I took several great things home with me from a recent jaunt out to the Space Coast including a skate board and a book on particle physics (because √-1 ♥ math). More impressive than that was what I learned at a little restaurant the locals were talking about: Cape Codders. When it’s off-season and you have the ear of the locals, you eat where they eat.
Cape Codders is a little 15-year young joint just off the southbound main drag. The proprietor, Billy Bobka, has brought with him his sense of what good seafood and cooking should be. The clam chowder: Ridiculous. The side of Parsley Potatoes that comes with most meals? Strangely right on the money for taste and portion. My first trip cinched it – I ordered a Lobster Roll and was asked if I wanted it warm. Warm seafood to me is way better than cold; this was an offer I never had before and I was tickled to have a generous and warm Lobster Roll. On a return trip to the Codder, I ordered Fish’n Chips (because you have to!). I was given a different choice: Cod or Rockfish?
Lobster roll, Shrimp seafood platter with three sides and plenty of butter and garlic.
That Clam Chowder is thick without the clams being rubbery and fish’n chips.
Hmmm. I don’t know. What did the chef suggest? Either. “Oh. Um, can I get both?” “You bet,” and both came battered and golden and representing the peak of what each could deliver. I learned something very elementary that will make your pick of Cod or Rockfish a breeze. While both are nearly identical in appearance, the Rockfish is smoother, has a less ‘fish’ taste and doesn’t flake as madly as the Cod. That said, the answer to the following question nails which you’re more likely to prefer:
With chicken and turkey, do you like the dark meat or the light meat? The answer, “Dark meat,” equals Cod; light meat lovers will prefer Rockfish. It’s so simple it’s silly and it doesn’t require any vast experience with seafood. At a place like the Cape Codder, it’s their experience with seafood that will send you home happy. Now, you’re also sure to get the Fish’n Chips that’s right for you.
