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June 19, 2009
Island Cooking: Sharon Peele Kennedy
hares her seafood recipes on her radio show By LYNNE FOSTER  “Tonight I’m fixing broiled crabs for supper. I’ll be right back to tell you how.” Thus began a recent segment of Sharon Peele Kennedy’s daily radio spot, “What’s for Dinner.” Sharon has always worked with food but never imagined a broadcasting career would come of it. However, last summer she answered the phone at Hatteras Harbor Marina when Capt. Marty called from his program on Beach 104, “The Other Side of Fishing.” The topic of conversation quickly turned from fishing to seafood when Capt. Marty confessed to being a “foodie.” They bantered on the program all summer and Sharon regaled both the radio host and his listeners with her stories about her family’s food traditions in Hatteras. Capt. Marty couldn’t believe she actually eats soft-shell sand fleas and neither could I! But Sharon explained that whenever her family barbecues on the beach, “Whatever is out there we eat.” Soft shell sand fleas are, according to her, “sweet, salty and delicious. There‘s a lot of meat in there,” and she says they are easy to cook. All you need is heat, a beer can, and some water. Cut the beer can in half. Add the sand fleas and some water and steam them. I will take her word for it. She talked about how much she misses eating turtle stew, sturgeon and shad. “Shad is better than any caviar,” she says. Camping trips to Portsmouth Island are the fodder for family legends. The family members usually go for five days and don’t even take a cooler. They eat what they can gather and bring only five staples -- onions, flour, Crisco, country ham, and salt and pepper. The latter two count as one since one isn’t used without the other. For dessert, they bring fresh fruit and brown sugar. With these ingredients, they rustle up some hearty and tasty meals over the campfire. Listeners were beguiled by Sharon’s genuine manner and her passion for local seafood and her heritage, and she soon developed a following. People began coming to Hatteras Harbor to meet her and, since she wasn’t a regular on the show, they asked for her when she wasn’t on the program. Every night she would check with her husband about dinner. “Chicken, beef or pork?” she would ask. It occurred to her that, even though her family regularly ate seafood, seafood was not considered an option. So she started thinking about how to encourage people to make it an option, not just a treat. All the thinking resulted in what she calls her food for thought: “There were all the food shows on TV, why not radio?”  Sharon called Capt. Marty and made a suggestion. How about a program that would offer listeners ideas for what to have for dinner? She would offer simple recipes using seasonal, local seafood that people could prepare that very evening. After going through the ranks at the station, she was given a slot on Beach 104 at 4:35 every afternoon and a sponsor was found. William Small, director of seafood marketing in the North Carolina Department of Agriculture agreed that she had an innovative way to promote the state’s seafood and a show was born. Her premise is basic: “Let North Carolina fresh seafood be your choice of fare. There are many ways to handle and prepare this easy and healthy alternative and it is readily available from the fisherman to the market.” She knows that many people are afraid of fresh seafood because of unfamiliarity, so she is trying to help them become comfortable handling and cooking it and then learning to love it. She also realizes that many people are concerned about fried foods and rightly claims, “Not all seafood needs to be fried.” Her recipes offer many options. A summertime favorite is grilled dolphin served with boiled, buttered potatoes and pickled cucumbers. Sharon is “all about my island and our industry.” She was born in Buxton, grew up in Hatteras, where most of her family remains, and now lives in Buxton but comes to Hatteras every day to work with her niece, Jennifer Scarborough, at Jennifer’s Harbor Deli. Hers is a family of multi-generational watermen and cooks and everyone in the family still participates in the catching, handling, and preparation of seafood, either professionally or for the family’s sustenance. A good catch becomes a joyful family affair as they all gather to process the food. Her grandmother, Paula Fulcher Peele, was a “very flaring” cook. Sharon’s mother, Juanita Peele, is the family’s most innovative cook and also is what Sharon describes as a “thimble cook.” “She could make shoe leather taste good and cook it in a thimble,” Sharon says. Brother Michael Peele is legendary for his catches and his massive traveling cooker and her son, Wyatt, now cooks at the deli. And for Wyatt, at least, seafood is not confined to the lunch or dinner table. It is his favorite breakfast food. Sharon’s philosophy is to let the taste of the seafood shine. She rarely adds herbs or spices or sauces, preferring to cook with only salt and pepper. She will “jazz up the sides” but the seafood must be “pure.” Her recipes are, for the most part, traditional on the islands but sometimes she gets a little creative. They are all easy and take very little time. Be sure to listen to “What’s for Dinner” every afternoon at 4:35 on Beach 104 for more recipes and visit the station’s Web site at www.beach104.com for the print version of the recipes. Treat yourself and your family to really fresh, wild-caught, local seafood tonight, and, as Sharon says, “Have a great supper!” Here are some of Sharon’s recipes in her own folksy style. BROILED CRABS “Tonight I am fixing broiled crabs for supper.” Your local North Carolina seafood market will have fresh local crabs. Get about 1-2 dozen and dress them for cooking. You will need butter and salt and pepper Place the dressed crabs on a baking sheet. Click here for instructions on dressing the crabs. Drizzle with a small amount of butter and season. Broil for about 20-25 minutes on the middle rack in the oven. Serve with pickled cucumbers and onion. POACHED DRUM Tonight I’m having poached drum for my supper.” Your local North Carolina seafood market will have drum. You will need: 1-2 sides of drum, cleaned. Butter Garlic Salt and pepper Water Wine Bay leaf In a low-sided pot, melt the butter. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, water, wine and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Place the fish in the broth. Lower the heat and cook about 10-15 minutes until fork flaky. Serve with skillet fried potatoes and iced tea. CLAM SANDWICHES “I’m going to make clam sandwiches for supper tonight.” Your local North Carolina seafood market will have fresh clams. You will need: About 2-3 dozen clams, opened, to make about 2 cups when chopped. Eggs Parsley Onion Salt and pepper Bread crumbs Veggie oil for frying Sandwich buns Mix the clams, eggs, parsley, onion, salt and pepper, and 1 cup of the bread crumbs. Shape into 8 patties. Roll them in the remaining bread crumbs. Fry the cakes in a large skillet in hot oil, until nice and brown on each side. Serve on the toasted buns. Maybe have a little slaw and chips on the side. BAKED TUNA WITH FRESH BASIL “Tonight’s supper will be baked tuna with fresh basil.” Your local North Carolina seafood market will be the place to get some nice fresh tuna. You will need: 1 tuna steak per person (1 inch thick) Salt and pepper Basil Diced tomatoes Fresh mushrooms White wine Butter Put tuna steaks in a shallow baking pan. Season. Place basil on fish. Spread the tomatoes, more basil, and the mushroom on the tuna. Drizzle with wine and butter. Bake at 450 degrees about 10 minutes or to your desired doneness. Serve with pasta or rice. (Lynne Foster lives in Hatteras village with her husband, Ernie. Together they operate The Albatross Fleet of charter boats. They actively support the sustainable practices of the island’s commercial fishermen and the preservation of Hatteras Island’s working waterfront. Both love to cook seafood and entertain friends, and Lynne loves to experiment with recipes for locally caught seafood.) |
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