Delaware's Seafood Table: From Boat to Plate
With the Atlantic on one side and the bay on the other, the state's kitchens have a short, enviable supply line to some of the freshest catch on the coast.
Geography has been generous to Delaware's kitchens. With the Atlantic on one flank and the Delaware Bay on the other, the state sits astride some of the most productive waters on the mid-Atlantic coast, and its best restaurants have built their reputations on the short trip from boat to plate.
The star of the table is the blue crab, pulled from the bay and served every way imaginable — steamed and seasoned, picked into cakes, or folded into a rich soup. In season, a crab feast spread over newspaper is less a meal than a regional rite.
The rest of the catch earns its place too. Flounder, rockfish, oysters, and clams move from the local docks to the kitchens in a matter of hours, and chefs who prize freshness build their menus around whatever came in that morning.
The supply line is the whole advantage. A restaurant a few miles from the water can serve fish that never saw a freezer, and diners can taste the difference. In Delaware, seafood is not an import to be dressed up. It is a local product, served close to where it was caught.
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