We have made it to August already. As summer is starting to wind down, we begin to think about the things we will miss the most, then dive into preparation for Labor Day weekend. Preparing for the long weekend festivities quickly brings to mind a favorite summer activity: cooking outside. With limited outside cooking days ahead of us, we must take full advantage of the long weekend. Here are some food ideas for making your upcoming holiday weekend taste as good as possible.
We would like to start by recommending some fried green tomatoes. What is a fried green tomato? Well, it is precisely what it sounds like. You begin with a green tomato that has yet to be completely ripe. (Again, this all started at the end of the growing season, and they created them to use the tomatoes before they were lost to frost.) Slice the tomato into ¼ – ½ inch slices. Season the sliced tomato with salt and pepper and then coat it with plain cornmeal. The traditional method is to shallow fry the mixture in bacon fat for a few minutes on each side. Shallow frying is good because the tomatoes do not float, which helps compress the cornmeal on the underside.
We also strongly recommend making pickle nickels. A Bubba’s guest favorite, pickle nickels, are sure to please anyone that visits your home for an outdoor feast. You can follow similar steps to the fried green tomatoes to prepare the pickle nickels. If you are looking for some additional information, check out this blog on pickle nickels: https://bubbasfishshack.com/2021/10/31/pickle-nickels/
What about the main offerings? Several seafood options can be grilled: shrimp, scallops, flounder, grouper, catfish, and mahi. At Bubba’s Fish Shack we are very fond of these options and love to serve them to our guests in several ways. We recognize that you may not be able to make it the same way at home, but you can cook all these items on a grill. All it takes is a little patience and some tin foil. We know it won’t taste the same as when you visit Bubba’s Fish Shack, but it will give you a fantastic outside meal.
When cooking fish on a grill, you have to be careful. Especially when cooking delicate fish like flounder or catfish. The large flaky texture is part of the flounder’s appeal, which means it can fall apart easily when cooking on a grill. This is where the foil comes in. If you aren’t exceptionally skilled in grilling fish, the foil will make it a bit easier for you to succeed.
Place the foil shiny side up, add some butter, and allow it to melt on the foil. Season your fish appropriately, and then place the fish skin side down. The general rule for cooking fish is to allow eight to ten minutes of cooking time per inch of fish. So if you have a one-inch piece of fish, you will need to cook it for about four to five minutes on each side. Be careful when you turn the fish, as it will crumble easily.
As you build your end-of-summer seafood cookout, ensure you round out your offerings with plenty of end-of-season sweet corn, local veggies, good drinks, and great friends.
Are you in the Surfside Beach area for Labor Day? Then make sure you stop by Bubba’s Fish Shack! Summer may be winding down, but our kitchen is just getting started. They are ready and prepared to serve you the best southern fried seafood at the beach. Bubba’s Fish Shack is the perfect place for friends to share a table, laugh over summer stories, and make new memories. When you are at Bubba’s Fish Shack, you are family!
Bubba’s Fish Shack is a proud part of the Divine Dining Group family of restaurants. Check out our sister restaurants, view our open staff positions, and/or purchase gift cards for your next visit here: https://divinedininggroup.com/