Seafood Atlantic At Port Canaveral Features Succulent Seafood Cooked To Perfection
By Fernando Navarrete, VisitSpaceCoast.com // June 22, 2016
best kept secret on Florida’s Space Coast
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – The best kept secret on Florida’s Space Coast is without a doubt Seafood Atlantic in Port Canaveral.
This assuming, casual, outdoor seafood restaurant and fishmonger is nestled between Grills and Fishlips at The Cove. Many locals come here for fresh, succulent seafood cooked to perfection, while overlooking the Port Canaveral inlet.
The menu is straight forward, and you will find a wide variety of seafood (no land meat selection here). The owner explained that over 175 local fishermen supply the restaurant and market with fresh caught grouper, snapper, Mahi, wahoo, lobster and other seasonal delights while a local German baker provides some of the desserts and the popular bretzel bread for the fish sandwiches.
My wife and I lucked out and were seated close to the water where we were fortunate enough to see some dolphins playing in the inlet as boats drove by. There was also an option to sit under a covered area with fans, which isn’t too close to the water but still includes a view. I ordered a bottle of Sweetwater IPA and my wife a glass of cabernet sauvignon from the reasonable selection of domestic and craft beers and wines by the glass.
We contemplated the variety of appetizers including ceviche or stuffed mushrooms and settled on the smoked fish dip. It was a decent portion laying over a bed of lettuce, with saltine crackers and lemon wedge. It wasn’t overly fishy, as some would say, and my IPA brought out the smoky flavor.
Both of us ordered the fresh fish sandwich on bretzel bread; I chose snapper and my wife chose grouper. We were given the option of having the fish Caribbean (which is sort of sweet), blackened, salt and pepper or the Spicy Bill (with roasted onions and jalapenos) styles. We both decided to go “sweet and spicy” and combined the Caribbean with the Spicy Bill.
During our visit, every table at the restaurant was full, and our sandwiches still arrived timely and neatly presented. An impressive but not over-sized portion of fish was stacked between the fresh, soft bretzel bread.
The fish was moist and melted in our mouths as the subtle sweetness of the Caribbean marinade synergized with the spiciness of the roasted jalapenos, which was then cooled by the lettuce and tomato. Overall, a simple sandwich with an enjoyable complex flavor profile. And of course, washing it down with the IPA topped it off perfectly.
Although we were content after finishing our sandwiches, my wife couldn’t help but order the German chocolate cake. So we finished off our meal with this fudgy, moist cake as the sun started to go down over the inlet.
I have to confess that this was my second visit to the restaurant this week. Just five days earlier I came with a party of 10 and a variety of items were ordered such as the fish tacos and blue crab bucket. And everyone left with their bellies happy and full. Seafood Atlantic is easily one of the best seafood restaurant in the area.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fernando Navarrete is a professional chef, entrepreneur and native Floridian, currently living on Florida’s Space Coast. He earned his culinary arts degree from The Florida Culinary Institute and holds an A.S. degree in dietetic technology. Fernando previously currently owns So Good Chef in which he teaches cooking classes, bottles his gourmet sauces and provides personal chef services. You can check him out at facebook.com/thesogoodchef
