A new fish market with a familiar name behind it just opened its doors in Greenport.
Hook and Net, located on First Street, is an extension of Alice’s Fish Market. The business comes from a partnership between fisherman Nate Phillips of the fish market and local chef Gayle Scarberry. The two met a few years ago when Scarberry was the executive chef at the Chequit on Shelter Island and Phillips would drop off fresh fish to her. Over the years, they became friends and always talked about having a clam shack, similar to something you would see in Cape Cod, where Scarberry is originally from.
“You could get food that’s really not overly fancy, just really good,” Scarberry said. “Kind of sustaining but I really wanted to continue making everything from scratch.”
And everything is made from scratch. When you first walk into the space, it’s white, clean and sterile. Right in front is a large stainless steel ice container with clams and oysters “freshly caught,” Scarberry said, as she dug each shell into the ice. To the right is a refrigeration case with all their pre-made products. The ability to make dishes from these fresh products is what sets Hook and Net apart. “I’m so fortunate to be able to get like a product that just came out of the water, hours before,” Scarberry said. Out front, a few picnic tables with umbrellas offer seating from anyone wanting to enjoy their meal on site.
The crab cakes, which she said are a bit of a phenomenon (Last weekend, almost 70 sold out in less than an hour at the Havens Farmers Market on Shelter Island), are next to the fresh spreads. Below that are smoked filets of fish, deepened in color from the process.
“It’s very zen to smoke fish,” Scarberry said. “It’s a different kind of cooking because we really want to turn everything over, and this is the best possible way we can do that.”
“It cuts down on my waste,” Phillips added. “It can last longer and her smoked fish is delicious.”
Right now, Scarberry and Phillips are still figuring out their permanent menu, trying out a rotating list of specials to see what does well. When I visited, they were serving crab cake sandwich with bacon, lettuce, tomato and spicy mayo. “We actually just got beautiful fried calamari,” Scarberry said. “It makes the most buttery, beautiful, tender calamari and fries up so much quicker than the stuff that’s frozen. It is just gorgeous.”
Hook and Net is located at 414 1st street in Greenport and open every day except Tuesday. The market is open 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and you can order food starting at 11 a.m.
