8 Underrated Ingredients Every Charleston Home Cook Should Try

Living in the Lowcountry, we’re surrounded by incredible ingredients year-round. Farmers markets, seafood docks, and regional farms make it easy to cook with fresh, flavorful food that reflects the seasons.

At Southern Siren, our Charleston catering platters are built around ingredients that are simple but deeply flavorful and interesting to learn about. Some of the most versatile ingredients, however, are often overlooked in home kitchens. Admittedly, there’s one or two on this list I’ve yet to experiment with (sorghum syrup is one)!

Ahead are 8 underrated ingredients that deserve a permanent or seasonally appropriate place in your Charleston kitchen. Whether you're preparing dinner for your neighbors or hosting family at a beach house in Charleston, these ingredients can elevate everyday meals with very little effort.

1. Farro

Farro is what’s called an “ancient grain”, meaning in the (thousands of) years of its cultivation, it has not been significantly hybridized or genetically modified through modern agricultural breeding. 

Farro has a slightly chewy texture and a nutty flavor that makes it perfect for salads, grain bowls, or warm side dishes. I recommend trying it with roasted seasonal vegetables (I just paired it with mushrooms and leeks), feta and herbs, or lemon vinaigrette.

Farro piccolo from Marsh Hen Mill and Anson Mills are the foundation of our Farro Feta Salad, which you can explore on our Southern Siren catering menu. It’s a popular option for Charleston drop-off catering and does great on the beach or boat, kept in a cooler.

2. Butter Beans

Butter beans deserve a place on the Mount Rushmore of Underrated Southern Foods. When cooked properly, they’re creamy, comforting, and deeply satisfying. Fresh butterbeans are abundant in the South during summer, but frozen ones are just fine year-round. 

Cook butter beans simply with garlic, EVOO, fresh herbs, and a splash of vinegar. Turn it into a hummus base for grilled veggie kebabs. Use it as a creamy addition to a bean soup. Butter beans are not yet on our menu, but come summer, they’ll be included in an additions that pays homage to a very special Southern Siren in my life <3

You can get beautiful speckled Jackson Wonder butter beans from J. Mac Produce via GrowFood Carolina’s weekly box – the menu is made available weekly by email and pickup is at their warehouse in the Charleston neck area.

3. Fennel

Fennel is criminally underused in American home kitchens. If you watched my reel on fennel, you know how I feel. The beautiful bulbous vegetable has a subtle anise flavor that becomes sweet and caramelized when roasted. When raw, it adds a nice snap to a salad with other crunchy, zippy vegetables or apples. 

I was so inspired by fennel that I developed a recipe for the Siren Snap Salad, which pairs excellently with our Carolina-style BBQ pork and skillet “unicorn” cornbread. Explore our Charleston catering menu.

4. Sorghum Syrup

Sorghum syrup – I have to admit, I have no experience dabbling with sorghum syrup. It’s similar to molasses but lighter and more complex, with notes of caramel and toasted grain.

I’ll have to let you know how it goes when I do my first sorghum syrup experiment. I’m probably going to use it in a vinaigrette, and then drizzle that over roasted seasonal SC vegetables or salad greens. Never underestimate the power of a drizzle!

I can also see sorghum syrup faring well as a substitute for molasses in baked beans. Word on the street is that sorghum syrup is also great in a BBQ sauce, and I’ve been in BBQ testing mode these last few days. Just saying, sometimes the stars align… 

5. Tarragon

Tarragon is one of the most elegant herbs you can cook with. Its subtle licorice flavor pairs beautifully with chicken, eggs, seafood, and creamy sauces. It’s kind of funny that I despise black licorice yet enjoy the flavors of tarragon and fennel – does anyone else have weird food preference contradictions like that?

I found out that I loved tarragon in a chicken salad, and that’s now a staple dish on not only our Charleston vacation rental catering menus, but are Charleston boat charter menus, created exclusively for patrons of sailboat, yacht, and other boat charters in the area.

6. Tatsoi

Tatsoi is one of the most underrated greens in home cooking, yet it deserves a place in your seasonal Charleston kitchen. Often called “spinach mustard,” tatsoi has a mild, slightly earthy flavor with a soft, spoon-shaped leaf that holds up beautifully in both raw and cooked preparations. 

Tatsoi grows especially well in cooler weather, making it a perfect Lowcountry winter and early spring green in South Carolina. In salads, it brings a delicate, buttery texture that pairs well with citrus, vinaigrettes, and fresh herbs, while in warm dishes it quickly wilts into soups, grain bowls, and stir-fries without becoming too bitter. 

On Southern Siren’s Charleston catering menu, you can find tatsoi making cameos in our Siren Snap Salad and seasonal quiches! We order ours from Rosebank Farms via GrowFood Carolina, when it’s in season.

7. Dill

Dill is often associated with pickles, but it’s far more versatile than that. Dill’s bright flavor works wonderfully with seafood (pickled shrimp!), yogurt sauces, cucumber salad sandwiches, and crispy roasted potatoes.

Fresh dill instantly makes dishes feel lighter and more vibrant — perfect for coastal cooking. On Southern Siren’s Charleston catering menu, you’ll find dill in our spanakopita filling, our tzatziki that accompanies the Greek Kebab feast, and the Santorini shrimp and orzo salad.

8. Real Good Cheese

Real good cheese tastes light years better than ultra-processed cheese. At Southern Siren, we purchase our parmesan cheese from Forx Farm in Anderson, SC – I love to crumble it up and toss it with the 5-cheese tortellini and lemon oregano vinaigrette in our tortellini salad. 

Southern Siren’s Ham Slam sandwich includes arugula, deli ham, a seasonal jam spread, and melted brie — also from Forx Farm — which gets smeared on a (homemade) toasted focaccia bread slice. The boxed lunch comes with chips and a cookie for $12.95.

Cooking with Seasonal Lowcountry Ingredients

Cooking with seasonal ingredients is one of the easiest ways to make food taste better in your home-cooked meals. It also supports farmers and producers throughout the Lowcountry and Carolinas. If you live in Charleston, sign up to receive updates for GrowFood Carolina’s weekly produce box, where you can order fresh local produce from SC farmers and purveyors on a weekly basis and pickup at their Charleston neck area warehouse.

If you're planning a gathering, vacation meal, or event, you can explore our full Charleston catering menu here: https://www.southernsirenchs.com/menu. Tag us on Instagram at @southernsirenchs when you experiment with some of these most underrated ingredients – we’d love to know how you added your own creative spin to a dish!