Modern Forage: Myrtle Beach, SC / Calabash, NC
Calabash, NC (pop ~2,000, in Brunswick County, part of the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach MSA which crosses the NC/SC line) calls itself 'Seafood Capital of the World' on the strength of 30+ seafood restaurants and the original Calabash-style quick-fry technique that Lucy Coleman invented in 1940.
Myrtle Beach MSA includes the Brunswick County NC coast and Calabash, the tiny fishing village (pop ~2,000) that gave its name to a delicate light-coating quick-fry seafood technique. Calabash itself has 30+ seafood restaurants on a stretch of road that built on Lucy Coleman’s 1940 dock-side fish-fry shelter.
This list is almost certainly incomplete; the Myrtle Beach MSA / Brunswick County coast holds further hyper-local dishes that have not yet surfaced in the survey.
A note on the Where-to-eat blocks. Every entry below carries a list of restaurants and, where available, star ratings as of the date this post was published. These are a snapshot. Verify hours and addresses before driving anywhere.
Calabash-Style Seafood — Calabash, NC (Brunswick County coast)
Fresh-caught seafood dredged in evaporated milk, then seasoned flour, then cornmeal, and quick-fried in hot oil until golden. A delicate, crisp coating that lets the seafood’s natural flavor dominate. Created in 1940 by Lucy Coleman, who built a shelter with picnic tables on the Calabash River docks and started frying the fishing fleet’s daily catch. Her sister Ruth Beck opened Beck’s Restaurant shortly after (still operating, same family, 80+ years). A tiny fishing village (pop ~2,000) now has 30+ seafood restaurants. A NYT food editor dubbed it “Seafood Capital of the World.” The technique (light coating, fast fry, no heavy batter) is the opposite of beer-battered or Cajun-spiced preparations. Hushpuppies from the same batter, served with honey butter, are the mandatory side. Jimmy Durante allegedly coined “Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are” after dining at Coleman’s. Restaurants across the Carolinas and Virginia now advertise “Calabash-style,” but locals insist the imitations never match the original.
Sources: NCpedia (state encyclopedia); Our State (2012/2024, two longform pieces); Captain Benjamin’s (2025); Kingfish Bay (2026); NC Seafood (2025); Family Vacations US (2026); Brunswick County Tourism; Long Island Boating World. Eight+ sources.
Where to eat: Beck’s Restaurant, Calabash (Lucy Coleman’s sister Ruth Beck’s restaurant, same family 80+ years). Captain Nance’s Seafood Restaurant, Calabash. Captain John’s Seafood, Calabash. The 30+ seafood restaurants along Calabash’s main road.
More from the series
Browse the rest of the Modern Forage survey.
Research & primary sources
Methodology, validation logs, and the entries that didn’t make this post are in the modern_forage/ on GitHub. Every entry here passed a 2+ independent-source check; the citations under each dish list them.