The Fish Boutique in Scripps Ranch is a relatively new restaurant located in the Trader Joe’s shopping center. It’s one of the many new additions to this little area, giving a little life and blood into what used to be a pretty desolate shopping center. It’s part seafood market and part restaurant. When you visit the website, there’s little to no indication that they serve meals here – but they certainly do.
[Clam Chowder with king crab and baguette / $6.50]
On one of my first visits, I kept things small by just getting two items. The steep prices made me wary, but I figured, oh what the hell. Just try some new things!
I ordered the Clam Chowder, which is a creamy soup with clam and king crab in it. It’s perfectly smooth and creamy with a richness from the broth used in the chowder. It doesn’t have a lot of “stuff” in it, but there were chunks of potato and celery in the mix. Also that big cluster of ground pepper over in the corner of my bowl there, which I promptly stirred in after this photo. I liked this soup a whole lot, even if it cost me a pretty penny to eat it (tip: it’s cheaper during happy hour).
[Pan Seared Scallops with corn and bacon succotash / $11]
That day I splurged and also got these pan seared scallops.
It’s just two little scallops on a sea of corn succotash.
I’ll tell you right now these little gems were my favorite of everything I’ve had here.
The scallops were cooked perfectly – a wonderful sear on top gave it a little crisp. The scallops were sweet and melted in my mouth – simply perfect. The bed of corn and bacon succotash was the a great compliment to this dish – I especially loved that it came in it own little cast iron skillet. The succotash was sweet with a hint of crunch from the corn and the bacon blended in and gave it a nice smoky saltiness. It was creamy and delicious and I wanted more of it! So full of yum!
[Crab Cake with little salad / $5 (happy hour)]
On another visit, my friend Laura and I came here to try out the happy hour items. We shared a crab cake (normally two, but for happy hour you just get one) with a little sprig of greens.
I enjoyed the crab cake – I wish I had gotten an “inside” shot to show off the interior, but I was too busy eating it to think of that. It had a really good amount of crab to it – not a lot of “filler” here. It has a light outer crust, nothing too heavy, just enough to bring it and hold the crab cake together. The little sauce that comes with it was perfect on the crab cake as well as the greens – really tasty little sauce!
[Fish & Chips – cod with shoestring fries / $6 (happy hour)]
I decided to try the Fish & Chips from the happy hour menu as my main meal – this dish is also offered at $6 all day on Fridays.
Sadly though, I didn’t really enjoy this one. The fish had almost no flavor to me – it was bland and seemed very heavily coated with a panko bread crust. I seasoned it with salt (which we had to ask for, since salt & pepper is not put out on the table) and dipped it in tarter sauce but the flavor just wasn’t there for me. I ate a piece just to eat it and mostly filled up on fries and the extra pieces of salad on my plate.
[Ahi Tuna Melt sandwich / $12]
Laura decided she wanted to order off the regular menu and got this Ahi Tuna Melt sandwich. I can’t tell you anything about it since I vehemently dislike tuna, but Laura enjoyed her sandwich! This is just a pretty picture for you to savor.
All in all, I have enjoyed what I’ve had at the Fish Boutique. It’s a cozy little spot in Scripps Ranch and there’s not too much around in that area so it’s nice to see something a little different pop up near my neighborhood. There’s currently been a Yelp deal running for this place – pay $10 and get $20 worth – definitely worth it to check this place out!
CC’s and CAB’s posts reminded me about this place in January – which is silly, since I live right by it, but reminders are always helpful!
The Fish Boutique
9842 Hibert St.
(near Trader Joe’s)
San Diego, CA 92131
(858) 577-0054
I just popped into this place over the weekend to grab a soda – I took a menu, it looked cute in there. Will have to come back soon to eat!
I go to this shopping center all the time to hit Trader Joe’s during my work lunch hour and they have a lot of cute and great shops. Admittedly, when I saw the name “Fish Boutique,” I always thought they were selling tropical fish for aquariums not food!
I’ve been hearing great things about this and maybe, just maybe I’ll treat Paul to a happy hour here.
I stopped in to see what it was about recently too. I had the clam chowder and it was delicious. I also had the halibut and it was fantastic. The salad that came with it was lightly dressed and very good. I am so glad you reviewed this place because it’s lovely but no very busy so I’d hate to see it fail. Love you blog!
Oh that scallop dish looks so decadent! I’ll have to try that next time. Too bad your fish (& chips) was bland. Come to think of it, the one CC got that I tried did need a bit of salt on it. Hmm, now I’m craving a bowl of chowdah!
Hi Kathy – Be sure to try that clam chowder! It’s yummy.
Hi Darlene – Haha, it does kind of sound more like an aquarium store!
Hi Barbara – Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Carol – The scallop dish is my favorite thing here. I wish *that* was on the happy hour menu!
i should try the chowder and scallops in the near future. i still have a couple of coupons for this place that are begging to be used! no expiration date either and no need to by 2 beverages (i hate that)!