Hartford

Inside Mussel Bag Job

by Jamil Ragland | Mar 7, 2024 3:32 pm

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Posted to: Food

Hook and Reel Cajun Seafood and Bar
Hartford
March 6, 2024

Hook and Reel Cajun Seafood and Bar in Hartford has a great deal for the seafood enjoyer on a budget: all-you-can-eat seafood boils and fried fish baskets for $39.99. There are two catches though.

First, the options for constructing your boil are limited, so no, you’re not getting three whole lobsters for $40.

The second is that there’s an additional fee to take your food home, so you can’t order a second boil and then walk out with it. Not without paying, at least. 

As always, I started off with a drink. I wanted something bright to lift my spirits on such a gloomy, rainy day, so I ordered the watermelon tini. It’s made with vodka, watermelon puree, lemon and cranberry juice. The drink was refreshing and tart, but not very strong. I didn’t mind, though, as I wasn’t looking to fill my stomach with alcohol, anyway, not with so much food on the way.

I ordered a fried basket first to loosen up with. I chose fried gyoza, shrimp, flounder and chicken tenders. I appreciated that there was differentiation between the frying applied to the different meats. The flounder maintained its flakiness while the chicken was fried harder. The gyoza was a standout.

Next came the main dish, the seafood boil. As with the basket, the customer chooses what goes into their bag. I went with snow crab legs, shrimp head off, black mussels, garlic noodles, sausage, broccoli, corn and potatoes. It’s a lot of food, and I can easily see how Hook and Reel manages to afford all-you-can-eat seafood, because few people can manage more than one of these boils at one sitting. 

Eating a seafood boil is an experience. I don’t know how they actually prepare the food in the kitchen, but I’m sure the whole thing could be plated instead of served in a bag. But where’s the fun in that? Part of the enjoyment of the boil is watching the tall bag approach your table, and then admiring it as it sits in front of you. It’s tantalizing just watching the condensation drip down the inside of the bag.

When you get your boil, prepare yourself. It’s hot. Like, take off your glasses, because it’s going to fog them up hot. 

It’s messy too, so you’re gonna need the bib, disposable gloves, wet wipes and copious napkins they provide you with. Mercifully, Hook and Reel also provided seafood crackers for eating the crab legs.

If you’ve never eaten shellfish, I’m going to be real with you: it takes work. It’s nothing like eating chicken or beef, or even other fish. You have to put in a fair amount of effort for a relatively small amount of meat. 

But if you’re thinking about it in cost/benefit analysis terms, then you’re approaching it wrong. Just like the bag itself, the experience is what matters when eating shellfish. The sound of the crab leg snapping. The smooth feel of the mussel in your hand. Ripping the shell off of the shrimp. It’s a sensation that you’re not just being served a dead animal on a plate, but participating in making your meal edible.

I felt like I was connecting to something primordial, the closest I’ve ever been to our hunter-gatherer past. Yes, even as I watched Abbot Elementary on the television above me.

When it comes to mussels, it’s all about the seasoning, because the meat itself is like a bland version of clam. They’re cooked with the shells open, so they absorb all the flavor thrown their way. The Hook and Reel Special Blend was the right choice then, as the mussels were covered in the salty, spicy Cajun sauce and exploding with flavor. Same with the shrimp, because even though they also have a shell, it’s much more permeable.

Crab meat is different, though. Thanks to their tough-as-nails shells, the quality of crab legs depends entirely on the quality of the ingredients and the skill of the preparer. The chefs at Hook and Reel cooked the crab legs to perfection. When I cracked them open, the crab meat was bright red. It was flaky but tender with a burst of sweetness. I barely even dipped it in the sauce.

The food and Hook and Reel was amazing, and there was one more thing left to enjoy: On the wall near the register, customers can put messages on sticky notes and leave them for posterity. It’s neat to read what strangers thought was the most important thing for other strangers to know about them. I’ve never left a note, but as I’ll definitely be back, there’s always next time.

NEXT
Hook and Reel is open seven days a week.

Jamil is going to Elizabeth Park to stop and smell the flowers.

Tags: Hartford , restaurant , Food Review