Island Recipes: Taste the Tradition
THE FAMOUS OCRACOKE FIG CAKE
No discussion of island cooking starts anywhere but with our most famous culinary creation—the legendary Ocracoke Fig Cake. Born from necessity in the 1960s when island resident Margaret Garrish ran out of dates for her usual cake recipe, she substituted fig preserves and accidentally created what would become Ocracoke’s signature dessert.
Traditional Ocracoke Fig Cake
- 3 eggs
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 cup oil
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon each: baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups fig preserves, chopped
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Beat eggs, add sugar and oil. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla, then fold in figs and nuts. Bake in greased pan at 325°F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Every August, our Fig Festival features a bake-off where islanders compete in Traditional and Innovative categories. Even using the same recipe, subtle differences in fig preserves and spices make each cake unique.
FRESH FROM OUR WATERS
Living on an island means seafood isn’t just food—it’s a way of life. These recipes come from generations of watermen’s families and reflect what’s fresh from our boats.
Ocracoke Clam Fritters (from Mrs. Bertha O’Neal)
- 1 quart clams, chopped fine
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- Salt & pepper
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and pepper together. Add to clams, beat in egg. Fry in hot fat until brown. Serves about six.
Island Crab Cakes (from Mrs. Elizabeth G. Howard)
- 1½ lbs cooked crab meat
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons each: finely chopped onion, green pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
Blend mixture, form into cakes. Roll lightly in flour and fry in deep hot oil until brown and crisp. Serve with hot sauce.
Old Drum Ocracoke Style (Traditional Island Method)
The “ceremony:” Boil drum in lightly salted water until it flakes. Boil potatoes (2 medium per person). Hard boil 2 eggs per person. Dice onions and fry salt pork until brown and crunchy.
At the table, mash potatoes with fork, flake fish into potatoes, sprinkle generously with diced onion, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and crispy salt pork bits. “Be sure to mix enough on the first plate—somehow the second plateful never tastes as good as the first.”
SEASONAL SPECIALTIES
Fig Season (July-August)
Beyond cake, islanders make fig preserves, fig jam, and even fig BBQ sauce. The secret is picking figs at peak ripeness—when they’re soft, slightly split, and practically dripping with sweetness.
Oyster Season
Oysters are a true island delicacy—served raw, steamed, or in creative dishes that showcase their briny flavor. Thanks to local oyster farming, they’re available year-round. Unlike wild oysters, farm-raised oysters are grown in managed conditions for consistent quality, and many are bred not to spawn in summer, keeping their flavor clean and fresh.
A few local farmers, including O’Cock Oyster Co. and Blackbeard’s Tears Oyster Co., are proud to harvest oysters right from Ocracoke’s waters, supporting sustainable aquaculture and a tradition that connects past and present.
Fresh Catch Daily
What’s cooking depends on what the boats bring in—flounder, red drum, cobia, shrimp, scallops, and blue crabs all have their seasons.
ISLAND COOKBOOK COLLECTION
Three island cookbooks preserve our culinary heritage:
- The Green Cook Book (early 1960s) – Original recipes from island families
- The Yellow Cook Book (1980s) – Expanded collection from Methodist Women
- Hoi Toiders’ Recipes and Remembrances (1993) – Stories and recipes from the Fire Protection Association
Available at Village Craftsmen and the Ocracoke Preservation Museum