THE SALTBOX SEAFOOD Joint® Story
Ricky Moore created Saltbox Seafood Joint® in Durham, North Carolina in 2012. Drawing inspiration from classic American fish camps and waterside seafood shacks, Saltbox celebrates local, fresh seafood.
founder & owner Chef Ricky Moore
With decades of fine dining restaurant and hospitality experience, Ricky Moore believes that ordinary, simple food can be extraordinary when executed at the highest level.
In 2025, Ricky Moore was selected as a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Chef.
In 2022, Ricky Moore was awarded Best Chef: Southeast by the James Beard Foundation.
VISIT
Address
2637 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.
Durham, NC 27707
Indoor & Outdoor Dining
Hours
Tues - Sat 11am - 8 pm
the Eats
Seasonal NC Seafood
At SALTBOX Seafood Joint®, the availability of fish and shellfish vary depending on what has been caught by North Carolina fisherfolk. For this reason, THE MENU CHANGES DAILY, handwritten on a chalkboard with the day's offerings. All menu items are made fresh, and prepared simple and straightforward.
Based on NC Catch’s seasonal seafood guide, here’s an idea of what you may find on our menu throughout the year:
Spring
Blue Crab
Bluefish
Clam
Grouper
Kingfish
King Mackerel
Mahi-Mahi
Oyster
Grey Sea Trout
Snapper
Striped Bass
Tilefish
Yellowfin Tuna
Summer
Black Sea Bass
Blue Crab
Clam
Grouper
Spanish Mackerel
Mahi Mahi
Oyster
Shrimp
Snapper
Tilefish
Triggerfish
Yellowfin Tuna
Fall
Black Sea Bass
Blue Crab
Clam
Croaker
Southern Flounder
King Mackerel
Spanish Mackerel
Mullet
Oyster
Spotted Sea Trout
Shrimp
Snapper and Grouper
Spot
Striped Bass
Yellowfin Tuna
Winter
Black Sea Bass
Bluefish
Clam
Croaker
Flounder
King Mackerel
Oyster
Grey Sea Trout
Spotted Sea Trout
Striped Bass
Bluefin Tuna
Menu
PLATES a choice of fish or shellfish, fried or spiced griddled, served with
”S.S.J.” slaw, crispy seasoned sliced potatoes, green peppers & onions, lemon wedge
ROLLS soft, buttered & toasted, choice of fish or shellfish, fried or spiced griddled, garnished with “S.S.J.”slaw, lemon wedge
SIDES
”S.S.J.” Slaw, shredded cabbage, vegetables, herbs & citrus dressing
crispy seasoned sliced potatoes, green peppers & onions
HUSH-HONEYS ® fried cornmeal fritters, glazed with honey
salt & pepper FRIED BRUSSELS & lemon
BEVERAGES
Ricky's "GOOD TEA” sweet & unsweet “LEMON CRUSH PUNCH”
”THE GOODIE” half good tea & half lemon crush punch fountain soda
”A COLD ONE” local & domestic beer and cider
DESSERT
”MS NORMA’S LEMON PIE”
Gift Cards
Purchase a gift card for use in person at Saltbox Seafood Joint.
Let us come to you
From rehearsal dinners and family reunions to company parties and anniversary celebrations, let Saltbox Seafood Joint® come to you! With our fully equipped food truck, bring the taste of Coastal North Carolina fish camps, elevated and re-envisioned, to your special event.
The Book
Simply hooked . . . again!
Since the 2019 publication of Saltbox Seafood Joint Cookbook, chef Ricky Moore has been named a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Southeast Region and a semifinalist for the Beard Foundation’s overall Outstanding Chef award. Moore has also hosted food-centric tours across many countries, discovering astonishing cultural similarities in seafood cookery that tie directly into his foundational interest in coastal North Carolina cuisine and heritage.
This must-have second edition features eight new globally inspired recipes, including Triggerfish Ceviche with Smoked Corn, Sweet Potato, and BBQ Leche de Tigre. Written with food and culture writer K. C. Hysmith, this cookbook also includes the original sixty recipes celebrating Moore’s coastal culinary heritage, along with guidance for pan-frying, deep-frying, grilling, smoking, and making soups, chowders, stews, grits, and seafood. Charts and illustrations explain the kinds of fish and shellfish used in the recipes. Whether you're looking to expand your seafood repertoire or re-create the mouthwatering dishes of Saltbox Seafood Joint, Ricky Moore’s devotion to fresh, seasonal ingredients and international inspiration will make you reach for this book again and again.
Press & Praise
“For that dedication and talent celebrating the seafood and foodways of North Carolina, changing diners’ perceptions of popular and unpopular fish, lifting up and mentoring a new generation of Black chefs and business owners and becoming only the fifth chef in the state to win a James Beard chef award — the top honor in the restaurant industry — Ricky Moore is The News & Observer’s 2022 Tar Heel of the Year.””
“Moore’s dedication to local seafood is at the forefront of everything he does, including his beloved fish joints, his cookbook and his UNC-TV mini-series. In recent years, he’s garnered national attention and become a face of North Carolina seafood.””
“Chef Ricky Moore does not play games when it comes to his passion for seafood. His popular ‘fish shack’ style restaurant Saltbox Seafood Joint®, located in Durham, North Carolina, is beloved by locals and critics for its elevated, seasonal menu that changes daily based on the local catch.””
Join the crew
We are always looking for talented team members to join the Saltbox Seafood Joint crew! Start with this application.