20 Jun 2022

Outer Banks Seafood

seafood boil

Seafood Markets vs. Restaurants

One of the best things about an Outer Banks vacation is the ability to enjoy fresh-caught local seafood right off the boat at any number of fantastic local restaurants. But when you’re ready to purchase fresh, local seafood to whip up your own masterpiece, the Outer Banks also has a wide variety of local Outer Banks seafood markets that will ensure you’ve got the freshest catch available for your vacation meal.

But what’s the difference between a Seafood Market and a Seafood Restaurant?

Seafood markets focus on serving fish and other seafood, often specializing in trading directly with fishermen and merchants. While some markets will occasionally offer prepared or semi-prepared seafood, many markets that you find on the Outer Banks will be selling seafood fresh, on ice, directly from the fishermen who caught it. This is great when you have your own recipe that you want to try or you simply prepare to cook the seafood yourself from the comfort of home. The types of seafood that you can expect to find at a seafood market will often depend on seasonality and local availability.

Seafood restaurants, on the other hand, are dining establishments that specialize in seafood dishes. While they also often offer non-seafood dishes, like hamburgers or chicken, their primary appeal is the preparation and service of fresh seafood to enjoy in the restaurant or in the comfort of your home, with extremely popular to-go services. Meals tend to rely on seasonal availability, similar to seafood markets. Here on the Outer Banks, you’ll also find that some restaurants offer somewhat blended services like Coastal Cravings, in Duck, which specializes in not only offering steak and seafood in their full-service restaurant but also offering To-Go Seafood Pots filled with fresh seafood and seasonings that you take back home with you to steam yourself. And sometimes, restaurants can also double as seafood markets, so wherever you are on the Outer Banks, you’re sure to be able to find what you need for an amazing seafood experience.

If you’re looking for seafood in the Outer Banks, keep reading to find the closest seafood market to your vacation home, listed by town, as well as popular seafood restaurants to enjoy during your stay!

Seafood_Seasonings_Pairings

Seafood Markets on the Outer Banks

Here on the Outer Banks, you’ll almost always have access to fresh, locally-sourced seafood on a regular basis. Shrimp is relatively inexpensive but in the grocery stores, it’s usually frozen and often farm-raised and imported. The best place to get fresh NC shrimp is from one of the local seafood markets. The OBX has dozens and chances are that there is one just a few minutes away from your vacation rental. Since local seafood markets depend on a fresh catch, price, size availability, and quantity may vary throughout the year. Here’s a list of local seafood markets, listed by town:

Corolla

Bluewater Market

501 Old Stoney Rd., Corolla, NC 27927
(252) 453-221
Bluewater Market in Corolla offers fresh local seafood, buckets to go, and completely prepared fried or steamed seafood dinner options. In addition to fresh local catch, they also carry the core ingredients such as spices and breadings that you’ll need to make your perfect seafood masterpiece.

Seaside Farm Market

787 Sunset Boulevard, Corolla, NC
(252) 453-8285 27927
This market has an appealing selection of fresh, local produce, homemade breads and pies, fudge, ice cream, jams, and a fresh selection of local Outer Banks seafood, often brought from right off the boat.

Dockside North

819 C Ocean Trl., Corolla, NC 27927
(252) 453-8112
Dockside offers fresh and local seafood like shrimp, fresh fish, live Maine lobsters, oysters, scallops, and crabs. They can also steam live lobster, shrimp, Alaskan King Crab, and Snow Crab to order!

Duck

Dockside ‘N Duck Seafood Market

1216 Duck Rd., Duck, NC 27949
(252) 261-8687
Locally-owned seafood market with changing daily local seafood, homemade breads, hush puppies, and pies.

Tommy’s Natural Foods Market & Wine Shop

1242 Duck Rd., Duck, NC 27949
(252) 261-8990
High-quality market with a wide selection of natural and organic foods in addition to wine and microbrews, grass-fed beef, and local seafood.

Grilling Seafood

Kitty Hawk

Carawans Seafood Co.

5424 N. Croatan Hwy., Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
(252) 261-2120
Family-owned business offering fresh, local seafood with both prepared and fresh whole fish available daily.

Kill Devil Hills

Billy’s Seafood

1314 Colington Rd., Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(252) 441-5978
This locally-owned seafood market offers fresh-off-the-boat seafood with the catch often including crabs, clams, shrimp, oysters, and fish.

Nags Head

Whalebone Seafood Market

101 E. Gray Eagle St., Nags Head, NC 27959
(252) 441-8808
Whalebone offers top quality seafood with a selection that changes daily based on the morning catch. Every morning, Whalebone’s fishermen bring in a collection of seafood that they prepare in-house to ensure that you are receiving the freshest and best-quality seafood around.

Austin Fish Company

3711 S. Croatan Hwy., Nags Head, NC 27959
(252) 441-7412
Austin Fish Company is located at MP 12.5 on the US 158 By-Pass and offers a wide variety of fresh, fried, and steamed seafood that arrives daily from the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound. Their market menu often includes crabs, clams, crawfish, mahi, tuna, flounder, and more.

Greentails

3022 S. Croatan Hwy., Nags Head, NC 27959
(252) 715-6300
Located in Pirates’ Quay Shopping Center just south of the Outer Banks YMCA, Greentails supports local fishermen by selling a wide variety of fresh seafood and delicious seafood dishes like soft-shell crabs and fish baskets. Market offerings change daily based on availability but often include shrimp, salmon, pompano, grouper, mahi, and lobster.

The Sugar Shack Fish Market & Restaurant

7344 S. Virginia Dare Trl, Nags Head, NC 27959
(252) 441-3888
Also a restaurant that offering soundfront dining or carryout, The Sugar Shack Fish Market offers a wide variety of the day’s fresh local catch.

Store Seafood On Ice

Wanchese

O’Neals Sea Harvest

618 Harbor Rd., Wanchese, NC 27981
(252) 473-4535
O’Neals Sea Harvest offers a wide selection of seafood from right off the boat. They offer blue crabs, both inshore and deep sea fish, as well as North Carolina shrimp and scallops. Located directly on the Wanchese harbor, O’Neals is a family owned and operated seafood wholesaler that hand carefully chooses only the freshest seafood to sell to the general public.

Fresh Catch Seafood & Packaging

4331 Mill Land Rd., Wanchese, NC 27981
(252) 475-9888
Owned and operated by local Outer Banks fisherman, Fresh Catch is the place to pick up some of the highest quality seafood on the beach. Offerings are dependant on the catch, but often include tuna, mahi, swordfish, craokers, bluefish, sea mullet, and shrimp.

Hatteras Island

Austin’s South Island Seafood & Vacuum Packing

24202 B Hwy 12., Rodanthe, NC 27968
(252) 987-1352
Local market offering a wide variety of freshly-caught local seafood in addition to steamed seafood, steamer pots, fried seafood sandwiches, and seafood baskets to go.

Buxton Seafood

49799 NC-12 Buxton, NC 27920
(252) 995-5085
Local shop offering fresh local seafood, coffee and danishes, souvenirs, sushi products, breads, marinades, and bait. Also offers specialty seafood orders in case there is something in particular that you’d like to enjoy while on vacation!

Harbor House Seafood Market

58129 NC Hwy 12, Hatteras, NC 27943
(252) 986-2039
Family owned and operated Hatteras Village seafood market offering wild caught seafood, a steam bar, and several housemade seafood specialties including seafood enchiladas and fresh yellowfin tuna salad.

Risky Business Seafood Market

Oden’s Dock, Hatteras, NC 27943
(252) 986-2117
If you’re looking for fresh seafood right from the dock, look no further than Risky Business Seafood Market where you can watch the catch come in before buying some to take home with you!

Surf’s Up Seafood Market

41838 NC-12, Avon, NC 27915
(252) 995-3432
Visit Surf’s Up to experience their warm customer service and fresh seafood coming straight from the waters surrounding the Outer Banks. Enjoy fresh local blue crabs, fish, shrimp, oysters, and more!

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enjoy springtime dining on the outer banks

Seafood Restaurants on the Outer Banks

Cooking your own seafood from the comfort of your vacation home is great, but sometimes you just want to go out and let someone else do the work. Fortunately, there are plenty of amazing restaurants on the Outer Banks that offer a wide variety of seafood dishes with a fresh catch that is often brought in fresh from the boat by local fishermen or outsourced from nearby regional fisheries. Keep reading below for a list of some of the best seafood restaurants on the Outer Banks, organized by town.