Matthew’s Seafood House is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this summer, and in a climate where restaurants come and go, that is a remarkable achievement. However, a sit-down meal was not on the agenda for this editor during a deadline-jammed holiday weekend, but stopping by their market for some ready-made meals certainly was.
Their market, affectionately called Matty’s, is an unsung hero on the Fire Island grocery scene. They are quietly tucked away in plain sight on the far east end of Ocean Beach, and they offer items you will not find in another local food market on Fire Island.
For the homeowner chef, this is the place to find your fish. No establishment can come close when it comes to quality or variety. They have it all: Flounder, bass, cod, salmon, tuna, shrimp, lobster, and scallops, of course – and sometimes the market offers something esoteric, like tilefish if you are lucky.
They also offer all the fresh greens, rice, and pasta selections you need to compose a complete meal.
It also offers things for busy working Fire Islanders like me, who have no time to cook and are only averagely talented at it anyway. In past summers, made-to-order sandwiches were available. Interesting sandwiches are often not available in their restaurant space, and I counted on them. On this day, all the blackboards with sandwich offerings were erased. I do not know if it was just that day or if they suspended the sandwich policy. It was time to recalibrate.
Still, I had options. One best-kept secret about Matthew’s Market is their bread. They have a beautiful bread selection, and it can vary from day to day. My eye focused on a loave of crusty olive bread, and I knew I was taking it home.
Then I scanned their deli salads, but that was a formality. I always get the same thing – their artichoke salad! Again, another Matty’s Market best-kept secret is this juicy, full-bodied salad made with substantial chunks of artichoke that isn’t drowned in oil like some places tend to do. I order a half-pound of it.
Finally, the protein. The freshly made lobster salad spoke to me as the white and red flesh beckoned. Another half-pound, please. Then, because I have a sweet tooth, I rounded out my order with a slice of carrot cake.
The whole thing cost $66. Sixty-six dollars for four items? Yes, I had a bit of sticker shock, but I understood that much of that was the market rate of the lobster, and that is what it is. Still, I was in a bad mood until I got home and had the carrot cake with my afternoon coffee. It didn’t look like much in the to-go container, but I closed my eyes with delight as I put the first fork-full in my mouth – newly discovered best-kept secret. That cake was so moist and delicious. Few carrot cakes I’ve tasted were so good.
Still, let’s get back to the sticker shock because I need to clarify something. The combined weight of the artichoke and lobster salads was one pound. Along with the bread, that pound of food kept me fed all weekend. I kept it simple. On day one, I put all three on a plate. On day two, I combined the salads with a hard-boiled egg and some greens I had on hand, making a kind of seafood chef’s salad. Finally, on day three, I toasted some of that amazing olive bread and spread some premade guacamole. Then, I topped it off with more lobster salad to make the best avocado toast ever. By the end, there was still enough lobster to spread on a cracker or two, but I gave the cats a treat and mixed it into their morning breakfast. Was that the best use of market-rate lobster? They thought so!
By the weekend’s end, each meal costs about $22, the going rate of a lower-end restaurant entree on Fire Island, so I did reasonably well. My advice is that you only live once. Enjoy the lobster.
