Boston’s Top 10 : Spots for Seafood

Barking Crab

This
colorful fish shack is most congenial in the summer, when diners sit
outdoors at picnic tables. Most of the local fish – cod, haddock, tuna,
halibut, clams and crab – are so fresh that they need only the most
basic preparation.

• 88 Sleeper St

• 617 426 2722

Legal Sea Foods

Legal
is a Boston chain where diners can always count on getting immaculately
fresh local fish in a fine-dining setting. The clam chowder is
legendary; raw clams and oysters are impeccable. Legal’s only
shortcoming is that it doesn’t take reservations.

• Long Wharf & other locations

• 617 742 5300

East Coast Grill

Chef-owner
Chris Schlesinger was among the first Boston chefs to perfect the art
of cooking seafood with the smoke and heat of an open fire. Schlesinger
is also an aficionado of hot spices, often perking up a more bland fish
with a peppery basting sauce or toning down an oily fish with a citrus
marinade. Should you be up to the challenge, try the Fries from Hell.
The attractively simple, unfussy dining room allows the food to be the
focus of attention. Reservations are not accepted so arrive early, and
be prepared to wait .

Mare Organic

Fine
dining and health-conscious eating converge with spectacular results in
Mare’s Italian coastal cuisine. Complex dishes, such as truffle-crusted
skate with foie gras and figs, complement deliciously simple pasta
tossed with seafood. There are good meat dishes available for
carnivores.

• 135 Richmond St

• 617 723 4273

• Closed lunch

No Name Restaurant

As
Fish Pier’s only restaurant, No Name has an intimate relationship with
the fishermen who both sell their catch to, and eat at, this bare-bones
restaurant. The equally very basic menu consists mostly of fried fish.
The great chowder is what fishermen call “trim” chowder – full of hunks
of whatever has been boned and trimmed that day.

• 15½ Fish Pier

• 617 423 2705

Turner Fisheries

The
elegant space in the street-level corner of the Westin Copley Place is
for smart dining, with an emphasis on large portions of select fish in
season. Start with a Caesar salad laden with anchovies, then tuck into a
bluefin tuna steak so large it hangs off the plate. Opt for either the
airy outer room with windows onto Copley Square, or the cozier lounge
near the bar where there’s live jazz on weekends.

• 10 Huntington Ave

• 617 424 7425

• Closed lunch Sun

James Hook & Co.

A
family-owned business located right on Fort Point Channel, Hooks is
primarily a broker that supplies lobster to restaurants throughout the
US. However, they also cook lobster, clams, crab, and some fin fish on
the spot. Take your order, sit on the sea wall, and chow down.

• 15 Northern Ave

• 617 423 5500

• Closed evenings

B&G Oysters

The
brainchild of star chef Barbara Lynch, this brightly lit underground
seafood spot is half oyster bar – there are a dozen varieties ready to
be shucked at any moment – and half seafood bistro. Lynch’s delicious
dishes include the lobster BLT sandwich, roasted salmon with spicy
Spanish chorizo, and tuna carpaccio with boiled quail egg and pickled
shallot.

• 550 Tremont St

• 617 423 0550

Summer Shack

Boston
celebrity chef Jasper White literally wrote the book on lobster, but
he’s just as adept with wood-grilled fresh fish and delicate fried
shellfish. Fabulous raw bar and colorful summer fish-shack atmosphere
match well with the extensive beer list. Excellent place to bring
children who like to crack their own crabs.

• 50 Dalton St

• 617 867 9955

• Closed lunch Mon–Fri Nov–Mar

Morse Fish

Morse
is principally a South End fishmonger. But they also cook fish to order
for great sandwiches or fried fish dinners – and at a relative pittance
compared to restaurant prices. There are a few tables in this cheery
shop, or they’ll pack dinner for a picnic in nearby Blackstone Park.
However, they do not sell lobster.

• 1401 Washington St

• 617 262 9375

• Closed Sun