Roadfood with Misha Collins | Eastern Shore, VA: Episode 9 | Oysters and Crabs

Easter Shore- the place to come for seafood:

The Eastern shore is the place to go for oyster, clam and crab farming.  Pete and Weck Terry run their family business which was passed down through generations since the late 1600’s.  The business is called H.M. Terry Co. and they specialize in farming clams and oysters from 30 miles of ocean shore in Virginia.  Also, Misha speaks with Heather Lusk, who is the new generation of H.M. Terry Co.  She is a former lawyer, who now helps run the company and works through challenges the company faces with climate change, and surging storms in the area.  

Time to eat!

The first restaurant they visit is The Great Machipongo Clam Shack, which is a small local restaurant located in an old McDonald’s building.  Here, Misha meets up with Roger Mariner to eat Soft Shell Crab and a Hemp Crab Cake.  Misha marvels at the taste of the soft shell crab and how you can eat the whole crab, shell and all.  It is lightly breaded, fried and served on a soft roll with lettuce and tomato.  Yum!

In addition to the clam shack, the team visits The Island House.  This is a local restaurant, where Oysters Paramore is the dish of choice.  This dish consists of baked oyster and crab with a savory sauce, which he promptly feeds to Pablo.  Pablo gives this dish two thumbs up!

The disappearing island:

Finally, Misha and the crew visit Tangier Island, which is an island off the coast of the Eastern shore.  This island suffers from the effects of climate change and erosion with a population of approximately 500 people.   James Ooker, the mayor of Tangier gives Misha a tour and describes all of the recent changes in the geography the island is going through.  Since 1850 they have lost ⅔ of the land area and they are trying to figure out how to manage the loss.  Their discussion of politics, crabbing and common ground is a heartwarming experience.