London Family Signature Crab Cakes
“We have such an amazing bounty right here, in Charleston,” says Chef James London. “We’re so close to amazing waterways. When you have a product that comes out of these waters, you know it. It tastes of South Carolina—our pluff mud, our marsh grass—and the nutrients in this water really come through on the plate.”
A Charleston native, London’s love of the Lowcountry is reflected in every dish at Chubby Fish, his dock-to-table seafood restaurant, where the menu is set by what the fishermen and farmers bring in that day. That ever-changing menu reflects a simple philosophy: start with the best ingredients and let them speak for themselves.
“When something comes out of the water this morning, I feel an immense responsibility to treat it with the respect it deserves," he says. “This is as good as something can get, so really all we have to do is not get in the way of that.”
That same philosophy drives his involvement in the Chef Ambassador program, which, in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA), helps foster relationships among farmers, fishermen and chefs.
“The relationship is everything. It connects what comes out on our plate that evening with what came out of the water today or out of the fields today,” explains London. “It really informs the type of cuisine that you find here in the Lowcountry.”
It's a collaboration that rewards everyone: the people who grow and harvest the food, the chefs who prepare it and the guests who enjoy it.
A Legacy on the Water
For generations, fishermen have harvested the creeks and marshes of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, shaping the region’s culinary identity. In McClellanville, third-generation crabber Tommy Morrison is among the few who still make a living on the creeks.
“Everybody I grew up with worked in the creeks back when the town was small,” says Morrison. “All my cousins, aunts, uncles—at one point or another, they worked in the creeks. I think I started working when I was about 12. My dad's deckhand didn't show up one day, so he came and woke me up, and I started working on the boat. I worked all through high school, mostly shrimping after school. It was more of a family thing. My grandfather did it. My father did it. I did it. And then I joined the Navy because I got tired of shrimping.”
His experiences at sea shaped his perspective and deepened his appreciation for home.
“Anything stupid you can do at sea, I've pretty much done,” he laughs. “I'd worked two, three, four months at the time. Then come back home for a couple of months, and I’d always go back out in the creek and do something. Whatever was in season at the time, I’d end up crabbing or shrimping or oystering or whatever.”
After decades of working overseas on oil rigs, drill ships and other vessels, Morrison returned to the waterways of his childhood.
“Well, everybody loves the creek out here,” says Morrison. “I mean, just look at this. I get to come out here every day and go to work. You know, most people just come out here and go fishing on the weekends. I get to spend all my days out in the creek.”
Even with the allure of spending the day on the water, interest in commercial fishing has declined in recent years.
“McClellanville has always been kind of this really special mecca for seafood in South Carolina,” says London, who grew up visiting the small fishing town with his grandmother, watching her paint scenes of shrimp boats, dockworkers and oyster harvesters that defined the community.
Morrison, along with other local fishermen, participates in the South Carolina Commercial Seafood Apprenticeship Program through the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, a one-month, paid job training program that offers classroom-based and on-the-job training to provide the knowledge and skills needed to start a career in commercial fishing or mariculture.
“We bring them out in the creeks, and we try to get them to see the different ways you can make money and get them interested in the industry,” Morrison says.
For Morrison, every day on the water is a chance to carry on a tradition that has shaped his family for generations. Through programs that invest in the next generation of fishermen, South Carolina is helping ensure those traditions—and the flavors they inspire—continue for years to come.
Welcome to Chubby Fish
Tucked away in a residential neighborhood just beyond Charleston’s bustling streets, Chubby Fish isn’t a restaurant people tend to stumble upon.
“Because you really have to find us. You're not going to be strolling down this street for no reason unless you're staying here. So, the people who find their way to Chubby Fish are generally people who really, really want to be here. They want to eat the best of what's coming out of our waters and our fields that day. And they come here knowing that our menu is going to be changing every single day,” explains London.
It’s not just the daily menu changes that set Chubby Fish apart and keep discerning diners coming back. It’s an opportunity to experience fish species and cuts that rarely appear on restaurant menus.
“Fish bellies, fish collars, fish cheeks, fish tails, fish heads—I put it all on the menu,” says London. “We have a lot of bycatch that we feature. We feature a lot of what people call trash fish. And they're all delicious. And people are very trusting of us.”
That trust allows London to showcase seafood in a way that challenges expectations and invites diners to experience the full variety of what South Carolina’s waters have to offer. For London, introducing guests to something unexpected is one of the most rewarding parts of the Chubby Fish experience.
“My favorite guest who comes into Chubby Fish is the guest who says, ‘I’m not a big seafood person,’” he says. “I love to completely change that person around. By the time they leave here, they're like, ‘Oh my God, I really loved the way that you did seafood.’ And I love that challenge. A lot of people are put off by seafood because they had a bad experience in the past. They had something that wasn't great, wasn't fresh, wasn't cooked with love. And there's nothing more exciting, gratifying or fulfilling to me as a chef than to give that person a piece of fish and then hear, ‘Holy moly, that was incredible.’”
A Taste of Home
London’s appreciation for South Carolina’s seafood began long before he became a chef. As a child visiting Edisto Island, he spent summer days exploring the marsh, fishing, shrimping and crabbing from his aunt and uncle’s dock.
“From sunup until sundown, that’s where I was,” says London. “I was out there with the fishing pole in hand, a crab string in my fingers, a cast net between my teeth, and I loved it.”
The catch of the day would make its way back to his mother’s kitchen, where simple preparations turned fresh seafood into memorable meals.
“We would have grilled fish, fried fish and shrimp every which way. And we would do deviled crabs. We would do crab boils. We would do oyster roasts. But one dish in particular we still do to this day. It's a very celebratory dish. And that's my mother's crab cakes.”
For those looking to bring a taste of the Lowcountry home, Donna London’s crab cakes are a fitting place to start.
London Family Signature Crab Cakes
“My mom would painstakingly make these crab cakes with so much care and love—and you can really taste that. It’s a really special dish that reminds me why I got into this business. They’re still very much a celebratory dish for us. On Christmas Day, we’ll wake up, and we’ll have crab cakes for lunch, or we’ll have crab cakes for someone’s birthday.” – Chef James London
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained
1 cup crushed saltines (about 20 crackers)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil (or clarified butter)
Method
Mix together the mayonnaise, egg, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce until smooth.
Spread the lump crabmeat evenly on a sheet tray. Drizzle the wet mixture evenly over the crab, then evenly crumble the crushed saltines over the top. Do not fold the mixture. The crushed crackers will hydrate and form a natural binder as the mixture rests.
Refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.
After resting, gently shape the mixture into 8 patties, taking care to keep the lump crab as intact as possible.
Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with equal parts butter and olive oil to prevent the butter from burning or use clarified butter instead.
Cook the crab cakes in batches for 3 – 4 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve immediately.
