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| Blue Crabs |
C. Hope Clark has written six novels in
two series, with her latest being Echoes
of Edisto, the third in the Edisto Island Mysteries. Mystery continues to
excite her as both reader and writer, and she hopes to continue as both for
years to come. Hope is also founder of FundsforWriters, chosen by Writer’s
Digest Magazine for its 101 Best Websites for Writers. Learn more about Hope
and her books at her website.
Crab,
Shrimp, and a New Edisto Beach Mystery
My mind lives at a particular beach,
and my body goes there several times a year – Edisto Beach, at the tip of
Edisto Island, an hour south of Charleston, South Carolina. Having grown up
within a half hour of the beach, it’s in my blood. When I lay eyes on a
massive, five-hundred-year-old oak in all its dangling Spanish moss swaying in
humidity-laden breezes. . . when I cross a bridge from the mainland to the
island and take in the aroma of pluff mud . . . when white egrets and great
blue herons coast on warm sea air with nary an effort . . . then I am where my
soul needs to be.
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| Edisto Beach |
Edisto Beach is like no other Carolina
beach. It’s secluded, almost jungle-like, lacking the neon, franchises, and
motels of other beaches that prefer the more commercial flavor. It’s where
people cross the McKinley Washington Bridge over the Dawhoo River and leave
their worries on the mainland behind them. All of which made for the perfect
setting to take my broken character, an ex-big-city detective, freshly widowed
with no desire to return to law enforcement. And of course I make crime follow
her, or have her the only person able to see it, because, after all, crime
doesn’t happen on Edisto. No, ma’am. No, sir.
Echoes
of Edisto is book three in a series that coastal South Carolina has
come to love, and I almost let Callie Jean Morgan settle in this time and
decide she’s found her calling . . . but of course I have to rock those doubts.
But that story’s for another time.
When Callie isn’t dealing with the
unusual threats that come with island living, she is like everyone else,
enjoying the seafood so easily available. And with the easy availability of
seafood comes unique and handed-down ways to fix it.
But some folks aren’t into the richer
sauces, the fried, or the casserole compilations. Instead they prefer the
simple, which is Callie’s preference. Crab and shrimp, mainly, and here are two
ways that locals eat these favorites. I’d say they eat these quick-fix dishes
because of time constraints, but that’s rarely the issue. Instead, the simplest
way to eat seafood is the healthiest and the best tasting, and require nothing
special. Plus, you can close your eyes when you taste these recipes, and feel like
your feet are in the sand.
Citrus
Shrimp
(Measurements below are per person in
your party)
1 pound of raw shrimp
2 Tbsp butter
Garlic to taste (don’t feel you have to
go lightly here)
Salt to taste (but don’t overdo the
salt)
Pepper to taste (optional)
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
Turn on your oven broiler. Put shrimp
on a sheet pan and dot with butter. Sprinkle seasonings. Cover shrimp with
orange and lemon slices. Broil until shrimp are pink, stirring often.
Now, let’s go to the crab. You can
substitute the type of crab used, but blue crabs are common on the Carolina
coast. They are pretty but they aren’t big, so feel free to eat several. As
with all seafood, great with beer!
Steamed
Blue Crab
Can of beer
Same amount of water
Same amount of vinegar (apple cider
preferred)
Old Bay seasoning to taste
One to two dozen blue crabs (live,
please. Just look the other way when you put them in the pot.)
Put three liquids into a stock pot.
Place rack into the pot. Put one layer of crab, layer of seasoning, and repeat.
Steam 15 minutes or until the crabs turn deep red.
NOTE: Don’t have Old Bay Seafood
Seasoning? Use the following ground spices in amounts that you prefer: bay
leaf, dry mustard, pepper, ginger, paprika, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, mace,
cardamom, cinnamon, and some crushed red pepper flakes.
Echoes
of Edisto
Murder came
in with the tide . . .
Edisto Island is a paradise where people escape from the
mainstream world. Yet for newly sworn-in Edisto Police Chief Callie Jean
Morgan, the trouble has just begun . . .
When a rookie
officer drowns in a freak crash in the marsh, Callie's instincts tell her it
wasn't an accident. As suspects and clues mount, Callie's outlandish mother
complicates the investigation, and Callie's longtime friendship with Officer
Mike Seabrook takes a turn toward something new—but is shadowed by the unsolved
mystery of his wife's death. Everyone's past rises to the surface, entangling
with death that cuts to the bone.
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1 comment:
Gosh, this post made me miss Edisto so badly . . . and crave seafood. I love living on my lake, but dang, I so yearn for my Edisto Beach. Hope y'all like these recipes as much as I do.
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