South Beach Fish Market

3640 South Coast Highway, South Beach, OR - (541) 867-6800

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Posted By Michael Stern on 8/27/2008 6:49:00 AM

At this roadside eat-in-the-rough cafe and seafood market you can buy whole tunas (which the management will fillet for $4 each), bring your own fish to be smoked for $2.50 per pound, or order from an oceancentric menu of fried fare that ranges from clam strips to halibut and chips.

It was the halibut that won my affection. While it is normally not a fish I would think of having battered and fried, its creamy white flesh retained supreme juiciness inside its golden coat; and its subtle flavor actually was enhanced by the batter's quiet luxury. The crab cocktail was swell – just a cylinder of shreds and chunks of meat packed into a plastic cup and crowned with a slice of lemon; but the salmon burger was not good. Ground and formed into a patty that was deep fried to a crisp, the meat had lost its oily succulence. There are pulverized crab burgers and shrimp burgers, too, but next time I visit, I am going for nice, whole hunks of fish in that good batter.

South Beach is a supercasual place with a counter and stools where you can eat your meal from throwaway baskets. Its sells great canned tuna – Oregon albacore, packed in its natural juices (nothing added) and cooked in the can. It is dense, rich, and far superior to anything found on supermarket shelves. The tuna as well as other shippable seafoods all are available via mail order.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

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"Halibut is a gentle-flavored sort of fish, but it blossoms in South Beach's crisp-fried coat. The meat's moistness is enhanced by that golden crunch."
Michael Stern

"The chips are nothing special, but the fish is so fresh-tasting, and has a nice garlic hit from the batter."
Terry Taylor

"Smoked fish."
Terry Taylor

"There's 1/4 pound of crab in this baby!"
Jim Scheppke

"There are lots of choices, but I like the fresh tuna the best."
Jim Scheppke

"Dungeness crab needs no adornment whatsoever. This cocktail is a fine way to precede a fish-and-chips meal."
Michael Stern

"You know the crab is fresh when you walk by the pots on the way in."
Jim Scheppke

"Place your order at the counter and watch them fry it up."
Jim Scheppke

"Located just south of the bridge on Highway 101 in Newport, Oregon."
Terry Taylor

"The Captain's Platter is 2 oysters, 2 hunks of halibut, 2 scallops and 2 prawns."
Michael Stern

"Signs along the parking lot fence tell the variety of things available. Not listed: salmon jerky and 'salmon candy,' the latter moist, sweet, and smoky."
Michael Stern

"South Beach boasts that its salmon burger, like the shrimp burger and crab burger, is made on premises. Maybe, but the salmon and chips is so much more salmony and rich, I would always pass on the burger to get the whole pieces of fish."
Michael Stern