Savor the Coast
Get a taste of Georgia’s hidden culinary delights.
The Golden Isles are home to an abundance of fresh seafood, including Wild Georgia Shrimp, snapper, and tripletail. Whether fresh off the boat or line-caught by hand, the flavors here are bold, soulful, and distinctly Southern. At the heart of this culinary experience are the region’s chefs—stewards of Southern tradition—crafting dishes that blend heritage with innovation across the Golden Isles’ four islands and historic port city.
One standout is Chef Timothy Lensche from Georgia Sea Grill on St. Simons Island. Known for rich Southern flavors and local seafood, this restaurant offers unique catfish dish not only offers the best of local flavors, but uses peas sourced from the mainland city of Brunswick. "I catch all the catfish that we cook. Every Sunday morning, I go out to our very own Satilla Ponds with our manager Eric Miller,” says Lensch.
Catfish served at The Wharf. Photo courtesy of The Wharf.
CATFISH WITH TASSO GRAVY AND PEA SALAD (Best served over creamy grits)
Catfish with Tasso Gravy and Pea Salad. Photo courtesy of Georgia Sea Grill.
Fried Catfish
Ingredients:
Catfish fillets, cleaned and sliced into strips
Buttermilk (enough to coat the fish)
A few dashes of hot sauce
Pinch of celery seeds
Fish fry breading of your choice
Canola oil (for frying)
Instructions: Cut cleaned catfish fillets into strips and marinate in buttermilk with hot sauce and some celery seeds. Using your favorite fish fry breading, heat canola oil to 350 degrees F and fry until golden brown and cooked throughout.
Tasso Gravy
Ingredients:
1 cup Tasso ham, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup sweet onion, diced
1 tsp canola oil
2 cups heavy cream
Instructions: In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add canola oil, celery, onion, red pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, lightly sweating the vegetables. Add Tasso ham and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add heavy cream and simmer until Tasso is tender. Let cool before transferring to a blender and blending until smooth. Add more cream if needed or to obtain the consistency you are after.
Potlikker Pea Salad
Instructions: Rinse the peas and place into a medium-sized pot. Cover peas with water by about 2 inches. Salt the water. Add a shot or two of your favorite hot sauce (Chef Lensch likes Crystal Hot Sauce). Add bay leaves. Using medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer until soft. Turn off the heat and let them soak for 30 minutes. Drain, cool and mix with the rest of ingredients.
TO SERVE: Spoon creamy grits onto a plate or bowl. Top with fried catfish, pour over Tasso gravy, and finish with a scoop of Potlikker Pea Salad. Garnish with herbs if desired.
Ingredients:
2 cups Potlikker red peas (or any field peas)
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp minced parsley
1/4 cup sweet onion, finely diced
1 cup green tomato, finely diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1 jalapeño, minced with seeds removed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: a splash or two of hot sauce
A Seafood Crowd Pleaser
No trip to the Golden Isles is complete without a Low Country Boil, a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser. In a traditional Low Country Boil, you'll find a mixture of corn on the cob, sausages, shrimp, onions, and potatoes.
Recipe courtesy of Frederica Fare cookbook.
Low Country Boil on Georgia’s Coast. Photo courtesy of Golden Isles.
1/2 lb. cooked smoked Kielbasa sausage per person (cut into 3-4 inch pieces)
1/2 lb. shrimp per person (in shell)
1 ear corn per person (shucked and cut in halves or thirds)
2 onions per person
3 new potatoes per person
1 box shrimp boil per 2 lbs. shrimp
1 tbsp vinegar per lb. shrimp
1/2 tbsp Tabasco per lb. shrimp
1 tbsp red pepper per 4 lbs. shrimp
1 tbsp black pepper per 4 lbs. shrimp
Fill a large pot about ¾ full of water. Add potatoes and all spices, bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Add sausage and bring back to boil for 5 minutes. Add onions and boil 5 minutes. Add corn and boil for 5 minutes. Check all ingredients for doneness, especially potatoes. Add shrimp and boil until shells begin to separate from shrimp. Turn off heat and let stand for a few minutes.
TO SERVE: Once the Low Country Boil is ready and has been drained, simply scatter the contents down the center of the table, usually just covered in newspaper. Prepare separate condiment bowls with cocktail sauce, melted butter, and hot sauce, just to name a few.
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