A loosely bound disc of jumbo-lump blue crab, almost all meat and very little filler, pan-seared in butter and served with remoulade and lemon. The Lowcountry seafood-house benchmark.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Charleston crab cakes have been a staple of the city's harbourside cooking since the late 19th century, when local blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) from the tidal estuaries was sold by the bushel at the city docks. The Karesh family ran a wholesale business at 215 Meeting Street from 1890; their descendants opened Hyman's Seafood there in 1987, and the dish remains the house signature. The contemporary fine-dining versions at The Ordinary, Leon's and Husk follow the same restraint, the meat barely held together so it falls apart on the fork.
Common allergens: Crustaceans, Egg, Dairy, Gluten
Tip from the editors. Almost no binder is the Charleston discipline; if the cakes hold a perfect round shape, you used too much breadcrumb. They should look like they barely cohere on the plate.
Hyman's Seafood in Charleston serves the city from a Meeting Street row of historic buildings the Karesh-Hyman family has held since 1890; the seafood.
Signature: She-crab soup, Fried local seafood
Order: She-crab soup and a fried-fish plate with hushpuppies.
Tip: No reservations; arrive before 17:30 or expect a 45-minute wait. Hush puppies are free.
Mike Lata's The Ordinary in Charleston converted a 1927 bank building on King Street into the city's most ambitious raw bar in 2013. Located in Upper King.
Order: Crispy oyster sliders, then the seafood tower for the table.
Tip: Book on Resy in advance. Bar seats are walk-in only and worth the wait.
Leon's Fine Poultry and Oysters in Charleston runs buttermilk-brined fried chicken and char-grilled oysters from a converted body shop on King Street.
Signature: Fried chicken sandwich, Char-grilled oysters
Order: The fried chicken sandwich and a half-dozen char-grilled oysters.
Tip: Walk-in counter seating. Weekday lunch easier than weekend dinner.
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