With thousands of restaurants for locals and visitors to choose from in the Myrtle Beach area, dining opportunities are endless.
One standout restaurant, the Parson's Table, has been entertaining locals and visitors alike on the northern end of the Grand Strand since the late 1970s with its charming history, innovative cuisine (see below recipe) and out-of-this-world wine list. The Parson's Table impresses with its culinary creations, but one of the most interesting aspects of this restaurant is its rich history. Its structure dates back to 1885 when it originally served as the Little River Methodist Church, earning the restaurant a top spot on the list of 'South Carolina Historical Restaurants.'
In 1953, the congregation built a new church and began to use the original as a local community center. It was bought by the first owner in 1978, who moved the structure two blocks to where it currently sits and added to the building's history and decor by installing stained glass and other antiques collected from historical area churches.
Current owner and executive chef Ed Murray, Jr., continues to foster the restaurant's rich Southern (and sacramental) history while bringing some of the area's most memorable dishes to the table. His creative cooking and 25 years of culinary experience make it no surprise he was recently selected as one of the best chefs in the U.S. or previously recognized by well-known chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters and Louis Osteen.
Can't wait until your next vacation to try a taste of Chef Murray's cooking? Included below is a recipe for his ever popular cornbread encrusted grouper with mustard bacon butter sauce. Southern cooking at its finest, the Parson's Table is a perfect example of how the sustainable dining movement is growing along the Grand Strand-from Murrells Inlet to Little River-and that the use of fresh, local ingredients in the Myrtle Beach area is absolutely delicious. For a list of other Myrtle Beach area restaurants, click here.
Cornbread Encrusted Grouper with Mustard Bacon Butter Sauce
2 slices of bacon chopped
4 7-ounce grouper fillets
¼ cup minced shallots
1 cup egg wash (2 eggs, ½ cup milk, salt & pepper)
1/3 cup seeded and chopped tomato 1 cup flour
½ t. tarragon 1 t. salt
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ t. black pepper
¼ cup white wine
1 T clarified butter
1 T grain mustard
1 cup cornbread crumbs (leftover cornbread toasted and ground in food processor)
4 T butter room temperature
Salt & pepper to taste
1. In a medium saucepan fry the bacon add shallots and cook till translucent add tomatoes, and tarragon cook for 5 minutes. Add heavy cream, chicken stock and mustard cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
2. To prepare the grouper, mix the flour with the teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Dredge the fillets in the seasoned flour, egg wash and the cornbread crumbs.
3. Heat the clarified butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the fillets in the skillet sauté for 3 minutes on each side till golden brown. When cooked the fillets should be opaque in the center.
