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Labor Day St. Simons Island

Celebrate Labor Day surrounded by friends, family, good food and good fun!  Hodnett Cooper Vacation Rentals is looking forward to hosting several guests for the long weekend in honor of Labor Day next week.  We invite you to share in the fun with us by testing out some ideas to make your Labor Day BBQ a huge hit!Labor Day St. Simons Island

Hodnett Cooper would love to host you, your friends and family at the Beach Club, which offers a pool, ocean front views, and grills! Grill it up for Labor Day poolside with Hodnett Cooper!  If you are local to the Golden Isles, and just need a grill to enhance your Labor Day experience, check out Massengale Park which offers public grills, beach access and a playground for the little ones.

If you are having a cookout or BBQ of any kind on the island, Southern Soul BBQ can make your cookout an event to remember!  Their pulled pork and side dishes are exactly what you would expect from bbq in the south…. mouth-wateringly delicious and as good as grandma used to make!  Southern Soul has been featured many times on many television shows for their delicious food; I also can attest to how delicious everything is there! You can call your order in and pick it up on the way, where ever you may be headed.

If you would rather make a dish yourself, I would highly recommend Serious Eats, Grilled Oysters Recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 dozen oysters
  • 4 to 5 ounces compound butter, such as garlic-parsley butter, kimchi butter, or Parmesan-basil butter
  • Seaweed or kosher salt, for serving

Directions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, crinkling it up to create deep creases. Shuck oysters, discard top shells, and place them on foil-lined baking sheet, using foil to keep them upright so that juices do not spill out.

Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil grilling grate.

Place oysters directly over hot side of grill. Using 2 spoons, place 2 teaspoons (10ml) of compound butter inside each. Cover and cook until butter is melted and liquid is bubbling, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter lined with seaweed or moistened kosher salt (to keep oysters level; see note above) and serve immediately.

 

 

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Kid Friendly Restaurants on St. Simons Island

In need of a kid-friendly dinner spot, check out the list below to see some of our favorites!

  1. Tramici

Tramici is an Italian restaurant located in the heart of St. Simons wine a splendid wine list for mom and dad while also having plenty of choices for the kids! You will find kid-friendly Italian favorites like mozzarella sticks, spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo and cheese ravioli on the menu. The past part is everything on the kid’s menu is under $10!

Address: 75 Cinema Ln, Saint Simons Island, GA 31522

Phone: (912) 634-2202

Reservations: opentable.com

Menu: tramicirestaurant.com

 

  1. Sal’s Neighborhood Pizzeria

Sal’s Neighborhood Pizzeria offers a family friendly atmosphere with American Italian cuisine with recipes that have been passed down from many generations. Kids can enjoy pizza, spaghetti, ravioli or some good old fashion chicken tenders. All for under $10

Address: 3415 Frederica Rd, Saint Simons Island, GA 31522

Phone: (912) 268-2328

Menu: http://salsneighborhoodpizzeria.com/

 

  1. Southern Soul

You can’t come to the deep south without enjoying some South Georgia bbq. Southern Soul offers family-style meals that will surely be kid-approved! Let the kids get a little messy with a slab of ribs or maybe share some chicken wings instead. If you have a craving for soul food, this is the place you will want to go!

Address: 2020 Demere Rd, Saint Simons Island, GA 31522

Phone: (912) 638-7685

Menu: southernsoulbbq.com

 

  1. The Half Shell

The Half Shell is a local seafood restaurant (obviously its seafood given the name!) They offer a wide variety of salads, sandwiches, and entrees for mom and dad and they offer fried shrimp, chicken fingers, and hamburgers for the kids!

Address: 504 Beach view Dr, Saint Simons Island, GA 31522

Phone: (912) 268-4241

http://thehalfshellssi.com/

 

  1. Iguanas Seafood

Iguana’s is easily an island favorite! Their seafood is some of the best on the island. Kids can enjoy shrimp, fish bites, clam strips, or American classics like chicken fingers, or grilled cheese. The best part about Iguanas though is their complimentary soft-serve ice cream!

Address: 303 Mallery St, Saint Simons Island, GA 31522

Phone: (912) 638-9650

http://www.iguanasseafood.com/menu/

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Dine Like a Local on St. Simons Island

Dave Synder

Dave Synder owner of Halyards and Tramici

Have you always wanted to know the best spots in town to eat, those spots that only the locals know about? Now you can! We sat down with Chef Dave Synder, owner of Halyards and Tramici, two of St. Simons most popular dining spots! He filled us in on what brought him to St. Simons, what he loves most about the island, and what are his favorite things to eat.

His background includes a degree from New England Culinary Institute, starting Hotel Nikko now the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta, and becoming Executive Chef at Azalea, also in Atlanta. While at Azalea he decided city life wasn’t for him, he wanted to escape the fast past lifestyle Atlanta had to offer and trade it in for warm sunny days in a coastal town where he could follow both of his passions – cooking and fishing. Lucky for Dave St. Simons restaurant J Macs needed someone just like him. Dave accepted the job with J Macs and has been here ever since.

When asking Dave what he loves most about St. Simons the answer was very simple- the people. He goes on to say “we celebrate together, we mourn together, and we help each other when in need”. In addition to the people, of course he loves the fishing, so much so he started his own fishing charter business called Hook & Knife.

There are a few things Dave suggests visitors do while they are here, things he thinks people might not think of but are an absolute must for visitors! Watching the sunrise by boat is at the top of his list, followed by renting a sail boat for the day, and then ending the day with a walk through the beautiful Cannon’s Point Preserve. He also says there is much more to do on the Island than you think, it is an outdoors enthusiast dream. Aside from that he boasts that the food on the island is amazing.

Although the Island offers some great dining options, Dave saw one major gap. The island had so many Mom and Pop type places but no upscale dining experiences could be found. This led him to open Halyards and Tramici.

Dave let us in on a few of his favorite dishes at both restaurants. At Halyards he loves to eat the Tuna Tartare and his favorite dish to make is the Scallops and Foie Gras. The Scallops and Foie Gras is actually no longer on the menu but if you request it he will make it just for you! At Tramici he loves making the house made mozzarella and he loves to eat the antipasto.

In celebration of the new spring season we also asked Dave what his favorite spring recipe was to make, which is Shrimp and Spring Pea Salad. He was also kind enough to share it with us!

Shrimp and Spring Pea Salad

Poaching liquid

1 gal       water

1 c          White Wine

3 ea        Lemons, cut in half

1 ea        Yellow Onion, peeled and cut in half

1 ea        Celery Stalk

1 ea        Carrot, peeled and cut in half

3 T         Old Bay

3 T         Salt

1 ea        Bay Leaf

½ ea     Bunch Thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb         Georgia Shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • Bring to boil and lower to about 175 degrees, steep for 15 minutes.
  • Season shrimp with salt and pepper.
  • Add water to seasoned shrimp a bit at a time so water reaches 150-175 degrees. Poach for about 12 minutes depending on size of shrimp and temperature of water.
  • Pull from water before they are done and cool on a flat rack. Remember, they will continue to cook outside the water.

Salad

1 c          Blanched and chilled snow peas

1 c          Blanched and chilled sweet peas

1 c          Blanched, chilled, and peeled fava beans

1 ea        Shallot, peeled and julienned

½ c        Diced Tomato

1 c          Diced Inner Celery Stalk, the very tender stalks

1T           Chopped Thyme

1 ea        Lemon, finely grated zest and strained juice

3 oz        Georgia Olive Farms Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

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Island Crab Cakes

by Guerry Norwood


Ingredients:

1 lb. jumbo lump crabmeat
¼ cup thinly sliced chopped up Vidalia Onion
1 egg
3 tbsp. mayonnaise (Helmans)
¼ cup panko bread crumbs; reserve extra panko bread crumbs
¼ tsp. ground moderately hot red pepper, such Chipotle
½ tsp. sweet paprika
Scant 1 tsp. ground white pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Scant 1 tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. salt

Cooking Instructions:

1. Transfer the crabmeat into a bowl and keep cold.

2. Whisk the egg with the mayonnaise, and then add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Let mixture gather for 15 minutes.  Scrape egg mixture over crab and fold gently with a rubber spatula. Try not to break up the crab meat lumps. Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours in a tightly covered container.

3. Sprinkle reserved bread crumbs on a plate. Divide crab mixture into quarters; gently form each portion into a loose ball and gently press onto plate to form a disheveled patty. Repeat with remaining crab, cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook, up to several hours.

4. In a skillet over medium heat, warm about ½ inch of olive oil or clarified butter until it is shimmering hot but not smoking. Carefully add crab cakes and turn when nicely colored, about 3 or 4 minutes. Continue cooking second side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Garnish with lemon and Saffron Aioli (recipe to follow). Serve immediately.

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Sweet Glazed Georgia Chile Shrimp

by Guerry Norwood

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. Large Georgia shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup FRANK’S® REDHOT® Sweet Chili Sauce
2 tbsp. orange marmalade
2 tbsp. butter
2 Garlic Cloves minced
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 Cups of cooked Arborio Rice

Cooking Instructions:

  1. HEAT Frank’s Sauce, marmalade, lemon juice and butter in medium skillet. Cook over high heat 2 to 3 min. until sauce is bubbly, stirring often.
  2. ADD Georgia shrimp. Cook, stirring, 3 to 5 minutes until shrimp are pink and coated with sauce.
  3. SERVE over Arborio rice, if desired.
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Fresh Georgia Shrimp, Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta

A new way to prepare our favorite: Wild Georgia Shrimp!

By Guerry Norwood

Ingredients

· 2 pounds ripe tomatoes

· 1 Pound of Georgia shrimp, peeled and deveined

· 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

· 1 red onion, finely chopped

· 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

· 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

· 1 oregano sprig

· Pinch chili flakes

· 1 teaspoon sugar

· 1 pound dried angel hair pasta

· 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

· 1/4 cup chopped basil, plus whole sprigs for garnish

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice water bath.

Cut a small “x” on the bottom of each tomato. In batches, place the tomatoes in the boiling water and blanch them for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the skins are easy to peel away. Remove and immediately plunge into the ice bath.

Peel the tomatoes and halve horizontally. Squeeze out the seeds, using your fingers to get them all. Roughly chop the peeled and seeded tomatoes. Set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp, onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove shrimp and set aside. Add the thyme leaves, oregano sprig, and chili flakes and sauté until the garlic begins to turn golden brown. Add the tomatoes and the sugar and stir well. Lower the heat and cook slowly, about 15 minutes. Add the shrimp back in the last five minutes of this process.

Cook the angel hair pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the Parmesan and basil and toss well. Place in a large pasta bowl and garnish with Parmesan and basil sprigs.

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