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TAKE A DIP IN ST. SIMONS
ISLAND, GEORGIA
STAY
Guests at the
elegant Essque Zalu
Zanzibar can enjoy
culinary experiences
like Tanzanian chef
Rose Mosha’s Swa-
hili cooking courses
or catch-and-grill
fishing expeditions.
(Rooms from $480;
essquehotels.com)
Spa
Tuck into the
Mrembo Spa for
traditional treat-
ments including
the Singo scrub
of ylang-ylang,
jasmine, rose, and
sweet basil used by
Swahili women on
their wedding day.
(mrembospa.com)
Swim
The entire eastern
coast of the main
island, Unguja, is
an idyll of bleached
white coral sand
and gin-clear seas.
Spend the day at
Nungwi, at the
island’s northern-
most tip, for pristine
waters and sand.
ZANZIBAR
Traditional sailboats
known as dhow ply
the crystalline waters
off Zanzibar’s main
island of Unguja.
There are commercial
fishing captains around
here who let me know
when they catch a good,
oily fish—what some
people think of as “trash
fish.” Those amberjack,
mullet, kingfish, trout, and
cobia? I put them on the
smoker—they don’t dry
out because their flesh is
so dense. I smoke shrimp,
and oysters, too, until their
flavors are very concen-
trated and they take on a
chewy texture. Then it’s
time to make my fish dips.
I pulse the fish or shellfish in
the food processor, where
they break up nicely and
infuse the dip with their
briny, smoky sweetness.
I make my dips Florida-
style, with a base of Duke’s
mayo and classic seafood
seasonings like lemon,
horseradish, Old Bay, and
chopped fresh parsley. And
I serve them with saltines,
always. —Griffin Bufkin,
proprietor, Southern Soul
Barbeque, St. Simons
Island, Georgia, as told to
Mary-Frances Heck
GOLDEN ISLE GOLD Tuck into smoked
ribs and Brunswick stew (or just fill up
on fish dip and saltines, when it’s on the
menu) at Southern Soul Barbeque,
Bufkin’s smokehouse on St. Simons
Island, Georgia (southernsoulbbq.com).
Smoked
Fish Dip
P. 1 0 4
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY : GREG DUPREE; FOOD STYLING: EMILY NABORS HALL; PROP STYLING: CHRISTINE KEELY
