Bluffton Oyster Company sits on the May River at the end of Wharf Street, and it’s one of the last working oyster houses of its kind in the state. The oysters, shrimp, and crab on the counter came out of the river within sight of it. Out on St. Helena Island, Gay Fish Company has packed shrimp off the Beaufort docks since the 1940s, and its boats and net racks are the sort of scene people drive out just to photograph. Benny Hudson Seafood does the same work on Skull Creek in Hilton Head, and in Beaufort Sea Eagle Market keeps a counter for whatever the local boats bring in. In Bluffton, Nantucket’s covers the fish-and-meat end of a home dinner.
For a table, Hudson’s Seafood House sits right on Skull Creek where the boats unload, about as short as the trip from water to plate gets. Lady’s Island Dockside does sunset and shellfish in Beaufort. Bluffton and Hilton Head are thick with fish camps, from Low Country Fish Camp to the Sea Shack, a Hilton Head counter locals kept quiet about for years.
Time a trip to Bluffton around the Oyster Company and you can watch the whole cycle in one afternoon, from the boat at the dock to the roast in your own backyard.
Part of the Lowcountry Seafood Guide. Browse the full list in the directory.
Buy Direct — Seafood Markets
Benny Hudson SeafoodHilton HeadBluffton Oyster CoBlufftonGay Fish CompanyBeaufortNantucket’s Meat & Fish MarketBluffton
Sea Eagle MarketBeaufortSit Down — Seafood Restaurants
Hudson’s Seafood House On The DocksHilton Head
Ladys Island DocksideBeaufort
Low Country Fish CampBluffton
The Sea ShackHilton Head
Benny’s Coastal KitchenHilton Head
CoastHilton HeadThe Map