Sea What’s Up at The Waterman

I’m on a seafood kick lately, and I am LOVING IT.

Growing up in South Carolina and having an avid fisherman as a father, I love everything that comes from the water.

Sooo shame on me for JUST now paying a visit to The Waterman, a seafood joint and raw bar in South End.

I loved everything about the decor, from the rustic patio furniture to the beautiful sign to the light fixtures inside. Perfect vibes for devouring seafood.

To kick things off, we had a quick oyster shucking lesson from Slim, an expert shucker who opens about 1,800 oysters a day. I thought I’d get through this course with ease having been to many oyster roasts, but I forgot how much harder it is to shuck a raw oyster vs. steamed. Oops! (They were delicious, by the way.)

img_e2378 — Fresh oysters from **Sea Level, NC** served with house-made cocktail sauce, horseradish, and white fennel mignonette

Next up, all da tacos. I tried the fried oyster, grilled fish, and mushroom tacos – all very tasty.

Grilled fish, crispy oyster, braised chicken, blackened shrimp, and mushroom **tacos** (served on corn tortillas or scallion pancakes)

**Sunken Pirate** (Wild Turkey 81 Bourbon, ginger, blueberry puree, basil, lemon)

These crawdaddy dippers would make the perfect appetizer.

**Crawdaddy Dippers** (Cajun-style rice, fried crawfish, tartar sauce)

And this beer-battered cod sandwich? Droooool. (The house-made pickles are dope.)

**The Fisherman’s Pick Sandwich** (beer-battered cod, house-made pickles, cole slaw, tartar sauce, potato bun)

Last but not least: dessert. I actually don’t really like pecan pie, but I really liked this pecan bar. Bravo!

**Southern Pecan Bar** (served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream)

I’m super pumped to get back to The Waterman ASAP, especially when it’s warm again (their rooftop dining area has a fantastic view of the Charlotte skyline).