Bubba Blue from the film, FORREST GUMP.

The second annual Shrimp CookOff will be held on Sunday, November 6,  at Ocean Boulevard Bistro & Martini Bar on the Beach Road in  Kitty Hawk – from 12:00 noon until 3:00pm.  This casual, fun competition was a huge success in 2010 and raised almost $5,000 to benefit the Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research.

There will be nine competing chefs from around the Outer Banks, cooking fresh, local shrimp in their favorite style of preparation.  A DJ will be keeping up with announcements and door prizes and a silent auction will also be held on the second floor of Ocean Boulevard, with a People’s Choice Ballot.  The bar will be open serving Beer & Wine specials along with your favorite beverage.  The cost per person is $20 at the door, and tickets can be bought in advance at Ocean Boulevard, or at Outer Banks Veterinarian.

The volunteer effort was part of an overall project aimed at creating a “living shoreline” to protect a Juncus marsh that is part of the Marshes Light Development in downtown historic Manteo.  The “living shoreline” stabilization will allow the marsh to regenerate along its eroding fringe and return valuable oyster shells to our waters.  These shells will also provide a great home to numerous marine creatures.

Thriving coastal marshes are vital to the overall health of our estuary, effectively filtering nutrients, fine sediments and toxins from overland runoff.  These critical habitats also support fisheries and protected resources by improving water quality and buffering shorelines.

It was an interesting process and hard, dirty work. We used UV resistant netting material (used and recommended in the aquaculture industry) which was stretched over a piece of PVC pipe that was about 36” long and 8” in diameter.  Wearing thick gloves, we placed the shells into the pipe with bag stretched and when full, the pipe was pulled out of the bag and the bag tied.  Each bag was estimated to weigh about 30-35 pounds!

Once the necessary permits are in place, the next step will be to load the bags onto a barge and haul them over to the marsh.  The Town also plans to install native marsh plants along the landward side of the stabilized shoreline next spring.

 This project is an on-going and volunteer collaborative effort between Marshes Light new home community, the Town of Manteo, Quible & Associates, P.C., and our many friends!  Check back in early next spring for information about volunteering for more projects along the Manteo waterfront.

I want to give special thanks to Marshes Light owners, Bob & Joan Ciardi (and friends), Jim Lambie and Jeff & Carol Nease for their hard work!

Boot Camp Graduation, Wright Brothers Monument

Hang Gliding.  Soar high above Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Visit Kitty Hawk Kites and learn to fly. 

Paddle Boarding.  Ocean or sound, it’s a great way to explore and see the aquatic wildlife in our local waters. www.kittyhawkwatersports.com.

Sailing, Jet Skiing, Windsurfing. Hobie cat day sailing or windsurfing. You can do it all at Kitty Hawk Water Sports, excellent instructors, great location on the By Pass in Nags Head, next to Jurassic Putt.

June 4-10 brings the Triple-S Invitational Kiteboarding Competition to Cape Hatteras. This professional event attracts the top 24 men and women kiteboarders from around the world to compete.

Surfing. Some of the best breaks on the East Coast are right here on the Outer Banks. There are a number of local surf shops that can hook you up. In the meantime, check out these sites: www.surfline.com/travel/index.cfm?id=2150; www.obxsurfinfo.com; and outerbanksesa.com.

The Lost Colony. Live outdoor theater about the story of 117 men, women and children who vanished without a trace more than 400 years ago. May 27 through August 20th 2011, Monday through Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (252) 473-3414 or www.thelostcolony.org.

Art. Dare County Arts Council showcases local artists including Chris Bickford (photojournalist) and Holly Nettles (acrylic, oil & collage) in the old court house, Manteo.  www.darearts.org.

Food:

PIZZA – Pizzazz, 4 locations, Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk & Nags Head. www.pizzazzpizza.net or 252-261-1111.

COFFEE – Front Porch Café, 3 locations, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head & Manteo. www.frontporchcafeonline.com.

SEAFOOD – Carawan’s Seafood Market, Kitty Hawk. Fresh to go. 252-261-2120.

CASUAL DINING –

• Kill Devil Grill www.thekilldevilgrill.com (252) 449-8181.
• Darrell’s Restaurant, Manteo. www.darrellsseafood.com (252) 473-5366.
• Art’s Place, Kitty Hawk. Featured in the June issue of Our State Magazine for best burgers in the state of North Carolina. On the Beach Road. (252) 261-3233.
• Blue Point Bar & Grill, Duck. Overlooking Currituck Sound. www.goodfoodgoodwine.com. (252) 261-8090.

WINE -

• The Wine Specialist, Kitty Hawk at Mile Post 4.5, www.thewinespecialistobx.com or (252) 715-1717.
• Native Vine, Point Harbor, www.nativevine.com or (252) 491-5311.

MUSIC & WINE & FOOD – The Brine and Bottle, on the Causeway, Nags Head. Every Thursday enjoy live jazz on the deck from 7 – 10 p.m. www.thebrineandbottle.com.

One of my all time favorite places in Poor Richard’s on the waterfront in downtown Manteo. The place is casual, the views are great and the food is fresh. Order at the counter and find a seat inside or out. If it’s not listed on the menu, chances are they can make it for you. http://www.poorrichardsmanteo.com/. 252-473-3333.

We recently tried the new Harbor Point Bar and Grill  at Shallowbag Bay. This is a new restaurant that took over the space once occupied by Striper’s. The view was outstanding and the food delicious. I enjoyed a turkey/bacon wrap with fresh home-made chips and salsa. 252-473-3222.

Another favorite place is Ortegaz Southwestern Grill and Wine Bar. The service is always great, and the food is served with a fresh spin and a nod to the flavors of the southwest. Their fish tacos are delightful. http://www.ortegaz.com/index.html.

Marshes Light Marina

I’ll be at the Greater DC Live South Show on February 25-27 at the McLean Hilton with Marshes Light. Admission is free and if you’re  in the area, please come by our booth, see what is new at Marshes Light, and register for a chance to win a 2 night stay here in a lovely three bedroom waterfront villa. Our new Sales and Welcome Center is now open at 301 Dartmoor Lane at the Marina.

Coming up: 3rd Annual Jockey’s Ridge Oyster Roast on March 5, from 10 am until 2 pm. This is a great community effort to plant and create new environments for oysters in the Sound behind Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head. Oyster roast is free for participants. For more information call 252-441-7132.

Did you know that on February 8th, 1862, Roanoke Island was captured by the Union Army after more than 24 hours of conflict? Island Farm is hosting a Living History Weekend with all sorts of activities and demonstrations for you history and civil war buffs. March 5 & 6.  

One of the more popular annual events is the OBX Taste of The Beach, March 17-20. The Outer Banks Restaurant Association has been hosting the Taste of The Beach for over 25 years. This grand food festival event will feature wine tastings, cooking classes, special menu presentations, celebrity guest chef appearances, brewery tours, tapas crawls and many more events with exciting array of creative combinations of culinary delights and fun activities on the Outer Banks.

The Outer Banks are quickly becoming a running destination. Kelly’s 3rd Annual Running of the Leprechauns 8K jumps into the season on March 19. For more information on this event and other activities, visit www.outerbanksrunningclub.org.

Kelly’s 22nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held March 20 on the Beach Road between Milepost 10.5 and 11.5, beginning at 1 pm, rain or shine.

Live music and theater round out the month of March:

• The Freedmen’s Colony Blues Jam on March 25 at Roanoke Island Festival Park. 7:30 pm. www.roanokeisland.com for more information.
• Theatre of Dare presents “Diamond Studs” on March 25 – 27 at 7:30 pm Friday & Saturday and 2 pm on Sunday at the COA Roanoke Island Campus (formerly Manteo Middle School).  Tickets are $13 in advance, $15 at the door, and $8 for students with valid school/college identification.  www.theatreofdare.org or 252-261-4064.
• The London Quartet on March 26 at First Flight High School Auditorium. 7:30 pm. Sophisticated humor and harmony a cappella style by one of the world’s top vocal groups. Visit www.outerbanksforum.org.
• The Vagina Monologues on March 30 – 31 and April 1 at the Film Theatre at Roanoke Island Festival Park. 7:30 p.m. The production is a part of the V-Day 2011 Worldwide Campaign to stop violence against women and girls. Tickets are $15, for more information contact: Gail Hutchison hutchisongail@hotmail.com.

The largest striped bass ever caught by angling was a 35.6 kg (78.5 lb) specimen taken in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 21, 1982. The record-holder is Albert McReynolds, who fought the fish from the beach for an hour and twenty-minutes before landing it in the surf.

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striped_bass.

While the Atlantic striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island and South Carolina, it’s easily the fish of choice during the winter on the Outer Banks.

Also known as rock fish, or ocean rock, these fish migrate between fresh and salt water; and its during the colder months when the rockfish show up along the Outer Banks that makes prime fishing time.

Ocean rockfish is definitely the best fish I’ve ever tasted. If you’re planning a trip to the Outer Banks soon, check in with any of the local fish stores, such as Carawan’s in Kitty Hawk, and ask if they have fresh ocean rockfish or striped bass. Get them to filet one for you, take it home, rub it with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill about 5-7 minutes on each side. If unable to grill outdoors, fish can be broiled 4-5 minutes from heat, turning once, 10 to 12 minutes total. 

Grilled bass with Salsa

I met several friends for lunch recently. We were seated at a table right away. The last time I attempted lunch at the BMBG was in early summer and we were turned away as there was a 30 minute wait. My anticipation was palatable. The thing about strip malls, though, is the front door. You enter right off the sidewalk/parking lot. In this case the front door also opened from the north and the north wind. None of us could take our coats off, and you got a blast of arctic air every time the door opened. Which happened a lot.

After examining the menu, I decided on a Caesar salad with fried oysters. A sign on the wall proclaims Outer Banks Catch, a local nonprofit program that promotes and encourages support and consumption of local seafood. (http://http://www.outerbankscatch.com/.)  And our local oysters have been superb this season and these were no exception. These were perfectly fried, delicately salty and crunchy.  

In the 1930s, Caesar Salad was voted by the master chefs of the International Society of Epicures in Paris as the “greatest recipe to originate from the Americas in fifty years.” (http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/SaladHistory.htm.) The formula for a perfect Caesar is pretty much the same and makes it a great winter salad: fresh romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil with garlic and anchovies. The version I had at the Blue Moon included grape tomatoes, sautéed onions and diced bacon. I like the inner crisp leaves of the romaine, the fresher the better. My salad consisted of the outer end leaves that tend to wilt in a dressing. The onions added an interesting visual dimension, but ultimately overpowered the salad. There were no croutons – possibly due to the fried oysters. I was disappointed in the salad, but the good news is that there were maybe six or seven of those delectable fried oysters served on top of the salad and that was just right.

Tart and Crunchy Fresh Tuna Salad

(adapted from a Food Network recipe by Claire Robinson)

 1 ½ pounds fresh tuna steaks (make sure it’s FRESH)  http://www.outerbankscatch.com.

2 lemons, thinly sliced

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup halved red grapes

¼ cup toasted chopped walnuts

1 cup fat free Greek yogurt

1 tsp. mayonnaise

I deviated from the recipe which called for baking the tuna in parchment paper.

Cut the tuna into chunks and layer with lemon slices. Steam in lightly salted water (add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to cooking water). I used my trusty vegetable steamer (nothing fancy), but it is important to spray the steamer with Pam or brush it with olive oil. I watched it for about 10 minutes and as soon as the tuna meat was almost cooked (or almost white), I took it off the heat to cool.

After tuna has cooled, shred meat with a knife/fork and put in bowl, add yogurt, touch of mayo, grapes, celery and walnuts and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and fresh lemon juice to taste. Serve with crackers, in a sandwich or a wrap and enjoy.

I think the secret is the Greek yogurt, it adds a rich/slightly tart taste without the calories that mayo delivers. I probably could have left the mayo out, but felt it added a little bit to the flavor. This tuna salad was awesome!

photo courtesy OuterBanksFreePress.com

A great place to spend a beautiful afternoon on the Outer Banks. The Pier House Restaurant sits right on the Atlantic ocean. Fresh seafood can’t get any fresher than when you catch it and it’s cooked it right here. “You Hook “Em – We Cook ‘Em!”