How much do you know about SC Lowcountry food?
Blue crabs may not be native off the shores of the Saluda River, but they will be plentiful at Saluda Shoals Park this weekend.
The sixth annual SouthEast Crab Feast, set for Saturday, Aug. 20, celebrates the Lowcountry coastal heritage of cooking fresh seafood outdoors. The popular crab feast offers all-you-can-eat fresh blue crabs and fish and chips.
We at Go Columbia will eat seafood just about any way it comes to our plates. We were eager to know more about cooking seafood outdoors, so we talked with Lowcountry cooking expert John Martin Taylor, author of several cookbooks including “Hoppin’ John’s Low Country Cooking” and “The New Southern Cook,” and he helped us put together this outdoor cooking quiz.
1. Which of the following is not a name for the combination of shrimp, corn, sausage, potatoes and Old Bay Seasoning?
A. Lowcountry boil
B. Charleston boil
C. Frogmore stew
D. Beaufort stew
2. Which of the following is not needed for an oyster roast?
A. Sheet metal
B. Burlap bag
C. Concrete blocks
D. Charcoal briquettes
3. Which of the following do you not serve at a fish fry?
A. Tossed salad
B. Hush puppies
C. Cole slaw
D. Red rice
4. Which of the following are not ingredients in pine bark stew?
A. Bacon
B. Rice
C. Potatoes
D. Catfish
5. What does not go into a seafood gumbo?
A. Roux
B. Okra
C. Shrimp and crab
D. Fish
6. Male crabs are called:
A. Tommies
B. Bubbas
C. Jimmies
D. Johnnies
7. The apron bottom of a female crab is shaped like the:
A. Capitol Dome
B. Washington Monument
8. What is another way you can identify female crabs?
A. They have painted toenails.
B. They have long lashes.
C. They’re bigger.
D. They’re smaller.
Quiz answers
Courtesy of Lowcountry cooking expert and cookbook author John Martin Taylor:
1. B. While it’s a Lowcountry tradition with several names, the concoction originated in the small Gullah-rooted town of Frogmore, S.C.
2. D. A roaring wood fire is a must. You’ll also want good oyster knives.
3. A. “You never serve tossed salad at a fish fry,” he said. “You must serve cole slaw.”
4. B. Pine bark stew comes from the upper coastal plain, and has the other ingredients plus onions and tomatoes.
5. D. Some folks will argue that, Martin said. They’re wrong. “You don’t put fish in seafood gumbo. Some will say ‘yes, you do,’ but that is seafood stew.”
6. C. And, for the record, immature females are called “Sallies” and mature females “sooks.”
7. A. The male’s apron bottom is shaped like the Washington Monument.
8. A. So they’re claws, not toenails. And the red tips aren’t really polish.
If you go
SouthEast Crab Feast
When: 1-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20
Where: Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Old Bush River Road
Cost: $10-$30. Be aware that this is a popular event; tickets can be tough to get.
Info: www.eventbrite.com/e/southeast-crab-feast-columbia-sc-tickets-21736796343
This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "How much do you know about SC Lowcountry food?."