Gluten-free fried fish

 

Every summer my family would drive up to Good Harbor beach or Cranes beach in Massachusetts to bathe in the sun, swim in the freezing cold water 'till we were blue in the lips, and build castles in the sand.  My parents were judges for the annual sand castle competition at Cranes beach, where professionals, families, and even kids could compete (yes, my sister and I won the kid's category one year!)  I remember the professionals building the Eifle tower, or castles big enough for me to walk into, or humongous dragons that looked like they were swimming in the sand.  At the end of the day, after all the blue ribbons were given out, everyone would go to Woodman's in Essex, Ma.  

This old seafood restaurant is extremely popular with lines out the door.  We would feast on their fried full belly clams and fresh lobsters.  I have always been a seafood junkie, and would order the fisherman's platter- which was overflowing with fried fish, fried shrimp, fried clams, fried scallops, and french fries- and finish then entire thing by myself (not that I didn't get a slight stomach ache on the car ride home)!  Since going off gluten, it's been a long time since I had some fried clams, and also a long time since I've had a beach day like I did when I was a child.  This July, though, my family and I returned to Good Harbor beach.  Just like old times my sister and I splashed in the big waves together like we did when we were kids, and then we all stopped at Woodman's for dinner.  

I was craving some fresh New England lobster that you just can't get in San Francisco.  But to all of our surprise, my sister noticed they had a gluten free option for all their fried dishes.  I was so excited that I ordered not only a lobster, but the gluten free fisherman's platter (granted this time I shared both with my brother.)  It was amazingly delicious- reminding me of when I was a kid chowing down all that fried goodness.  My brother, who eats gluten said it tasted great- just the same, only slightly lighter.  By the end of the dinner I was covered in lobster juice and grease. I took off my plastic lobster bib, looked out to the sun setting around the marsh, and sighed in such gratitude for this delicious gluten free meal.

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