Sea Lect Seafood — Restaurant in Maple Shade Township

This is really a (rather dumpy) seafood market that happens to have some tables for people who might want to eat in and order from their menu. We've been there before because the prices are fair, the portions are generous and the food is (usually) good. Another plus? You can BYOB. Last night my husband and I both left disappointed. We ordered scallops. Mine were fried and his were (supposedly) "pan seared". So, the first problem was the breading, which must have been some sort of batter because it pulled away from the scallops in one giant piece. I HATE that. I felt like I was eating scallops at the local diner rather than at a fresh seafood market. Gross. My husband's were sautéed. They were most definitely NOT 'seared'. The term 'seared' implies that the chef is going to drop the scallops into a piping hot pan to give them a nice, dark brown coating. These looked like they had just been tossed around a few times in the pan before being served...no color at all. So, since the ambiance at this place leaves a LOT to be desired, it was disappointing that last night, the food did as well. Sometimes we will willingly put up with a place that is a little on the dumpy side if we know we are going to get a good meal. Last night, we were disappointed on both counts. Also, they wrap their baked potatoes in foil, which typically suggests they've been baked in a regular oven. But these DEFINITELY look and taste like they are cooked in the microwave, so I suspect they are just wrapping them in an effort to keep them hot. They weren't. So I guess they cook them ahead, then foil-wrap them until they are used. All in all, NOT a good experience. We will PROBABLY give them another shot since we have been there in the past with no problem. I think I'll skip the...

So I had decided to try out Sea-lect Seafood over in Maple Shade after having heard about it from my Mom, who heard it from a friend. And after having a hankering for some crab cakes, we decided to have lunch there after my shift from work. So, we headed on down and stepped inside and immediately happened to be greeted by the smell of fresh seafood. We pick our table to sit and put in our order for crab cakes, and suffice to say we were not at all disappointed.

I absolutely loved the decor and atmosphere of the establishment. It has a fisherman's motif which is something that I can admire, given the type of food served here! The place seemed clean enough to eat here without any worry, and the utensils were clean enough to eat with as well. The staff was very attentive, despite the rather busy time as well as considering the number of patrons attending.

Although the only draw back is that the establishment is quite small, and some tables are reserved for a number of three or more. So if you're eating by yourself or with someone else, you have to be mindful to pick out a table meant for two.

If you're looking for a place which serves excellent seafood, then this is definitely one place I...

Ordered two Fried Combination Platers.

Good - Deviled Crab Cake, Deviled Clam Cake, Fish Cake, Shrimp, and Stewed Tomatoes. House salad was fresh. Large quantity of food.

Not so good - Fish Sticks (I think that's what they were), Scallops had a "bleachy" taste, French Fries were greasey and tasted like they were cooked in the fish fryer.

Maybe just an off day as this place seems to have very good ratings. I'll have to try again and hopefully be able to give a higher rating.

Update 5/4/22. From 3 to 5 stars.

Checks all the boxes - Quality, Quantity and Price!

Ordered the fried flounder sandwich and some spicy Crab soup for lunch. WOW...what a sandwich! I wish I had taken a pic of it before I ate it. It was a HUGE piece of flounder which made the bun look tiny and fried perfectly. Should have ditched the bun as I am stuffed now.

It came with a perfect amount of fries and slaw which were both very good. The fries were not greasy and the slaw wasn't swimming in mayo.

The spicy Crab soup was quite spicy, but very good!

I will...