How To Cook Black Drum With Chef Ray England Of Husk Restaurant

Black Drum usually get tossed back, but this video from Tide to Table Episode 2 – Beneath the Husk with our friends at Penn Fishing ought to change that.

You know, when we’re out on the water, the focus is usually on the pull—that initial hit and the fight. But for me, the experience doesn’t end when the fish hits the deck. It ends when you’re sitting around a table with good company, eating something you caught yourself.

I’ve spent most of my life on these Charleston waters, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the best-tasting fish comes down to the little details in the kitchen.

The Key is in the Prep

One of Chef Ray England’s favorite tricks for a clean kitchen (and a better cook) is keeping the scales under control. Ray likes to scale fish in a bin or even use something simple like a butter knife. The secret? Always go towards the head, but don’t rush it. If you go too fast, you’re going to be finding scales in your hair for a week. Keep it smooth, keep it steady.

Once you’ve got that skin cleaned up, I like to score the skin. Just a few light slices—this keeps the fillet from curling up like a potato chip the second it hits the hot pan.

Dry Skin = Crispy Skin

If you want that restaurant-quality crunch, you have to get the moisture out. We’re talkin’ bone-dry. Use a paper towel and get as much water off that skin as possible.

In fact, if you’re planning ahead, break the fish down the night before and leave them in the walk-in (or your fridge at home) skin-side up. That air circulation dries the skin out perfectly. When you finally drop it in the pan with some unsalted butter—always unsalted, so you control the salt—that skin gets so crispy it’s absolutely delicious.

Keep it Simple

For seasoning, a little blackening rub is great, but honestly? Just salt is fine if you want to keep it neutral and let the fish speak for itself.

One of Chef Ray’s “secret” ingredients is fresh Bay Laurel. Most people only know the dried-up leaves from the grocery store, but fresh bay is one of the most underused herbs out there. Throw it in the pan, give the fillet a little flip to finish it off, add a sprinkle of scallion and maybe a squeeze of lemon… and man, you’ve nailed it.

If you’ve never been to Husk Charleston, you’re missing out. The food and vibe are second to none in the area.

Targeting Black Drum in the Lowcountry

If you’re looking for a fish that fights hard and eats even better, look no further than the Black Drum. In Charleston, we’re lucky enough to have these guys around almost year-round.

• The Seasons: While you can find them any time, they really “turn on” in the cooler months and early spring. During the winter, we find them stacked up in the deep holes of our tidal creeks or hanging out around the oyster bars. As it warms up, they move out toward the Charleston Harbor jetties and nearshore wrecks, where the real “beasts” like to roam.
• The Tactics: Black Drum are “scent” hunters. They aren’t usually going to chase down a fast-moving lure like a Trout would. We have the most success using live or fresh-cut shrimp and cracked blue crab on the bottom. If you’re dead-set on artificials, a slow-crawled scented plastic (like a Gulp!) near structure can get the job done, but it’s hard to beat the real thing when they’re hungry.

Come Catch Dinner with Us

There’s nothing quite like the “dock-to-table” lifestyle we live here in the Lowcountry. Whether we’re pulling slot-sized Drum out of the creeks or wrestling giants at the jetties, I’d love to show you how we do it on one of our Charleston Inshore Fishing Charters. After we wrap up a productive day on the water, I’ll even clean and fillet your catch for you, so you can take it home and try out those crispy-skin tips for yourself.