Captain Scott’s Seafood Stew
In 1901, in the Boston Cooking School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics, Julia Davis Chandler stated that peanut butter served with jelly was, well, awesome. In 1928 H.B. “Peanut Butter Cup” Reese chimed in that peanut butter and chocolate were the perfect pairing. No matter your preference, both amalgamations have easily stood the test of time. Why? Simply put, when you take something delicious and put it with something scrumptious it’s usually going to rock your world. (I say usually as I have a hard time with the recent use of donuts in place of hamburger buns—that’s just weird!) So why are we talking about this? Recently, my friend Tricia suggested that I check out the food at one of her favorite joints, Captain Scott’s Seafood Restaurant in Sandwich (that’s Tricia with her high school sweetheart and husband of 35 years, John). Perusing the menu at Captain Scott’s you’ll see simple but delicious ingredient combinations like the Athena sandwich of fried haddock, roasted tomatoes, spinach and warm feta cheese; sea scallops seared in Thai chili sauce; oysters sauteed Gumbo style; and an Italian dish that begs the question, “How have I lived this long without seeing this before?”: Haddock Parmesan. But it was the very top of the menu that warmed my frostbitten heart when I couldn’t decide between two classics: clam chowder or lobster bisque, so I went with option #3: BOTH. Captain Scott’s Seafood Stew is a combination of the chowder and the bisque, and why not? The texture is half chowder, half bisque. The flavor: half chowder, half bisque (this isn’t rocket science). With every spoonful you can taste the fresh clams and rich Maine lobster, the sweet sherry of the bisque, the cream of the chowder and a hint of smokiness from the bacon fat in the chowder stock. To make the dish more stew-y, ample amounts of fresh sole and scrod are added in as well. The stew comes in a cup ($5) or bowl ($7), or better yet you can get it with their $9 three-course lunch. Take a lesson from Captain Scott’s Seafood Stew or from Tricia and John themselves: when just the right combinations are joined together, magic can happen. Stay warm.
Captain Scott’s Seafood Restaurant
71 Tupper Road, Sandwich
508-888-1675 / captainscotts.com
Serving lunch and dinner daily (closed on Sundays in the cooler months)
