Star Fish Co.
Stone Crab and Corn Chowder
Conch Fritters
The Star Combination Platter – Shrimp, Oysters, Scallops, Grouper fried Golden Brown with Fries, Hush Puppies, and Slaw
Crab Cakes with Slaw, Cheese Grits, Hush Puppies
Captain Kathe’s Key Lime Pie
Quaintly located dockside in the small town of Cortez with a cash-only counter serving up ocean fresh seafood from A.P. Bell Fish Company next door the Star Fish Company could just as easily be a local gem for residents of the small fishing village and onlooking pelicans but having garnered national attention for both the cuisine and the ambiance the sizable garage-cum-kitchen overlooking the water proved an unbeatable stop on a cross-state trip from Miami to Tampa.
Visited once by my mother and aunt during a previous vacation with their cousins I have to admit I was surprised that the two of them had accidentally discovered such a gem, yet arriving mid-day on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving the crowd was apparently par for the course, a twenty minute wait in line followed by another twenty at the table for fried fish and seafood casting aside any semblance to the frozen stuff served at chains or places far removed from the coast.
Starting first with key lime pie and a cup of rich chowder as both items were ready in wait suffice it to say that the former was the best we experienced on the trip and although some would claim the cream unauthentic the pie itself was so tangy it actually benefitted from the accoutrement, the addition of crackers to the chowder almost equally necessary as the potage was extremely thick and so chock-a-block full of crab and cream corn that it was almost too rich.
Next treated to a trio of two white containers and a cardboard white basket it was all sorts of indulgence that waited and thankfully offering several combination plates at prices far less than would be assumed not a single items save for the slightly limp fries was less than exemplary, the breading on oysters, scallops, and grouper extremely light while the crabcakes and fritters were probably 90% meat, just enough breadcrumbs in place to hold each together without detracting at all from the naturally sweet shellfish.
www.starfishcompany.com
