Spotted trout. Photo by Vanda Lewis
What seafood is fresh, local and in season in North Carolina? Where can you purchase local, high-quality seafood? How do you select and prepare safe, flavorful seafood? North Carolina Sea Grant, in collaboration with local and state partners, helps consumers make educated decisions about the seafood they purchase and enjoy year-round from North Carolina’s fishermen, retailers, markets, stores and restaurants.
Check out the resources below, and for more information you can read our Primer on North Carolina’s Seafood.
Selecting North Carolina Seafood
- Availability by Seafood Type & Region
- Availability by Season
- Safely Selecting and Consuming Shellfish: FAQs
- Quality Counts: A consumer’s guide to selecting North Carolina seafood
- Sustainable seafood choices from Fishwatch
- Commercial seafood statistics and stock status reports from NC Division of Marine Fisheries
- An inventory of North Carolina fish houses, 2007
- Five-year update, 2012
The seafood availability chart is split into the north and south coast of North Carolina.
Preparing Seafood
- Mariner’s Menu: 30 Years of Fresh Seafood Ideas seafood resource book
- Recipes on the Mariner’s Menu blog
- More recipes and inspiration on North Carolina Sea Grant’s Pinterest
Sign on Otis Seafood storefront. Photo by Scott Taylor
Developing Markets
North Carolina Sea Grant is working with people in the seafood industry — fishermen, retailers, restaurateurs — to test consumers’ reactions to unfamiliar species that already are being caught locally.
Lionfish
Lionfish with fresh herbs. Photo by Vanda Lewis.
Sturgeon
Chargrilled teriyaki sturgeon. Photo by Vanda Lewis.
Cape Shark
Blackened cape shark with salsa. Photo by Vanda Lewis.
- Expanding Consumer Palates
- Reviews of Sea Grant’s cape shark sensory study by
- Jim Trotman, the Outer Banks Voice: February session and March session.
- Rosie Hawthorne, Kitchens are Monkey Business blog: session 1 and session 2.
Catch Groups
Looking for local seafood along the coast? NC Catch, in partnership with local catch groups, works to strengthen the North Carolina seafood economy through promotion and education. These groups are here to help.
North Carolina Sea Grant collaborates with North Carolina fishermen to develop brands that distinguish local seafood from their competition. This helps consumers who prefer local products over imports when given a choice. Our extension specialists helped develop and guide these Catch organizations to communicate when local species are seasonally available and where local seafood can be purchased along the North Carolina coast.
Contacts
Barry Nash, seafood technology and marketing specialist
252-222-6337, barry_nash@ncsu.edu
Nash is the point of contact for information on discerning the quality of seafood and safe handling in the home.
Scott Baker, fisheries specialist
910-962-2492, bakers@uncw.edu
Baker focuses on the fisheries south of Cape Hatteras to the North Carolina/South Carolina border.
Sara Mirabilio, fisheries extension specialist
252-475-5488, saram@csi.northcarolina.edu
Mirabilio focuses on the fisheries north of Cape Hatteras to the North Carolina/Virginia border.