Food

When spots are schooling, from late August to November, coastal folk are known to “fry up a mess of ’em” and enjoy their mild, sweet flavor, a favorite for generations.

Our Liz Biro shares her love for the pig pickin’ cake, one of North Carolina’s favorite layer cakes that’s best served chilled, and, since it’s a short list of simple ingredients, a breeze to make.

A white bread tomato sandwich with mayonnaise, salt and pepper could be the official summer food of the N.C. coast, but our Liz Biro offers 10 perfectly acceptable variations on the classic.

Long a staple at social gatherings along the North Carolina coast, cheese straws blend the pungent sharpness of cheddar with a bit of heat from cayenne pepper.

They’re hard as a rock with a decidedly bitter taste, but the humble rutabaga occupies an important place in the culinary history of the Carolina coast, and it deserves recognition.

Cheese balls may not immediately come to mind when considering holiday food traditions, but the creamy spheres covered with nuts and served with crackers are a longtime favorite on the North Carolina coast.

An exotic delicacy in many cultures dating back thousands of years and a staple and way of life for North Carolina coastal fishing families since Colonial times, mullet roe has gained new favor among top chefs.

Peanuts in Pepsi, Ritz crackers as a lemon pie crust, fried spot and grits — some food combinations enjoyed on the North Carolina coast may seem a bit weird to outsiders.

Brown shrimp and blue crabs reach their maximum size this time of year. Put them together as a fitting homage to the end of summer.

When it comes to preparing the perfect crab cake, less is more – unless you’re talking about the crab meat.

Our food writer Liz Biro picks the books that help tell the story of Eastern North Carolina cooking. They are essential reading for anyone who loves our coast, she writes.