninger of basnight’s lone Cedar Café; Carlen Pearl of the Colington
Café; dolly Gray Jones of Sam and Omie’s; leonard logan of Elizabeth’s Café;
Wes Stepp of Red Sky Café; Forrest Paddock of the inn on Pamlico Sound; lee
Miller of Pamlico Jack’s; Jane Oden of breakwater; Rob Robinson of the bad bean
taqueria and the bad bean baja Grill; Ruth toth of Café atlantic; daphne bennink
of the back Porch; Judy and doug Eifert of dajio’s; amy huggins of Outer banks
Epicurean; Jerry Smith, or “Chef dirt”; Sam McGann of the blue Point; and Jeffrey
Russell, executive chef of the Sanderling Resort & Spa. and i am so very grateful
that i was able to share the memories and recipes of helen daniels, ivadean Priest,
and Jeanie Williams before their recent passings. they were true culinary treasures.
thanks to my friend lisa M. Stroud for capturing my best image. and the folks at
Globe Pequot Press patiently put a smooth polish on the rough edges of this project.
and a heartfelt thanks to those who provide me with the best of life—their love
and support—especially my husband, Steve; our three daughters, Kate, Em, and
bec; and my dear friends who went that extra mile to test my recipes and listen to
me whine.
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Introduction
When most people think of the Outer banks, they conjure up visions of white sandy
beaches, pounding surf, the smell of suntan lotion, and hours spent lounging with
the sand between their toes and the sun on their brows. Maybe they recall the wild
horses roaming up near Corolla or down in Ocracoke, or the hang gliders at Jockey’s
Ridge, or the miles of undeveloped, pristine ocean and sand along the Cape hatteras
national Seashore.
the Outer banks as a destination continues to win awards, like the recent “best
beach in the Whole Country” or “among the ten Most Romantic Escapes in the
U.S.” So many fall in love with and on the Outer banks, then return to be married
here, that wedding planning and photography are a huge business. honeymooners
share the playground of the Outer banks with college buddies, fam-
ily reunions, hang gliders, surfers, and kite boarders, with big
dreams of catching big waves, feeling hot sand, and tasting
the salt.
not me. i go to the Outer banks to eat. My mouth
salivates at the thought of eating crisply fried oysters
from Rose bay, soft-shell crabs shed on Colington
island on the full moon of May, or fresh yellowfin
tuna brought into hatteras Village harbor, grilled
rare and served with a mouth-burning wasabi
sauce. Or maybe warming up with some classic
Outer banks clam chowder, or firing up the grill
for bacon-wrapped scallops, or peeling greentail
shrimp, fresh and succulent from the waters of Pamlico
Sound. My husband, on the other hand, dreams of reeling
in a big striper from the beach or snagging some dolphinfish
out in the Gulf Stream, which he can proudly bring back to our kitchen.
So much seafood, too many choices. Eat in, or choose from dozens of restaurants
that dazzle the taste buds. now that’s my kind of trip to the Outer banks.
The WeaTher and Sea Fare
Seen from above or on a map, the Outer banks look like a long, skinny finger extend-
ing from the Virginia border, cut through by an inlet or two, and extending past
Cape hatteras, then making a sudden turn west toward the mainland. not all the
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Outer banks are islands; technically the northern reaches are part of a sandy spit.
but the banks might as well be an island—cut off from the rest of the world with no
road leading north save the beach at low tide.
the sandy ridges of the Outer banks are a barrier that protects the largest estua-
rine area of connecting sounds in the country from the potentially raging atlantic
Ocean. at many points you can see both ocean and sound and really feel how fragile
this environment is.
the weather is always a factor on the Outer banks, for it can affect mobility
and safety, and the chances of bringing in seafood. too much rain or not enough
increases or decreases the chance for shrimp to thrive, the salinity oysters need to
grow, or whether larvae can feed. Flooding from the mainland can float pollutants
into the marshes where fish, oysters, and clams spawn and develop. Wind-driven
tides remove vegetation needed for crabs to molt or fish to feed. hurricanes can
destroy homes for humans and sea creatures alike.
the availability of shellfish and finfish is affected by this sometimes-wild weather.
but the good news is that it most always bounces back within a season or two. it’s
the human factors—pollution, development, and overharvesting—that are creat-
ing havoc with oysters, clams, and some fish. Watermen along the Outer banks are
searching for ways to cope and continue to bring quality seafood to the table.
The MouThWaTering eFFecTS oF TouriSM
the Outer banks draws seven million visitors each year to its 100-plus miles of
sandy shores. Most come during summer, renting huge McMansions lining the
beaches from Corolla to hatteras, with Cape hatteras national Seashore in between.
Others play in the surf, sleep in motels, and eat at the many restaurants lining both
the beach roads and the bypass. the lucky few continue generations of family tra-
ditions, opening their own cottages to hordes of visiting family during the warmer
months for stays that can last weeks at a time.
tourists have always been an influencing factor, especially on Outer banks
menus. What is cooked and served today reflects flavors from around the world, yet
surprisingly the old, traditional foods remain. thank heavens.
to understand how the Outer banks cuisine developed, take a look at its history.
We’ll start with who was here first—the native americans.
The FirST ouTer BankS TouriSTS
the very first tourists on the Outer banks were native americans from the mainland
who came to fish, much like today’s anglers. the algonquians had a large settlement
on Roanoke island, and evidence points to one permanent indian settlement on the
2 Introduction
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barrier islands, near buxton on hatteras. So these locals also saw traffic, albeit via
canoes, headed to the beaches.
Other coastal tribes near the Outer banks included the Machapungas, or
Mattamuskeets, on the mainland between albemarle Sound and the Pamlico River
and the Poteskeets on the mainland opposite Currituck banks. they and other
indian tribes from farther inland traveled to the Outer banks during the early sum-
mer or late fall, before and after their harvests, to fish and hunt and thus supplement
their food supply. they didn’t stay, just visited the sandy banks long enough to make
their catches to take back home.
With hooks and line, arrows and spears, and a series of weirs or impoundments,
they caught mullet, flounder, trout, channel bass, and other fish. Sometimes they built
Introduction 3
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