Pelican Seafood — Restaurant in Oak Island

I stumbled upon Pelican Seafood during a recent visit to Oak Island and let me say I’m mad I went this long without checking them out.

Extremely friendly and personable, the duo purveyors at Pelican instantly made me feel right at home and were quick to make conversation about my favorite subject; food.

Hailing from Lebanon, they have a different and worldly approach to their seafood offering beyond deep frying. Not to say they don’t do that, too! One of the only, if not only, markets in the area with an open kitchen, they also serve Carolina Seafood freshly fried to order, on the spot. Their prices beat other local markets and they offer a range of sides in addition to salt water cravings, like hush puppies, fries, coleslaw, and tabouli. Seafood offerings can be freshly steamed for a small added cost.

I have worked in various capacities of food service for well over a decade, including fine dining restaurants that sourced NC Seafood. When I tell you that their shrimp was the best I’d ever had, I mean THE BEST I ever had. I ordered their peeled and deveined shrimp, seared it (without it sticking or going rubbery) and promptly devoured the entire pound I purchased. That’s on top of their fat and juicy scallops, none of which left me feeling cheated.

I had to come back two days later not only to re-up on a larger portion of my first order, but to try their fresh fried seafood platters. They were absolutely THE BEST I’d gotten on the island, and loads better than any restaurant in the area with faster service and cheaper prices. Will most definitely add them to my routine stops on future visits...

Possibly OK if you order cooked food. I went looking for fish to cook at home, bought a whole sheepshead, but they wouldn't filet or even clean it so I got the opportunity to make a mess in an airbnb and clean the kitchen afterwards. Never bought fish in a fish market that doesn't clean it for you. Should have just gone somewhere else. EDIT: Down to 1 star after your reply. God forbid you make a small attempt to care about customers. Yes, asking a fish market to clean a fish is obviously being a demanding customer. The thousand or so other times I've bought a fish at a real fish market I've paid for the whole fish, then they go get a knife and either clean or filet it. Doesn't sound hard in theory but clearly beyond your capability or understanding. When I buy a steak I don't expect to bring a cow home on a leash. It's a good thing you don't sell steak. You should consider changing the name of your business to "Pelican't" since you can't seem to grasp a simple concept. I did in fact go to your competition up the road the following day. A far better experience. Like night and day compared to...

Pelican Seafood market/restaurant was very clean and sanitary but of course, like any seafood market, it will smell like seafood! Oh there, a seafood look very fresh and tasted very fresh! I actually ordered my seafood (scallops and shrimp platter) to be cooked by them and noticed that most people were getting fresh seafood to take home to cook themselves. After getting my seafood, I said in the car and ate it and it was pretty greasy definitely too greasy for my taste. Their prices are reasonable for fresh seafood, but I would recommend buying and taking cooking yourself. Their customer service was very polite and professional. For fresh, North Carolina seafood, their prices are...