Sirens Seafood, serving platters, sandwiches, chowder and more, now open in Middletown
The kitchen inside 910 Route 36 in Middletown has served barbecue dishes and pizza in the past, but thanks to a family with roots in the seafood business, something new is on the menu.
Sirens Seafood opened in early December in the space most recently occupied by TST BBQ. The restaurant is owned by the Pollard family, who "have been in the seafood industry our whole lives," said Dan Pollard, 30, of Oceanport.
Dan's father (also named Dan) is general manager of Highlands seafood market Lusty Lobster, where Dan once made deliveries and his brother, Andrew, 26, of Oceanport worked in the kitchen.
The experience, the younger Dan said, "helped me see what is the freshest and the best," a skill now being put to work at Sirens Seafood.
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The BYOB restaurant, which is open for lunch and dinner in the Leonardo section of the township, serves fried seafood platters, sandwiches, po' boys, soups, and starters like shrimp cocktail, oysters and clams on the half shell.
The most popular dishes, Dan said, are the fisherman's platter of fried shrimp, scallops, flounder and clam strips ($24.99, includes french fries, coleslaw and choice of housemade tartar sauce, lemon caper aioli or remoulade sauce); New England clam chowder ($5.50 per pint, $10.50 per quart); and crab cakes, which come as a platter or sandwich on toasted potato bread ($23.99 or $14.99).
The crab cake recipe comes from the older Dan, "an excellent cook," said Diana Pollard, 42, of Atlantic Highlands, older Dan's wife.
As for the fried seafood, the younger Dan said their breading is what sets them apart. They use cracker meal instead of beer batter, a triple-dredging process that "is a lot of work, but it's worth it," he said.
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Come spring and summer, the Pollards plan to add dishes like lobster rolls, steamers, tuna poke and fish tacos. Other future plans include the reopening of the property's mini golf course and the addition of a seafood case, where customers can purchase fresh flounder, shrimp, halibut, scallops, salmon, grouper and tuna.
"Whatever's fresh that we can get," Diana said.
"We thought it would be incredibly convenient to have (it)," she added, "so they don't have to fight the traffic in the summer."
Go: 910 Route 36, Leonardo section of Middletown; 848-300-2099; sirensseafoodnj.com.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore restaurants: Sirens Seafood opens in Middletown
