Dining a la Carteret

 Key West Seafood Company

by Sherley Buckland

Growing up in Eastern North Carolina , Dan Hatch loved the coast.  In 1993, he was trying to open a restaurant in Wilmington , and on a whim, his real estate agent suggested he take a look at a restaurant space that was coming available on the Morehead City waterfront. 

On his first visit to the property he thought, “This is it,” canceled his Wilmington plans, moved to Morehead City and opened Key West Seafood Company.

“There is something about the character and flow of the Morehead City waterfront that I love. It is unlike any other place,” said Hatch.

To meet him, one would never guess that his humble personality hides more than 28 years of experience as a chef and restaurant owner, including graduation from Johnson and Wales College , the premier culinary institute in Charleston , S.C.

He has served as an executive chef on Bald Head Island , the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, at EURO—the No. 1 restaurant in New Zealand —and on tours as private chef on many mega-yachts including the 156-foot Fed Ship.

He also opened Ricky’s Blue Heaven in Key West , Fla. , made famous by the legendary Jimmy Buffett. If his resume doesn’t impress you, his cooking will.

According to Hatch, the menu at Key West Seafood Company is “Key West Island Cuisine,” something he developed at his Blue Heaven Restaurant in Florida . 

“We emphasize local fresh seafood.  Using the seafood and fresh produce that is available to us we build one or two signature dishes.  Once we agree on those dishes, we perfect them.  We don’t just prepare recipes, we prepare concepts using the basics: freshness, consistency, and people who have a passion for what they do,” Hatch said.

He was quick to commend his staff and how important they are to the success of his establishment. 

Hatch and his staff prepared several appetizers and entrees for our review. The evening was full of amazing food, which is why you are reading this, so let’s get right to the details.

The vegetarian gumbo is a mildly spicy soup full of okra, tomato, red and yellow bell pepper, and enhanced with basmati rice.  This soup is thick and hearty, a meal in itself.  Key West Seafood Company is a vegetarian-friendly restaurant with vegetarian selections on the lunch, brunch and dinner menus.

The blackened wahoo is not really blackened but lightly seasoned and seared, again, enhancing natural flavors, not camouflaging them.  The wahoo is served in a curry butter sauce with garlic spinach.  The spinach melts in your mouth; I could eat it prepared like this everyday. 

A special this evening, the tuna carpaccio, is fresh seared tuna, shaved thin and served with fresh baby greens tossed in a homemade vinaigrette dressing, fresh mango and chicken fire sauce, a spicy, homemade sauce made with habanera peppers.  Wow!

The combination of mango and pepper flavors gives seared tuna a new twist, and the thin shaved texture is a nice change as well.  A similar dish, the beef carpaccio, is available nightly on the dinner menu.

The fork tender sea scallops are an entrée Hatch perfected in his Florida restaurant and shares with his North Carolina guests. 

The scallops are sautéed in garlic, onion, tomato and mushrooms, then finished with white wine, lemon and butter, and garnished with wilted baby spinach and baked crustini. 

A most interesting arrangement, the flavors of the scallops, fresh vegetables and citrus do not blend. Instead, they magically take turns showing up on your palate.  I still cannot figure out how he did this.  The citrus flavors make you want to lick your plate clean. 

This particular seafood preparation is famous and spoken about in Charles Kuralts’ book America .  Mr. Kuralt had this same entrée in Hatch’s Florida restaurant and stated, “The scallop sauce would be sublime served over cardboard.”

The sautéed grouper is served with angel hair pasta, mango, grapefruit supremes, and an island citrus beurre blanc sauce.  Grouper, the Cadillac of fish, is a delicate and mild white fish that flakes apart with ease and is even softer to taste. 

One of my favorites, I could not get over the stroke of genius: grapefruit and grouper.  I’m still thinking about it and can’t compose the words to describe it justly.  The balance of flavor between the grouper, beurre blanc sauce and grapefruit make this the signature dish at Key West Seafood Company. Please request it.

Dessert selections include Banana Heaven, Belgian chocolate torte and key lime pie, all homemade.  I sampled the key lime pie, which was cool, creamy, full of lime citrus flavor and highly recommended by the table next to me.  I share their endorsement.

The atmosphere and the pace at Key West Seafood Company are casual, and everyone is welcome.  Key West is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and brunch is served on Sundays.  All groups can be accommodated from intimate dinners to large parties.  They have live music on the deck five nights a week, and you can access Key West by boat or car.

The next time you are in the mood for a relaxing evening of “Key West Island Cuisine,” visit Dan Hatch and his staff at Key West Seafood Company.

Quick Bites

Key West Seafood Company

Location: 509 Evans St. , Morehead City .

Phone: (252) 726-6835.

Hours: Seven days a week, 11 a.m.– until.

Price Range : Lunch starts at $3.50, brunch starts at $5.50, and dinner starts at $10.50.

Reservations: Recommended.

Payment: Cash, Mastercard, Visa.

   (Dylan Ray  photos)

6/23/06

See the previously reviewed restaurants on the Restaurant Archive page

Back to THIS WEEK MAGAZINE Index