Updated November 2026.
Ask anyone who’s been coming to Edisto for years and they’ll tell you: the food is half the vacation. Local shrimp are sweeter and meatier than anything from a grocery freezer, blue crabs come out of the creeks by the bucket, and summer tomatoes and Vidalia onions come from the farm stands. Here are our favorite Lowcountry recipes to cook at your rental, starting with the one that confuses every first-timer: she-crab soup.
She-Crab Soup
She-crab soup is a creamy Charleston classic made with Atlantic blue crab and, traditionally, the orange roe of female crabs, which gives it its name and its color. You can tell a mature female crab by the red tips on her claws and the rounded, dome-shaped apron on her belly. A female carrying an orange egg mass (a “sponge”) must be released unharmed in South Carolina, so for home cooks the easy answer is crumbled hard-boiled egg yolk in place of roe.
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 cup milk; 1½ cups half-and-half; 4 teaspoons grated onion; ¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; ¼ teaspoon ground mace; ¼ teaspoon cayenne; ¼ teaspoon grated lemon rind; salt and pepper; 1½ pounds blue crab meat; ¼ cup crab roe or 2 crumbled hard-boiled egg yolks; 3 tablespoons dry sherry; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley.
Directions: Melt the butter in a heavy pot over low heat, whisk in the flour until smooth, then slowly whisk in the milk and half-and-half and cook until thickened. Stir in the onion, Worcestershire, mace, cayenne, lemon rind, salt and pepper, and bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat, add the crab and roe (or yolks) and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes without boiling. Remove from the heat, stir in the sherry, let it sit for a few minutes and serve topped with parsley. No blue crab? Any crab, shrimp or lobster works.
Edisto Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients: 2 cups grits; 5 cups water; ½ teaspoon salt; 4 tablespoons milk; 1 tablespoon cream; 1 pound peeled raw shrimp; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon parsley; garlic salt and lemon pepper; 1 tablespoon ketchup; a dash of hot sauce; 1 teaspoon sherry.
Directions: Bring the water to a boil, whisk in the grits and salt, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook about 30 minutes, stirring now and then. Stir in the milk and cream. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the parsley and shrimp, and season with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Stir in the ketchup, hot sauce and sherry and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, just until the shrimp turn pink. Spoon over the grits.
Spicy Beach Shrimp
Ingredients: 1 pound peeled shrimp; 1 stick butter; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; ½ teaspoon each rosemary, oregano, thyme and black pepper; 1 teaspoon cayenne; ¼ cup white wine.
Directions: Melt the butter with the garlic, herbs, spices and wine in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring to coat, until pink. Serve with crusty French bread to soak up the juices, and a salad of sliced Edisto tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet onion with Italian dressing, feta and black olives.
Spicy Broiled Snapper
Ingredients: 2 pounds skinless snapper fillets (about 6 portions); 3 tablespoons vinegar; ⅔ cup tomato juice; 1 packet French dressing mix; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Directions: Lay the fish in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix the remaining ingredients, pour over the fish and marinate 30 minutes, turning once. Broil on a greased pan for 4 to 5 minutes per side, basting with the marinade, until the fish flakes easily. Serve with grits and fresh tomatoes.
Hush Puppies
Legend says hunters fried cornmeal in the pan after a fish fry and tossed it to the dogs to “hush” them. However they got their name, they’re the perfect side for fried fish.
Ingredients: 1 box (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix; ½ cup grated onion; 2 tablespoons milk; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 2 tablespoons sugar; 3 tablespoons self-rising flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 2 slices white bread, crumbled; oil for frying.
Directions: Mix everything until just moistened and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oil to 350 to 375°F. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the oil (dip the spoon in cold water first so it releases), six or seven at a time so the oil stays hot, and fry until golden on all sides and cooked through, turning if needed. Cool slightly before eating.
Southern Summer Onion Pie
Ingredients: 1 cup buttery cracker crumbs; 4 tablespoons melted butter plus 2 tablespoons butter; 2 cups sliced Vidalia onions; 2 eggs; ¾ cup milk; ¾ teaspoon salt; pepper; ¼ cup or more shredded sharp cheddar; paprika.
Directions: Mix the cracker crumbs with the melted butter and press into an 8-inch pie plate. Sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons butter until clear and spoon them into the crust. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper, pour over the onions, top with cheese and a sprinkle of paprika, and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until firm in the center. It’s a side dish, not dessert, whatever the kids hope.
Catch Your Own, or Buy It Local
- Blue crabs: a chicken neck on a string and a net is all it takes. See crabbing on Edisto. Throw back crabs under 5 inches across and any female carrying eggs.
- Shrimp: cast-netting in the creeks works best around low tide at dusk. SC also has a fall shrimp-baiting season with its own SCDNR license. Throw back females carrying eggs, and watch the sharp horn on the head when cleaning them. Fishing and shrimping rules are in our Edisto fishing guide.
- Buy it fresh: local shrimp, fish, crabs and oysters at the island’s seafood markets, and tomatoes, onions and peaches at the farm stands. See seafood markets and farm stands and our roadside market guide.
- Let someone else cook: see the best Edisto restaurants for she-crab soup, shrimp and grits and peel-and-eat shrimp.
