Chef Craig Deihl: Special Fish Specialist
If you are interested in trying local fish less commonly found on menus around town, may we suggest Cypress. The founding chef there, Craig Deihl is known for elegantly balanced daily specials of species his customers may not have tried. And, he’s not afraid of the obstacles—he doesn’t balk at the labor it takes to gut a 1 1/2 pound vermilion or a small 1 pound Almaco jack. We found him breaking down an 800-pound steer in the top kitchen of Cypress, but he was happy to switch topics from beef to talk about his seafood preparations. “Certain things like grouper are easy fish to cook, these other species of fish revolve around needing a more ...
An Ode to the Upstate – Summer Peach Sparkler
Try to find sweet peaches grown in York County, South Carolina. Sanders’ Peach Stand, 2275 Filbert Highway (321) in Filbert, SC is our favorite source. This photo was taken on the way. Here on the coast of South Carolina, we’re so enamored of our sparklingly fresh oysters, shrimp, crabs and fish, that sometimes we forget the wealth of foods that upstate South Carolina has to offer: amazing heirloom beans and tomatoes, sweet-as-honeysuckle muscadine grapes, superb roadside barbecue, and perhaps most importantly, mind-blowingly delicious peaches. True, Georgia is officially “The Peach State,” but ask any upstate farmer: they’ve all got stories of Georgia families who cross the border into South ...
Seared Perfection
by dino copses To sear a filet of fish you need a well-seasoned, heavy duty, French steel pan. (See “Chef’s Secret”.) Searing or browning, also know as the Maillard reaction, caramelizes the natural sugars and proteins on the surface of the fish (or meat) and gives it more profound flavor. You also need a good exhaust fan or some open windows in the kitchen as high heat cooking can produce a lot of smoke. Preheat oven to 500 F. Pat filets with a paper towel just prior to frying to ensure they are dry. Salt and pepper them at the last minute. If there is any moisture on the filets they will not brown, they ...
The Red Dot
How South Carolina’s liquor stores got their spot by David White Ever wondered about the red dots that decorate liquor stores in South Carolina? It should be no surprise that they originated here in the Holy City, which has always been the imbibers’ state capital. Here’s the story: Beginning in the 1880’s strong tides of prohibitionist sentiment were flowing in South Carolina, largely backed by upcountry fundamentalist “drys”and opposed by “wets,” more concentrated in the low country, especially the port city of Charleston. In 1892, the “drys” won a statewide referendum that would have prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages in the state but for adoption of the “dispensary system,” advocated by Governor “Pitchfork Ben” Tillman and passed in a rush vote at ...
Soft Shell Crabs are inside this truck!
Capers White When we began to talk to chefs and others in town about seafood one of the names we heard again and again was Raul’s Seafood, purveyors of pristine stone claws, shrimp, crabs, and fish. We drove out to meet Kimberly and Bobby Carroll, the owners, at their new location on the dock of Shem Creek, and we highly recommend that you drop by too. Enjoy having a seat on their dock, catch a bit of their friendly vibe and take home some of their fresh-off-the-boat seafood. Kimberly gets excellent shrimp, and seafood daily as it comes off the boat. But ...
Features
The Red Dot
How South Carolina’s liquor stores got their spot by David White Ever wondered...
Summer Babes…
play, play, play all day! photography by Molly Hayes Read More →
An Ode to the Upstate – Summer Peach Sparkler
Try to find sweet peaches grown in York County, South Carolina. Sanders’ Peach...
Read More Posts From This CategoryEat Out
Soft Shell Crabs are inside this truck!
Capers White When we began to talk to chefs and others in town about seafood one...
Chef Craig Deihl: Special Fish Specialist
If you are interested in trying local fish less commonly found on menus around...
Seared Perfection
by dino copses To sear a filet of fish you need a well-seasoned, heavy duty, French...
Read More Posts From This CategoryCover Story
Celebrating Seafood!
by Will Milner
After three days of fishing the mid-shelf break 45 miles off shore, Captain Mark Mahefka navigates a 270-degree westerly heading en route to the Charleston sea buoy, the entrance gate to Charleston Harbor and, his destination, the Geechee Dock at Shem Creek. His 39-foot “snapper-grouper” boat, Amy Marie, is not just limited to the species of its name. A mélange of golden tile, Almaco jack, black sea bass, red porgy, and vermilion snapper are preciously packed on ice and “in the hole.” In fact, preciously placed belly down (depending on the species) and on ice within 20 minutes of being pulled from the water, to ensure a pristine arrival to the next destination.
Mark’s second job begins with a satellite phone and a list of more than a dozen chefs in town. On this day, chef Jerimiah Bacon of Carolina’s orders 100 pounds of American red snapper and jumbo black bass for the weekend, Craig Diehl of Cypress takes 80 pounds of vermilion snapper, red porgy and jacks, John Ondo of Lana takes 50 pounds of tilefish, Mike Lata of Fig orders a refrigerator full of Triggerfish.
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