THE SOUL OF SEABIRD: Chef Dean Neff on Celebrating Oyster Season

At Seabird in downtown Wilmington, Chef and Owner Dean Neff has built a culinary philosophy around honoring the North Carolina coast—its people, its seasons, and extraordinary seafood. Few ingredients embody that approach more than oysters. Whether farmed in local waters or foraged wild along the marshy edges of the Intracoastal, oysters shape the rhythm of Seabird’s menu and the relationships that sustain it. In celebration of oyster season, we asked Chef Neff to his signature raw and cooked oyster dishes, introduce us to the farmers and foragers whose work inspires him, and reveal the cocktail he believes is the perfect pairing. A testament not just to Seabird’s craft, but to the community and coastline that make it possible.

Tell us about your signature oyster dishes.

Every night, our menu offers a selection of North Carolina raw oysters, and on Mondays, we host our weekly Oyster Happy Hour, where from 5-6pm in the bar area only, we serve $1 oysters. Our signature raw oyster is the Seabirdie, farmed exclusively for the restaurant by Hold Fast Oyster Company. The Seabirdie has a meatiness, fattiness, and medium saltiness, often ubiquitous with a west coast oyster, while giving you a uniquely subtle sweetness, fresh butter, and minerals, with an apparent North Carolina-ness. They are shucked to order and served with a selection of accompaniments, including lemon, our spicy sambal cocktail sauce, horseradish and deep-fried black pepper saltines.

Our signature cooked oyster dish is the Smoked Catfish and Oyster Pie. We take inspiration from a British fish pie recipe but focus our intention locally, featuring ingredients from the area. North Carolina oysters, catfish, braised cabbage and a smokey celery cream are topped with a potato pastry crust. It’s very savory and comforting.

Where do you source your oysters from, and what makes them unique?

We work with several North Carolina oyster farmers, including Matt & Kim Schwab of Hold Fast Oyster Co. Our long friendship with Matt, Kim, and their daughter Violet has enriched our lives here in Wilmington over the past 11 years, and they are responsible for the most beautiful and unique oyster that we’ve ever known, our beloved Seabirdie. They started Hold Fast back in 2014 and work hard as stewards of the environment in Stone’s Bay, as well as generous teachers of everything about their process, which culminates in their impeccable oysters. The hard work that goes into their oyster farm can be seen in every deep shell and in every single oyster. They are even teaching the next generation of oyster farmers about sustainable aquaculture and oyster farming 101 through The Unordinary Oyster Foundation.

While Seabirds and other farmed varieties are available year-round, we are also lucky to have a wild oyster season here in North Carolina that begins in mid-October and runs through March.

And it’s during wild oyster season that we get to see Ana Shellem or Shell’em Seafood Company, our favorite forager of the sea, more frequently. Ana’s contributions to our menu cannot be overstated. She works with a “take exactly what you need” approach to harvesting and collaborates with Mother Nature every moment she is on the water, harvesting local wild shellfish. So many factors need to align for Ana to bring us her offerings of sustainable wild shellfish, including wild Masonboro select single oysters. Ana has always been so generous with her time and knowledge. You can’t help but feel special not only for eating the wild food she brings us, but also for being in her presence and learning how connected she is to our coast, her work, and Mother Nature.

Do you have a signature cocktail to sip alongside?

The Sea Martini. Olive oil-washed Beefeater London Dry gin and peppered phytoplankton brine are stirred until chilled and served up. It was created to accompany oysters.

Anything you would like our readers to know about the Oyster season?

Oyster shell recycling programs are crucial to making oyster farming more sustainable because recycled farmed oyster shells help grow and sustain wild populations and create living shorelines that protect coastal marshlands. Cody and Rachel Faison of Ghost Fleet Oyster Co. are true examples of how aquaculture is moving forward here in NC, with sustainability leading the way. They not only bring us the delicious, farmed Topsail Jewels but also do the hard work of facilitating oyster-shell recycling programs and advocating for sustainability at our restaurant and others. It’s actually illegal in the state of North Carolina to dispose of oyster shells in landfills or use them as mulch for landscaping, since they are needed for reef building in our sounds.

Through the work of dedicated farmers, thoughtful foragers, and a kitchen committed to honoring their craft, each oyster tells a story far bigger than itself. And in Chef Dean Neff’s hands, that story becomes something unforgettable—one shucked shell, one smoky pie, one perfectly stirred martini at a time.