The Core

Why We Are Here => Water Cooler => Topic started by: Mackin USA on August 13, 2017, 12:56:49 PM

Title: Calabash, Seafood Capital of the World
Post by: Mackin USA on August 13, 2017, 12:56:49 PM
WE had lunch yesterday with some North Carolina NATIVES

They said that we should try Calabash Seafood

What say you, RC  ???
Title: Re: Calabash, Seafood Capital of the World
Post by: rcjordan on August 13, 2017, 01:34:36 PM
One evening when I was a kid, we sat in a line of cars for an hour or more trying to get into Calabash.  They had more-or-less reinvented fried seafood with light, tempura-style (egg & flour)  batter FRESH OFF the boat.  People were driving up from Myrtle Beach and swamping the place. Most restaurants were shacks that had shrimpboat docks literally at their back door.

But, back then Myrtle Beach wasn't the sprawling mess that it is now and good seafood restaurants were scarce.  Most good seafood restaurant nowadays more or less duplicate the batter and get close to off-the-boat freshness.  Calabash is now a retirement/golf town and trying hard to be a tourist destination and has become a little honky-tonk.  That said, it was once famous and I took the Eurotrash there on a redneck tour while on our way to Charleston. Louise & I usually stop there if we're in the area, but I don't go out of my way. There is a restaurant down by the boat ramp (to the left when facing the ramp) that still has a boat  dock and I've been there when the shrimp were carted off the boats into the kitchen.  It's been 5 or 6 years since I was there, I hope it's still the same.

TL:DR;  Don't make a special trip.