Seafront seafood at its best at The Copper Clam

Small plates at the Copper Clam

Personally, for a seaside destination, I’ve always found Brighton is a bit lacking in quality dedicated seafood restaurants, writes Nick Mosley.

It goes without saying that Little Fish Market, The Salt Room and English’s are at the top of the game in the city-by-the-sea but I’ve had mixed experiences in many of the others, some of which are clearly trading on former glories rather than what’s coming out of their kitchens today. Despite being abundant in the seas around the British isles, seafood is never cheap so you don’t want to feel that you’ve been taken for a ride when you dine; it needs to be fresh, generous and bang for your buck.

I was intrigued when the opportunity arose to lunch at the Copper Clam in the Kings Road Arches last week. I’ve rushed past this place hundreds of times in the past few years but never thought to pop in for food. I guess I don’t typically think of the beach as a go-to for quality dining but this summer I’ve made a real effort to explore this part of town more and I’m glad I have as there are some real gems down there.

I was welcomed with a hearty handshake from manager Joe – a hugely affable chap with great cocktail knowledge and a rather comprehensive understanding of the bounty of the sea having been involved in the launch of The Urchin back in 2015, if my memory serves me right.

I was dining with two tourism colleagues. I’d been out of town for a couple of weeks so had a lot of industry updates and salacious gossip to catch up on. We had a prime position table on the terrace to watch the world go by; I particularly liked the full coverage of umbrellas to discourage the ‘Brighton chip thieves’ from swooping in for my ample mussels.

I kicked off with a faultless spicy margarita with my companions opting for a glass of Bolney sparkling rosé from West Sussex and a fresh and fruity strawberry daiquiri mocktail respectively.

The Copper Clam’s menu includes snacks, not-so-small plates – more on that later –, oysters, a couple of steaks, classics such as lobster and moules marinière, and some rather spectacular shellfish and surf ’n’ turf platters.

On Joe’s recommendation, we shared a platter of oysters. The tempura battered oyster on a bed of spicy slaw went down a storm; the raw oyster and coriander and lime dressed oyster weren’t half bad either.

With my dining partners, Little Miss Greedy Guts and Mr D, not having big appetites (ahem!), we decided on sharing a selection of small plates for our main course. Joe relayed that whilst they have some of the dishes on the menu throughout the year, chef Ash also regularly adds seasonal dishes and weekly specials to keep things interesting.

The star of the show was undoubtedly the flamed Cajun monkfish. Monkfish being a really firm and meaty fish, it can really hold its own against big flavours so the base of hummus and crispy chickpeas worked a treat. The twist in the tail was the chilli and mango sorbet that took the dish to not just the next level but to the one after that. To quote Mr D: “It’s all sweet and lovely then turns around and mugs you”. Couldn’t have put it better myself.

The lobster roll did what it said on the tin; a slab of crunchy homemade bread stuffed with lobster in a creamy Marie Rose sauce. Locally-foraged sea vegetables and wild garlic with a jolly clever clam-foam provided some welcome salty and earthy notes to the richness of the other dishes. A dish of sweet crab and tangy pickled anchovies over crunchy romano lettuce leaves with shavings of Parmesan was certainly a punchy palate livener and one I can still taste in my minds-eye.

But sometimes you can’t beat a classic and the moules really stood out for me. As they say, if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it. These mind-boggling juicy and flavour mussels (apparently from Shetland) were cooked to absolute perfection in a traditional sauce of white wine, cream, rosemary and leeks. A blissfully memorable dish.

I’m never one to over-order, primarily as I always do know where my next meal is coming from, however on this occasion our eyes were bigger than our bellies. I’d say two ‘small’ plates per person is more than ample, and then if you want more then order more as casual grazing is definitely the order of the day here. Priced between £9-12 each, these are superb value for the quality and considered creativity from the kitchen. I can’t fail to add that the kitchen in allergen aware so although not marked on the menu shout out.

Having foolishly missed out for years, I can hand-on-heart say that the Copper Clam is one of the top seafood restaurants in Brighton. It hits the sweet spot of fantastic service, unhurried dining and cooking that is accomplished without being pretentious. If fish is your favourite dish then the Clam is your man.

The Clam Copper, 143-144 Kings Road Arches, Brighton BN1 2FN

01273 323 847 • www.thecopperclam.com