Home > Feeding Frenzy > Archives > 2008 > August > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USWhat’s your favorite vacation food?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For my family, nothing says “vacation eating” more than freshly caught shellfish. For the last ten summers, we have headed north to Long Beach Island, a small spit of land off New Jersey to visit my in-laws. Their house faces west on a bay, so we are treated not only to magnificent sunsets but to shallow waters filled with shellfish to forage.
Many mornings we head out to try our luck crabbing. We motor to a shallow spot (dropping off a trap on the way as a precautionary measure) near a grassy inlet. Using jury-rigged apparatuses, we lower our bait to the ocean floor and wait for the tug of a hungry crab. On a good day, we have been known to pull in more than two dozen “keepers.”
Once we catch enough for a meal, we return home to cook them with a simple coating of salt and Old Bay seasoning and devour them on a newspaper-covered table.
After a couple of days, when we have had our fill of crabs, we head for another spot in the bay where clams live just under the surface. There we bounce around, looking as if we were crushing grapes for wine, digging our toes deep into the mucky sand to feel the subtle nudge of a hard shell. This year we managed to find 43 clams in less than an hour, thanks to my husband’s size 13 feet and my son’s simian-like toes. After a good rinsing, we prepare a glorious clam sauce to serve over pasta.
By the time our trip comes to a close, we have eaten enough crabs and clams to sustain us until our next visit.
Did you eat something on your summer vacation that was “essay-worthy”? Do you return to a special place or restaurant for a symbolic summer meal - one that you dream of all winter?
Permalink | Comments (31) | Post your comment | Categories: Family foibles, Favorite recipes
Comments
By Mattie
August 1, 2008 7:03 PM | Link to this
LBI crabs! Every night we would send the kids out into the bay to catch them. Then we would boil up a big pot of red clam sauce. Yum! I heard the jelly fish were terrible this summer in the bay, so I’m glad we went last year instead. Any type of sea food screams summer to me, but the Jersey Shore means home.
By bwhite
August 1, 2008 8:18 PM | Link to this
Disney World - sugar crusted cherry turnovers with Welch’s grape juice on the rocks.
By dawgdan
August 1, 2008 8:20 PM | Link to this
We go to St. George Island in FL for vacation. The shrimp and oysters there are fantastic.
By Winnie
August 2, 2008 5:55 AM | Link to this
When we go home to PA in the summer, it’s corn on the cob every day, sometimes more than once. There’s no better sweet corn anywhere!
By doddle
August 2, 2008 7:43 AM | Link to this
Low country boil….fresh lemondade for the kids….icy cold beer for the adults!
By itsme
August 2, 2008 8:17 AM | Link to this
Boss Oyster, Appalachicola
By Gary
August 2, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this
Scallops gathered from the shallows along Florida’s Gulf coast.
By Liha
August 2, 2008 3:38 PM | Link to this
Ah, LBI. I went there to visit my grandparents as a child. I’m thinking I’ll have to get my family up there one of these days. Memories of LBI include saltwater taffy and frozen custard with jimmies. And clams.
By Fred
August 2, 2008 5:18 PM | Link to this
i think of mustard based pulled pork BBQ like that made in middle South Carolina. We always stopped on the way to Myrtle Beach to see my grandparents as children. Then, we got there boiled shrimp,coleslaw and hush puppies were standard fare. Sprinkle in a little on my grandmother’s fried chicken and that’s a perfect summer vacation memory for me.
By Lane
August 2, 2008 5:55 PM | Link to this
Without a doubt, it’s the warm chocolate melting cake served on carnival cruise lines. Second would be lobster tail.
By Nurselady
August 2, 2008 9:23 PM | Link to this
The first sips of an ice cold frozen margaritta on the beach!
By Big Al
August 2, 2008 10:53 PM | Link to this
An Italian Sandwich from Maine. Ham, cheese, onion, black olive, pickles and tomato, smotherd with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. And a whoopie pie on the side!
By Butts Wagner
August 2, 2008 11:29 PM | Link to this
A grinder from Maine?! wtf?! If you vacation in maine, stick with the lobster. It’s pretty simple. Personally, we never vacation in the same place, so there’s no real vacation food. Just the local fare.
By Eating is Fine!
August 3, 2008 8:35 AM | Link to this
My sister, brother, and I went to Charleston, South Carolina to visit the aquarium. There is pub style restaurant nearby called the Noisy Oyster that has the best fried oysters and the best fresh fish I have ever had. I will definitely be going back there whenever I can. The key lime pie is a real kicker too. Yummy!!!
By Eating is Fine!
August 3, 2008 8:37 AM | Link to this
My sister, brother, and I went to Charleston, South Carolina to visit the aquarium. There is pub style restaurant nearby called the Noisy Oyster that has the best fried oysters and the best fresh fish I have ever had. I will definitely be going back there whenever I can. The key lime pie is a real kicker too. Yummy!!!
By mpjharris
August 3, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this
Jersey Shore - Joe Leone’s!!!!
By Bronco
August 3, 2008 10:25 AM | Link to this
Well my favorite vacation food is always lobster if I go by myself to the beach, if I take my wife we always go to Captains D’s when we are at the beach. On my trips to the midwest fishing or hunting I have steak almost every nite at a lodge the I always frequent. Once my wife went and she cooked some great meals in the cabin every nite. She hates the cleanup afterward.
By Trina
August 3, 2008 10:35 AM | Link to this
In Key Largo theres a place called Bentleys. It has Yellow Tail in the Weeds. The best!!! Also, have buffalo shrimp out of this world. Try it!!!! In Destin Florida theres the Crab Trap. Best peel n eat ‘em shrimp ever!! Shake on blacked seasoning and wa la!! We go there several times a year just to eat. Other great stuff on menu. Theres a place called High Tide in Fort Walton Beach has the BEST gumbo. Just a skip and hop from Destin. Love Destin Florida!!!
By Mama
August 3, 2008 11:38 AM | Link to this
Living in a town where there is no Publix, we always look forward to a stroll down the aisles of the Publix where we are vacationing. After selecting all manner of wonderful treats - cheeses, spreads, breads, fruits, wines - we head back to the beach to enjoy a feast.
By Onesawb
August 3, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this
We spend a portion of the year in Ft myers fl, There’s a restaurant Maria’s Smoked Sea Food near Ft Myers Beachon San Carlos that unbelievable. The Smoked Fish is hard to believe And The Fried Flounder is beyond belief, the Peruvian tarter sauce will have your lips burning for days, but you can’t stop eating it. I can’t wait to get back.
By Dubba
August 3, 2008 3:01 PM | Link to this
When our family goes to the beach on vacation, we order fried shrimp at every restaurant. We like to see which place makes it best. This year’s winner was the Old Florida Fish House in Seagrove Beach, FL.
By Pam
August 3, 2008 3:13 PM | Link to this
Ditto the Noisy Oyster! Try the crab dip & crackers, it’s complimentary you just have to ask for it. Best crab legs too. They have a special on Wednesdays for it. I tell everyone how good it is, and never miss it when I get to go there.
By FCM
August 3, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this
Alas, allergies to shellfish keep those tasty treats out of my reach. The remainder of the family enjoys them though.
For me something decadent and sweet is the ticket to feeling on vacation. For my mother its always Creme Brulee. A treat that I personally don’t get…tastes like a stick of butter. Chocolate Mousse is more my thing. Of course if its the beach…Sangria baby!
By Mikayla
August 3, 2008 4:14 PM | Link to this
If I’m in a town that is near the ocean, I have to try the seafood there. I love shrimps, crab and oysters. Oh, I had some of the best jerk chicken in Jamaica that was in this shack while I was visiting. The resort I was staying in didn’t have the jerk chicken that good.
By memr
August 3, 2008 7:23 PM | Link to this
She-crab soup in Charleston, Benne wafers to snack on, and whatever else our server recommends that is “Old South” can’t be beat. We always try to look for places that are not tourist driven and ask people who are obviously from the area where they take company from out of town.
By scott
August 3, 2008 8:49 PM | Link to this
hunt’s oyster bar in panama city has the best fried scallops , shrimp and oysters on the planet! the raw oysters are big as the palm of your hand and are 4.50 a doz, an if you are not careful you’ll get 16 in your doz. great old florida seafood shack
By scott
August 3, 2008 8:55 PM | Link to this
dewey destin has the best seafood gumbo i have ever tasted, and the grouper aint half bad either. for oyster chowder try miss gracies’ version at kenny d’s louisianna kitchen in miramar.
By Amanda
August 3, 2008 9:39 PM | Link to this
I dream about Chocolate Stuff at Barbara Jean’s on Saint Simons Island (they have other locations, Amelia?)… I have been known to eat it every single day of a seven day trip. It is AMAZING and no matter how I try to duplicate it at home, it just isn’t the same.
By Robyn
August 3, 2008 9:42 PM | Link to this
My husband and I are in Daytona Beach for the week. We enjoyed Mahi Mahi and Filet Mignon at Aunt Catfish’s on the River this evening. The best vacation food ever! They serve the best cheese grits and cornbread with every meal. Plus, the view on the Halifax River is the best!
By jimmy smith
August 3, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this
jimmy smith enjoys matoki and dumplings with heaps of peanut sauce and some sambuzas.
By Maine/Montana Dawg
August 3, 2008 11:04 PM | Link to this
In Maine, you need to make a pilgrimage to Cook’s Lobster House on Bailey Island. Yum Yum Yum. The Belton Chalet outside the gate at West Glacier in Montana is excellent for both breakfast and dinner. If you get to Whiefish, Montan, you must go to tge world-renowned Bulldog Saloon, which features pictures of all the Ugas on the wall and a large portrait of its own saloon sweetheart, Uga Leigh. Good food and drink.