Boston Seafood Festival, a Perfect Summer Day

Article by New England Travel Journal

The Boston Seafood Festival is the perfect city summer oasis. From the moment you step foot on to the Boston Fish Pier you are immersed into a New England seafood paradise. With the smell of fresh seafood wafting through the air and vendors lining each side of the pier, visitors can casually stroll through the crowds and scope out their next dish to sample.

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While at the festival we sampled a wide range of dishes from a number of different local restaurants and food trucks here are some of the highlights:

Captain Marden’s Seafoods: We made a couple of stops at the Captain Marden’s Seafoods food truck and both times we walked away with smiles on our faces. We first tried the Fish and Chips and after a short wait, we were handed a healthy helping of both fish and chips. The batter (not greasy!) was light and provided the perfect compliment to the fish, that bursted with flavor with each bite. However, our taste buds don’t tell the whole story, even the non-seafood eater in our group tried a few bites and enjoyed the dish.

We also, thanks to the non-seafood eater in our group, ordered the chicken tenders from the truck and much to the delight of the buyer they used the same batter as on the fish making for the ideal alternative meal.

The Daily Catch: This was one of the first vendors to catch our eye during our initial stroll down the Boston Fish Pier. A Sicilian style seafood and pasta establishment, they had colorful advertising and among the list of tasty options, we chose the three shrimp skewers for only $6.

Served with cocktail sauce, the shrimp are large and juicy and with each bite pop with freshness. The shrimp are delivered warm after just coming off the grill moments before they are handed across the counter.

Matunuck Oyster Bar: Our visit to Matunuck Oyster Bar resulted in the ordering of our only lobster roll of the day and let’s just say it didn’t disappoint. Served on a fresh and fluffy roll, it was stocked full of fresh lobster meat with some even tumbling over the sides of the roll. Each bite rewarded you with a mouth full of lobster.

Interestingly we didn’t find a vendor at the festival that served a Connecticut style roll, all the ones that we came across were the Maine style roll.

Sunny’s Seafood: At Sunny’s Seafood we elected to go with the soft shelled crab sandwiched. Deep-fried and savory Sunny’s delivered on all accounts with this dish.

Stavis Seafoods: Our first booth of the day, Stavis Seafoods got our day off to the perfect start with their organic Canadian Mussels. Served with some lightly toasted bread that included a hint of olive oil and lemon, the mussels were succulent and bursting with flavor. The marinara sauce added a nice touch that our taste buds thoroughly enjoyed.

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Lobster Bake: We didn’t sample the lobster bake but each time we strolled through the crowd the smiles of those enjoying the spread were a mile long. The meal included lobster, steamers, corn, and clam chowder and it was all provided by the Essex Clambake.

One of the most fascinating parts of the day was watching the staff assemble each meal. From the boiling and steaming of the food to cutting the lobster and everything in between the staff whips around like a well-oiled machine making sure every order is prepared and delivered in a timely manner. One of the perks of the meal is that you don’t have to worry about cracking your own lobster the Essex Clambake staff handles that task for you.

Additional Notes: The two Harpoon Beer Garden’s were very popular, especially the one located on the water next to a boat where three jazz bands performed throughout the day… There was also live music at the Lobster Bake…One of the more popular items at the festival were Dell’s Lemonade.