If great fried fish is your Maine thing

April 11, 2010|Hilary Nangle, Globe Correspondent

Maine is renowned for its lobster shacks, but its fried fish joints are equally delectable destinations. At these 10 coastal gems — a mix of sit-down restaurants and take-out shacks — expect big portions, low prices, and homemade desserts as alluring as the catch of the day.

Fisherman’s Catch, Wells The Cardinali family’s shingled fish joint edges a saltwater marsh on the road to Wells Harbor. Snag a table inside or out. The secret to their light, crispy yet moist fried fish, says Ned Cardinali, is their labor-intensive dipping-shaking-frying process. Order fish ’n’ chips ($8.99), served with homemade slaw and a roll; splurge on the seafood platter ($20.99); or split the Captain’s Feast, a mountain of scallops, Maine shrimp, whole-belly clams, and haddock, with fries, rolls, and slaw ($29.99). The Catch also gets raves for its fried smelts, calamari, and oysters. Don’t even think about skipping the sweet potato fries or homemade desserts. The blueberry pie, served warm with ice cream, and the vanilla bread pudding, with a warm whiskey caramel sauce and whipped cream, are alone worth a visit. This place is extremely popular; go early to avoid a wait. Seasonal. 134 Harbor Road, 207-646-8780, www.fishermanscatchwells.com

Ken’s Place, Pine Point, Scarborough When it comes to fried clams, Ken’s gets it right. No wonder: It’s been frying clams since 1927 and has generations of Mainers as devotees. Owner Dave Wilcox daily selects the best-grade fish, right off the boat. While the whole-belly clams are justly praised, it’s the made-to-order clam cakes that are the biggest sellers. Ken’s sells upwards of 1,000 daily at $1.45 each or as a dinner, three cakes with fries, slaw, and roll for $6.99. Ken’s fries all types of seafood; the seafood platter, at $24.99, feeds two. Its fried oysters, available the first Tuesday of each month, have a cult-like following. Seasonal. 207 Pine Point Road, 207-883-6611

Susan’s Fish-N-Chips, Portland This garage-turned-fish shack evokes the sea, from the mermaids and fish painted on the exterior to the netting hanging over the counter inside. But don’t expect a fishy odor. Susan’s is clean, efficient, and dishes out some of Portland’s best and cheapest fried seafood. Owner Susan Eklund makes sure Susan’s delivers on its motto: “Our fish is so fresh, you’ll want to slap it.’’ Big portions, low prices, crispy flavorful fish, and daily specials reel in the locals. On Mondays and Tuesdays, two fish burgers are $2.50, and Wednesday is haddock day, with fried specialties ranging from $3.99 for a pint of nuggets to $10.99 for a haddock and scallop dinner. Prove it’s your birthday and get $10 off your order. Year round. 1135 Forest Ave., 207-878-3240, www.susansfishandchips.com

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