Mark’s Score 8.8
Growing up on Boston’s North Shore, our cuisine was defined by the New England Clam Bake. There are perhaps hundreds of lobster and clam restaurants along the coast but many would agree that the definitive example of New England clam bakes was Woodman’s of Essex. Woodman’s became a North Shore institution. I am not sure that Maryland’s seashore has a definitive seafood restaurant that defines our cuisine, but if we did, my vote would be The Shrimp Boat Restaurant on the mainland across from downtown Ocean City.
The Shrimp Boat Restaurant had a very inauspicious start. In 1989 Joe Crocetti set up an umbrella, a scale, and a couple of chairs on the side of the road on route 611 where he sold freshly caught shrimp. Twenty years later he added a kitchen and started selling cooked seafood as well as fresh shrimp right off the boat. In 2012 he opened a full-service restaurant at the same location. The culinary philosophy behind Crocetti’s restaurant is no pretense, fresh, locally sourced seafood (boat-to-table) and his signature dish – shrimp cooked with the head-on.
I have been remiss in not reviewing Shrimp Boat up until this point. It is true, it is not on the beach. It is not even on the main commercial road on the mainland. It is in the back of the beyond of Ocean City’s urban core. It is on the road to Assateague, but it is easily missed, and even if you find it, it isn’t much to look at. It looks like a bunch of fishing shacks had been smashed together to create a heap of kindling. When you walk in, the interior is hardly more impressive. But looks can deceive, nor are looks the most important aspect of a good dining experience.
The tourist season is about to start, so I decided I better get over to Shrimp Boat before the crowds returned. Even though it was still before noon and off season, the restaurant was already nearly full when I arrived. I already knew what I wanted so as soon as I sat down, I ordered the flounder sandwich. The waitress soon returned with ta drink and a complimentary steamed shrimp with the head-on. From the start, Joe Crocetti has been on a mission to promote this method of cooking shrimp, so every guest gets a sample shrimp.
I can’t really decide if shrimp is better with or without the head, but no matter, the reason I go to Shrimp Boat is the flounder sandwich. The fish is lightly battered, and cooked to a dark crunchy golden brown. While the fish itself is cooked to moist flakey perfection. It is truly the best fish sandwich I have ever eaten.
Shrimp Boat offers consistently authentic Eastern Shore seafood at a comparatively reasonable price. Shrimp Boat proves that you can produce a memorable dining experience without fancy preparation and posh surroundings. Joe is right, when it comes to cooking, freshness is king,
What else is there to do in Ocean City?
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