Considering the bountiful variety of delicious critters swimming in the waters just off the coast of Boston, it seems ludicrous that the Puritans chose to subsist on baked beans and bread. As the crown harbor of New England, the Hub is, after all, a haven for some of the best seafood restaurants in the nation. Panorama offers the following suggestions on where to sample traditional deep-sea delicacies and discover what makes Boston the seafood capital of the East Coast.
Lobster
Roll
“The lobster roll is a quintessential New
England summer food,” says chef-owner Andrew
Wilkinson of Skipjack’s,
(500 Boylston St., 617-536-3500). Accented
with celery, mayonnaise, white pepper and a
touch of lemon, his version of the “sacred
recipe” features a heaping portion of
lobster meat between two grilled and
buttered rolls.
If you’re fond of outdoor dining, grab
lunch at Stephanie’s
(190 Newbury St., 617-236-0990). Their tasty
lobster salad is served on a brioche roll
and is a perfect companion for an afternoon
of people watching.
Wild card:
For a truly authentic seaside dining
experience, head to James
Hook & Co. In addition to the live
and squirming 20-pound lobsters they sell,
this family-run waterfront shack also churns
out simple and delicious $10 lobster rolls.
Clam
Chowder
If you’re only going to have one meal in
Boston, make it a steaming bowl of our
renowned chowdah. The award-winning
concoction made by Legal Sea
Foods (255 State St., 617-227-3115)
has been served at every Presidential
inauguration since 1981.
Wild card:
For a hearty bowl of clam and corn chowder,
head to the New England Soup
Factory (2 Brookline Pl., Brookline,
617-739-1899). For $4.95, you can treat your
taste buds to a cup of their secret recipe,
but you might be tempted to take home a
whole gallon ($37.95).
Wellfleet
Oysters
When it comes to local oysters, the raw
bar at Jasper White’s Summer
Shack, (50 Dalton St., 617-867-9955)
has little competition. The menu offers
between 10-12 New England varieties per
night, including legendary chef-owner Jasper
White’s favorite Cape Cod Wellfleets.
Wild card:
Boston laws prohibit traditional
cocktail happy hours, but the dollar oysters
at 28 Degrees (1
Appleton St., 617-728-0728) are the next
best thing. The tasty bargain starts at 5
p.m. each night and begs to be washed
down with one of the bar’s distinctive,
expertly-chilled drinks.
Boston
Scrod
Folklore has it that SCROD is an acronym
for “Small Cod Remaining On Dock.” In
reality, this New England term connotes the
freshest whitefish available. Have it the
traditional way—baked with lemon chive
butter sauce—at Turner
Fisheries (10 Huntington Ave.,
617-424-7425).
Wild card:
If you like your scrod a bit more
multiple choice, the “Zazzle” menu at
Legal Test Kitchen
(225 Northern Ave., 617-330-7430) is your
answer. Choose to have your scrod grilled,
fried, baked or crumbed with one of four
eclectic house sauces.
Fried
Clams
With their burst of texture and flavor,
fried clams make for the ultimate harborside
treat. Follow in the steps of early
Bostonians and try the sweet fried clams at
the Union Oyster House
(41 Union St., 617-227-2750), where notables
like Daniel Webster have been sitting down
to plates of shellfish for centuries.
Wild card:
A short walk from Nahant Beach on the
North Shore is the century-old
Christie’s Restaurant
(17 Lynnway St., Lynn, 781-598-1122). It may
be off the beaten path, but this hidden gem
purveys some of the best fried clams in the
area.
Scallops
Tender, sweet and succulent, local
scallops are a New England seafood staple.
Try the grilled New Bedford jumbo sea
scallops at McCormick &
Schmick’s (Faneuil Hall Marketplace,
617-720-5522).
Wild card:
For a more exotic flavor, try the
pan-seared sea scallops at
Chart House (60 Long Wharf,
617-227-5658), where the bivalves come in a
soy-ginger broth with spinach and bok choy,
and are topped with a coconut ginger sauce.
The
Clambake
If Boston’s endless spectrum of aquatic
cuisine leaves you salivating but undecided,
your best bet is to try a bit of everything.
The clambake at Dolphin
Seafood (1105 Massachusetts Ave.,
Cambridge, 617-661-2937) includes a cup of
chowder, lobster and an array of shellfish,
and is bound to satisfy every aspect of your
curious palette.
Wild card:
If you’re in the mood for something that
looks like it was lifted straight from a
beachside bonfire, try the Summer Shack clam
bake at Jasper White’s Summer
Shack. Served in a bucket and wrapped
in netting, this delicious conflagration of
lobster, shellfish, potato and corn is as
rustic as it gets.
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