Here in the Lowcountry we enjoy the abundance of seafood from the water that surrounds us. Over the years, we’ve found many different creative culinary ways to make good use of it. But, local Beaufort seafood, on a pizza?
You’re familiar with she crab soup, shrimp & grits, seafood gumbo, and Frogmore stew.
There’s one restaurant in Beaufort, SC that has found yet another creative use for it, too.
Yes, you can put seafood on a pizza, and the only one you’ll find in Beaufort is at Panini’s on the Waterfront.
The “King Neptune” seafood pizza sits on their specialty pizza menu, on a semi-permanent basis, and it is definitely one of a kind.
The pizza is topped with fresh wild-caught shrimp sourced from South Carolina waters, and local blue crab, which both blend very well with the additional toppings of mushrooms, fresh mozzarella cheese and their homemade tomato sauce.
The King Neptune is the creation of Panini’s on the Waterfront’s owner, Paul Thompson, who placed it on the menu just after he opened the restaurant in 2011.
But why a seafood pizza?
“Beaufort is synonymous with seafood,” Thompson said. “And we offer a variety of specialty pizzas already, so I started putting together a few ideas using some of our local catch.”
Thompson, an avid boater, also said that the pizza pays homage to a spot he used to frequent often, in years past.
“It pays homage to the Pisces Lounge in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island,” he added. The Pisces is known to combine lots of local seafood available in the Bahamas with a number of its creative pizzas.
The specialty pizza menu at Panini’s on the Waterfront boasts a variety of 10 special made-to-order pies that come out of the brick oven just a few minutes after your order.
There’s the Palermo: A local favorite with roasted chicken, dried tomatoes, preserved lemon, pesto sauce, and fresh mozzarella cheese.
There’s also the Mediterranean: Loaded with kalamata olives, artichokes, caramelized onions, dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, olive oil, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella cheese and (optional) anchovies.
And, the Venetian, which offers a blend of flavor profiles including wild-caught shrimp, chorizo, green apples, Alfredo sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, and fresh Basil.
But, for fresh seafood lovers, it always goes back to the King Neptune. However, due to higher prices and seasonal catch, it’s not always available 365 days a year. But you’ll be happy when it is.
For the inventive pizza chefs at Panini’s on the Waterfront in Beaufort, SC, sometimes an apron is just a cape on backwards. And, we’re not just talking about the only seafood pizza in Beaufort.
Panini’s on the Waterfront is located at 926 Bay Street, in historic downtown Beaufort, SC. The restaurant offers outside dining on it’s River Deck which overlooks the Atlantic Intra-Coastal Waterway and offers some of the best coastal views you’ll ever find.
