Fishing: An Introduction to Coastal North Carolina
The North Carolina coast is synonymous with its seafood and beaches. With a population of over 1.2 million, and a 3,000 mile long coastline, North Carolina’s eastern counties have deep rooted traditions that have shaped an entire culture’s cuisine (Coastal Facts). “North Carolinians have always turned to the water to set their tables but not, so it happens, to fill their pocketbooks,” over time, we see how a population has used fishing, and the water for leisure, sustenance, and business (Taylor, 1992, p. 1). The history of fishing for both subsistence and commerce is succinctly detailed below:
In colonial times, fishing served largely subsistence rather than commercial purposes. During the late colonial and antebellum periods, however, planters in the Edentin area developed huge fisheries for spawning shad and herring in the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound. Only during the postbellum period - with improved transportation and the availability of ice - were markets created for fresh fish and shellfish, allowing independent watermen to emerge. By the early 1900s, those developments had laid the base for today’s modern, diversified, coast-wide fishing industry (Taylor, 1992, p. 1)
Between commercial fishing, seafood preparation, markets, retailers, and restaurants, as of 2021, North Carolina's commercial seafood industry had an economic impact of $300 million (North Carolina’s Wild-Caught). In 2022 alone, over 35 million pounds of seafood was caught (2022 Commercial Landings). However, the types of seafood prioritized has shifted throughout the years. In 1890, shad, oysters, and bluefish accounted for more than 99% of fishery output. By 1940, this had shifted to mainly shrimp and crab (Stick and Carter, 2006). The theme of crab and shrimp is notable in this time period, even in the Wilson community cookbook collection, in which we see an abundance of recipes containing these ingredients. Today, the most valuable species harvested are blue crab, shrimp, and flounder (Commercial Fishing).
For many, fishing is for daily sustenance and fun - it's a culture. Vicki Prescott, author of Sweet Tea Please, recalls that the beach “was our haven,” where they would go swimming and crabbing every weekend (2007, p. 5). Ryan Stancil of Bit and Grain claims:
If you’ve lived here for very long, you’ve probably been fishing yourself; if you haven’t, your brother, sister, cousin, friend, or neighbor definitely has - and does. For many people, fishing is a momentary escape from everyday life. For some folks, fishing is the way of everyday life - for a few, the only way they’ve ever known - that puts food on their families’ tables. And for all of these folks and many more, eating fresh, local seafood is a harbinger of sun-soaked, laid-back days at the coast.
The coast, fishing, and seafood may hold different meanings depending on the person, however “food is central to the family in coastal North Carolina, and is associated with togetherness and good times'' (Davis and Hart, 1986, xv). This sentiment is echoed by many in which they claim that “nothing can trigger a memory quite like food” (Prescott, 2007, Dedication).
A lesser known history is that of the fishing traditions of early African Americans in the Carolina coast. Though not well documented, it is known that West Africans since pre colonial times, have used fishing for subsistence and industry. As early as 1678, Europeans gave accounts of West Africans smoking and sun-drying fish (Miller, 2013, p. 71). Thus, when the slave trade ensued, West Africans brought to America their fishing traditions and cuisine. Overall, they held positive attitudes towards fish, especially catfish, which is native to both West Africa and North Carolina. This food staple was not equally enjoyed by Europeans or Americans at the time; “only social outsiders ate fish regularly, and in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, that meant African Americans, Native Americans and poor whites” (Miller, 2013, p. 72). Even by the 1950’s fish was not a common in the white American diet, but was widely used by Black Americans, especially in community events such as church fish frys (Moose, 2018, p. 19). The difference in attitude towards catfish can be seen in the community cookbooks I have researched in Wilson Library. I was largely unable to find recipes involving this particular fish.
Additionally, there is the story of the tiny, silver, menhaden fish. Menhaden, caught for processing and rendering into fatty oil, was North Carolina’s number one commercial fishery by volume for decades, from 1950 to 2004. This was a booming industry for North Carolina fisheries up until the last one closed in 2005. A unique and distinct culture grew around this fish. Generations of African Americans found work in these fisheries and became known as the menhaden “chanteymen” (Hatcher, 2023, p. 205). The crewman sang work songs, or “chanteys,” to pass the time and endure the hard work. While their story is often lost to history, with the exception of a few local publications, their work made North Carolina’s industry a success.
While coastal cuisine and recipes are as unique as the population that lives there, fish stews are a staple. According to W. Keats Sparrow, they “are more than eastern North Carolina folk meals... they are highly ritualized and symbolic social events.” (2006, para. 1). Fish stews are usually cooked outside in an iron pot to feed large crowds of family and neighbors. This social event often incorporates signing and drinking, echoing the above sentiment that food, especially locally sourced seafood, is a way of life. Below is a recipe for a fish stew from Seafood Sorcery by the Junior League of Wilmington:
Joe's Fish Stew
1/2 pound streak of fat or bacon
3 1/2 pounds onion
3 pounds firm fish (shad or flounder)
3 large cans of tomato
3 1/2 pounds of potato
1 hot red pepper
salt and pepper
eggs (1 per person)
1 large black iron pot
Fry streak of fat in the pot, retain all grease from meat. Layer potatoes, onions, and fish; salting each layer well. Cover with tomatoes and add hot pepper. simmer over open fire, never allow to boil. Just before serving poach one egg per person in the stew. Process should take several hours. Taste test as it cooks! We suggest serving with cornbread, slaw, and lemon pie.
- Mrs. Joseph James (Eleanor Smith)
