Beach picnics, backyard cookouts, weekend potlucks—there’s nothing like gathering with friends and family in South Carolina’s warm weather while lingering over a homemade meal. Make your own new tradition with these iconic South Carolina dishes.
In Good Company
Deviled Crab
Abundant in South Carolina’s Lowcountry from spring through summer, crabs are beloved for their sweet, tender meat, and this dish showcases this delicacy with several other quintessentially Southern ingredients. Recipes vary but expect to see lump crab meat, breadcrumbs, Duke’s mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, ketchup, butter, lemon and fresh herbs mixed together—and then stuffed back into the individual crab shells before baking. (Hint: It’s perfect for hand-held eating.)
Peach Cobbler
A glorious mishmash of juicy, locally grown peaches simmered with sugar and water, then baked atop a bed of buttery homemade batter, peach cobbler is a no-fuss crowd favorite. Spoon out a few scoops straight from the baking dish and generously top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Frogmore Stew
Also known as Lowcountry Boil, Frogmore stew (which hails from the St. Helena Island fishing community named Frogmore) is a one-pot dish of shrimp, corn on the cob, new potatoes and smoked sausage. This large format meal is typically served on newspaper, making it perfect for a casual backyard get together.
Chicken Bog
It’s easy to feed a crowd when you cook up a giant pot of chicken bog, whose unusual name nods to the soupiness—or, shall we say, bogginess?—of the dish. Simmer shredded chicken meat, smoked sausage, Carolina Gold rice and herbs in flavorful chicken stock until it reaches the perfect consistency.
Tomato Pie
Summertime means an abundance of sun-ripened tomatoes fresh from the garden, so put them to good use in a savory tomato pie, which combines sliced tomatoes, sauteed sweet onion, fresh basil, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses, and tangy Duke’s mayonnaise—all layered in a pie crust. Feel free to add some bacon for an even deeper flavor.
