Seafood by the Sea

Happy Saturday, friends! I can't believe it, but our week at the beach is already over. As I type, we are in the car, making our way back home. It's always sad to say goodbye to the beach and our family after our fun week is over. This week, we ate too much, played lots of games, soaked up lots of sun, swam in the pool, enjoyed nightly golf cart rides, and had a lot of laughs.

 

I thought I would write one final beach post about some of our beach eats.

 

First up: Creek Rolls

 

My sister Meredith and her husband David introduced us to Creek Rolls last year. Creek Rolls are a lot like spring rolls, but they are filled with all sorts of goodies, like local shrimp. You can buy Creek Rolls from The Crab Cake Lady or from Harrelson's Seafood Market in Murrell's Inlet. I couldn't find a website for Harrelson's, but here is a listing on Urban Spoon:

 

If you happen to be in the Surfside Beach, Garden City, or Litchfield Beach areas, this would be a great place to get fresh seafood.

Warning about Creek Rolls: these do not last long! Once is platter was set out on the table, I had to snap pictures quickly before everything disappeared!

 

Next: Low Country Boil.

 

If you are from the South, then you have probably grown up eating this simple meal. It has lots of names: Shrimp Boil, Frogmore Stew, etc. This is my brother-in-law's signature beach meal. He and my sister make this for us every year at the beach. Low Country Boil includes: potatoes, sausage, shrimp, and corn on the cob. Sometimes, you can add in crab legs for an extra treat, also. Everything is cooked in a pot together with Old Bay seasoning.

 

David's Low Country Boil:

Ingredients:

(Note- the amounts ar appropriate- these can be adjusted for your tastes)

• 6 Budweisers
• 3/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning
• Red Potatoes (1-2 per person)
• Corn on the cob (frozen, 1-2 per person)
• Sausage, sliced (ex: kielbasa, 1/2 lb. per person)
• Shrimp (raw, unpeeled, 1/2 lb. per person)

Preparation:

(We cook outside, but this can be prepared on the stovetop in a large stock pot.)

1. Boil water, Budweisers, and old Bay.
2. Add potatoes and cook 10 minutes. (David just leaves then whole.)
3. Add corn on the cob and cook 5 minutes.
4. Add sliced sausages and cook five minutes.
5. Add shrimp and cook until pink and floating to the top.
6. Drain water and serve!

Cooking tip: playing a game of corn hole helps pass the time.

 

So does great scenery.

 

This year, we decided to make things REALLY simple. We lined our table outside by the pool with newspapers and just dumped everything on the table.

Cheers to seafood!

 

We gathered around with empty plates and dinner was served "family style!" After dinner, clean-up was super easy. Just grab the newspapers and boom: clean table.

 

Finally: Mom and Dad's Baked Shrimp.

 

This simple appetizer made by my parents was a huge hit! It is so simple, but so delicious! My mom found this recipe on Pinterest, but adapted it slightly.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 2 lemons, sliced
• Shelled uncooked shrimp (approximately 2-3 lbs- as many as will fit on your baking sheet)
• Creole Seasoning (as much or as little as you like)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet (with a rim) with foil or parchment paper. Melt stick of butter and pour over the baking sheet.
3. Lay sliced lemons on the melted butter. Space evenly over pan.
4. Lay shrimp over top of the butter and lemons.
5. Sprinkle everything with creole seasoning.
6. Bake for 15 minutes (or until shrimp is cooked through).
7. Dump everything into a serving dish and serve immediately. No sauce needed!

Again- these do not last long! These would make a great appetizer for a summer party!

 

We sure had a lot of great eats this week. I am already missing the beach! Hopefully we will see the waves and put our toes in the sand again sometime soon. But for now...

 

Goodbye, Surfside!

 

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Murrell's Inlet and Wahoo's Fish House

A funny thing happens when you are on vacation. You forget the day...and the time...you eat all kinds of delicious things...and in the back of your mind, you know it can't last forever. But it's so nice. I am appreciating this vacation so much. This is the first summer in the past 13 years where I have worked the whole summer, and it's so nice to take a week off!

A few pictures from tonight...

Tonight, we had a wonderful dinner and walk in Murrell's Inlet, SC. We have been coming to Murrell's Inlet for years, but we tried out a new restaurant tonight: Wahoo's Fish House.

We used one of my favorite apps/websites to pick the restaurant- Yelp! Wahoo's had really good reviews on Yelp, and they accept reservations. There was another restaurant we were interested in trying, but they don't accept reservations. This was okay before we had a little one with us...but when you have a five-year-old with you, waiting an hour or more for a table isn't feasible. Thankfully, we had a reservation and sat down right away!

I have to say that our server was awesome. She was on top of things the entire meal!

We started with fresh bread and peach butter!

I went for a Cosmopolitan. I mean, it IS vacation...

We had salads first. In retrospect, I wish I had shared a salad with Ryan because it was really big, with all kinds of toppings!

It was really hard to choose, because everything on the menu sounded amazing, but I ended up going with the dinner special: Amber Jack (fish) with bacon-cheddar grits and tempura asparagus.

Loved it! I never had this type of fish, but our server compared it to Mahi Mahi. It also reminded me of yellowfin tuna a little bit, texture-wise. The grits were also delicious! I rarely eat grits, but these were delicious! And the tempura asparagus was crunchy, but you could still taste the asparagus, which I liked.

The food at Wahoo's is delicious, but the view and atmosphere are also excellent. Wahoo's is located right on the Inlet, you you have these nice views of the water.

 

And they also have a fun (brightly-decorated) bar outside where you can order food and listen to live music.

It was such a nice night, so we decided to walk along the marshwalk on the inlet. I had no idea this boardwalk/marshwalk even existed, but it was neat to see all the other restaurants right near Wahoo's.

 

I love this picture that I was able to get of this row of restaurants!

If you are planning to be in the Myrtle Beach area, this would be a great place to have dinner one night, either inside or outside!

Thanks, Wahoo's, for a great dinner tonight!

 

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Peacharita (Cocktail)

Well, another Monday has come and gone. Most of the time, Monday is the most dreaded day of the week. But not for me. Because I woke up here today:

It's our annual family beach trip!

Normally on a Monday, I would be at work, and I would be super-productive. And this week is no different. I am being super-productive on vacation.

For example, I have ridden 17 miles on the bike, including 10 miles this morning...

And I played with this girl in the waves...

And I made the best frozen drink ever.

Got fresh peaches? This is how you should use them. Don't have any fresh peaches? Get yourself to a local farm get some. And then make this drink.

Peacharita

(Note: this is a new twist on Jason's Perfect Margaritas.)

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. orange juice
• 4 oz. margarita mix (non-alcoholic, preferred brand: Margaritaville)
• 4 oz. Lime Tequila (preferred brand: Margaritaville)
• 4 oz. Pineapple Rum
• 2 oz. Triple Sec or Cointreau
• 2 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced (I leave the skin on, but you could remove the skin)
• Ice

Preparation: In a blender, combine all liquid ingredients. Add peach slices. Fill the blender with ice. Blend until smooth. Enjoy poolside or on the beach. Or in your living room. Basically anywhere.

 

You're welcome.

 

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