Fishmonger’s Seafood Market & Cafe
1915 N Central Expy Ste 600
Plano, TX 75075
(972) 423-3699The fiance and I entered this place for an adventure in dining on a Monday evening near closing time. We were looking for some good gumbo and hoped to find some other tasty Cajun plates.
While I hoped for more from Fishmongers, I have to report that their menu lacked fire and spice, like their gumbo. Their clam chowder, while exceptionally creamy, lacked the seafood flavors I was craving…and hardly meaty at all. Their gumbo was just a drab brown rice soup with some chunks of seafood, but no zing whatsoever.
I did however enjoy their coconut shrimp appetizer, decent sized specimens lovingly fry-coated in crisp coconut and paired with a sweet ginger marmalade. The signature blue crab fingers however tasted like frozen crab after being doused in a garlic-butter sauce. I imagine it was sauced heavily to disguise the one-dimensional blandness…and to provide an excellent dunking sauce for their heavily-laden garlic bread. Garlic lovers rejoice!
I found their caesar salad less than stellar as well–no anchovies here–though I was pleased they used shredded romaine and removed croutons upon request. I think I regret that decision now, given that their croutons were of the same source as their garlic bread.
The fiance got their baked salmon in a lemon dill cream sauce while I got their mahi-mahi in creole cream sauce. The fiance’s salmon turned out tasty, even though it was baked (I almost prefer salmon otherwise) and the cream sauce only enhanced the character of the fish. My mahi on the other had was disappointing–the creole cream sauce had too much of a bitter-sour tang that detracted from the beautifully blackened fish. I had to pick out the shrimp and crab chunks from the tart tasting sauce…and left me wholly dissatisfied with the meal.
This is what I get for not ordering salmon. I can’t judge Fishmonger’s based on that single plate…I’m willing to try them again given their close proximity to home and their fine customer service. But I do wish they had some spicier food to make it a truer Cajun dining experience.
My rating: stars
