Virginia Beach is located where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay. For us, this means the freshest seafood around tuna, rockfish, flounder, crab, you name it. And with agriculture as one of the top three industries in Virginia Beach, our restaurants are using the finest produce in their recipes as well.
Best yet, we celebrate our casual beach resort lifestyle – so visitors won't pay an arm and a leg for the East Coast best cuisine.
Fresh tuna, pan seared and topped with an ancho pepper, sundried tomato, shiitake mushroom salsa. Clams baked with herbs, peppers, onions and bacon. Pan-fried lump crab cake served with sweet bell pepper relish and lemon crème fraîche. Oysters topped with shrimp, bacon, leeks, lemon and a touch of Tabasco®. Is your mouth watering yet?
These sumptuous recipes are just a few of the tasty delights that have made Virginia Beach restaurant scene famous with its visitors.
Coastal Grill
1427 N. Great Neck Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
(757) 496-3348
Coastal Grill Crème brulee (Serves 7)
1 quart heavy crème
1 cup regular table sugar
10 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Gently mix all ingredients together, then pour mixture into shallow crème brulee dishes until each is filled with about ¾ inches of mixture. Place in a warm water bath and place in the oven. Cover and cook for 40 – 45 minutes at 350°F (It is better to undercook the Crème Brulee rather than overcook). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then transfer them to the refrigerator.
To glaze, sprinkle with a thin layer of table sugar and place under the broiler until golden brown (watch them closely for several minutes, don't use too much sugar as it is easier to achieve a golden brown glaze without burning).
Lynnhaven Fish House
2350 Starfish Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
(757) 481-0003
Baked Rockfish Florentine (Serves 4)
Fish Preparation:
4 filets Rockfish (de-boned)
½ tsp. seasoning salt
½ tsp. Paprika
¼ stick of butter
¼ cup white wine
1 fresh lemon (squeezed)
Grease a shallow baking pan with butter. Place fish in pan and sprinkle seasoning salt and paprika over the filets. Drizzle filets with butter, lemon juice and white wine. Place in oven at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.
Florentine Topping:
1 ½ lbs. fresh spinach
1 diced red onion
2 cans of drained smoked oysters
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions followed by garlic and fresh spinach. Add in smoked oysters, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and spread over Rockfish filets. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve hot.
THE LUCKY STAR
1608 Pleasure House Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
(757) 363-8410
Lucky Star Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes (Serves 6)
Use the best quality crab possible (jumbo lump from the Eastern Shore of Virginia.) Make the crab cakes a day before if possible so the tender binder will set.
2 pounds lump crabmeat
2 cups white bread, cut into 1" cubes, lightly packed
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup mayonnaise
2 large eggs
2/3 cup dehydrated mashed potato flakes (do not use potato pearls or potato buds)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
4 tablespoons parsley, washed, pat dry and chop
4 tablespoons green onions, washed and sliced thin
To assemble the cakes:
Carefully pick out any remaining shell particles. Take care not to break up the crabmeat. Refrigerate the crabmeat until binder is ready.
Combine the bread, cream, mayonnaise, eggs and potato flakes in a mixer on medium-high speed with the whisk. Be sure the bread cubes have been broken up by the mixing action. No chunks of bread should be readily visible. Whisk in the baking powder, kosher salt and mustard powder. Stir in the chopped parsley and green onion.
Let mixture sit refrigerated for ½ hour.
Gently fold the crabmeat into the binder. Form into approximately 4 ounce cake. Place on cookie sheet and refrigerate for 40 minutes