By Bernie Whitmore

Coral Seafood Fish Market & Restaurant
225 Shrewsbury Street
(508) 755-8331
www.coralseafood.com

The best way to appreciate Coral Seafood’s new dining room is to have dined at their previous location on Green Street; it’s like emerging from a crammed mini sub into the pristine waters of a tropical lagoon. But even without that frame of reference, Coral Seafood is designed to impress; it’s an open affair of curved walls with lots of glass and high ceilings punctuated by huge fiber optic light fixtures that provide a Sponge Bob glimmer of fun.

Of course the dining room is important, but seafood restaurants engage in some of the most unforgiving of ingredients – we’re all experts at detecting dubious quality and freshness when it comes to fish. So I asked a friend to join me for dinner; we wanted to see if Coral Seafood is still focused on what really matters – good service and superior cuisine.

Soon after entering we were greeted by the host and led to one of the copper-topped tables. Our waiter, Michael, arrived and helped us work through our drink and appetizer orders. He left us with a wire basket which we promptly plundered to discover slices of yeasty thin-crust bread. Carried over from the old kitchen, this is a good thing that Coral has decided, happily, not to tamper with.

We started with the Maryland Crab Cakes appetizer; a dish of two generous-sized cakes ideal for sharing. The fact that they were evenly fried deep golden brown over their entire surface led us to reason that they had been deep-fried. Of course, I’m not sure of this but I do prefer crab cakes that have been pan-fried and are still a bit soft on the sides. But no matter… these cakes were tasty with spices, bits of soft celery and bell peppers and, of course, crab – loads of it. I enjoyed mine with a glass of Wachusett Blueberry Ale as I dabbed forkfuls in the soothing remoulade sauce.

In addition to an extensive standard menu (a wide selection of seafood comes broiled, baked, fried and tossed with pasta) Coral Seafood also posts a ‘daily special’ set of offerings. These are a bit more ambitious than the standard choices and usually contain a preparation of blue fish – a personal favorite for its deep oily flavor; a fish my mother would exquisitely prepare after my father caught them surf-casting on Long Island Sound.

As much as the specials appealed to us, on this July evening we were ready for meals that are wired into the concept of summer in New England. I chose the Fried Clam dinner – simple enough, but one that food technology keeps trying to mess up by freezing, belly removal and tampering with the frying process over all that trans-fat panic. To best enjoy fried clams you need all the ‘bad’ things: bellies, rich friolator oils and deep-sea freshness. Coral Seafood had all of these; their fresh Maine clams – never frozen – were sweet, meaty and traditionally fried.

But the main event was taking place across the table. My friend’s order of Twin Lobsters had been served and he was donning the traditional plastic bib in preparation for mayhem. The pair of bright red shellfish were soon being stripped of claws, legs and tails. Anyone or thing nearby was soon sprayed with juices as he zealously wielded nutcracker to extract meat he regarded as ‘sweet and tender’. This is a meal that’s infinitely better to
eat than to watch.

Both meals came with French-fried potatoes and coleslaw that we lingered over
as Michael removed the pile of lobster debris. Throughout our meal he’d remained attentive in refilling our breadbasket and water glasses. His stock phrase, ‘Your drink is getting dangerously low’ was amusingly dramatic.

My recent dining experiences at Coral Seafood’s new Shrewsbury Street location have been excellent. They’ve included some of my old favorites, some new choices and, as this evening proved without a doubt, this kitchen still nails the standards.

Photos by Bernard Whitmore