Jumping Mullets!

Large Styrofoam cups are constantly being re-filled with sweet, cold, crisp, strongly brewed tea, cool air being is pushed around by the ceiling fans, the walls are colored a nice sandy yellow and covered with pictures of local prize catches; this is the atmosphere greets us as we walk into the Fish Hook Grill on Hackers Island in North Carolina.

Our server welcomed us as though we were long time friends, and we could hear the clinks and clacks from the open kitchen and we knew this was the perfect spot to have lunch, and were seated at a table right before the after-church Sunday crowd came to taste the popular daily specials.

We sipped our sweet tea as we decided what to order . Everyone, besides me, was going with the crab cakes. I chose to take advantage  of the local catch they were featuring: Jumping Mullet, which is a local fish–no doubt caught early that morning–by the local fisherman who the Fish Hook Grill works hard to support.

The crab cakes were flaky, well seasoned, devoid of any filler, and topped with a spiced-chili mayo. The meals were served with a choice of two fresh, in-house-made sides to go with the two large crab cakes or fish fillet. My aunt and uncle each ordered fried okra, which they thoroughly enjoyed, and had trouble getting their two-year old to eat anything else!  Brian had a lightly vinegared, fresh-tasting coleslaw with just a hint of mayonnaise. Sophia, the five-year old daughter, finished off all her apple sauce before she even looked at her crab cake!

The meal also came with sweet-corn, freshly fried hush puppies which provided one of those moments where you stop whatever you are doing or saying and pay attention to what you are eating. The nice, golden-brown crust welcomed us to dive in and savor the soft, hot center of our hush puppies. The strong corn flavor filled our mouths along with hints of onion and the salt used for seasoning.

When I asked our waitress to tell me about the jumping mullet they had on special she elaborated: Jumping Mullet is a local fish, that sometimes gets a bad reputation because it usually has been  frozen which makes it taste “strong”.  But, at the Fish Hook Grill, they always serve it just fresh right from the water, and has a light and delicious flavor.  It was served as deep-fried, lightly breaded fillet, and, just as promised, it was tender, flaky, sweet, and had a nice taste of the sea. With just a bit of  lemon on the crispy skin, and a side of tartar sauce, it was a wonderful taste of North Carolina.

With such great value and outstanding quality, we couldn’t have found a better place to enjoy a meal. Our food was so well made, it makes me hope that I will be in the area again soon to try some of the other fresh, home-cooked dishes being that they take pride in sharing.