5 Morris area seafood restaurants to try

With its plethora of great seafood restaurants featuring some of the state's highest-quality and most succulent fish and shellfish dishes around, Morris County proves that residents don't need to travel to the shore area to enjoy the fresh catch of the day.

Here are some of the area's best bets for sensational seafood:

Denville Seafood, Denville

61 Broadway, Denville; tel (973) 627-2987; www.denvilleseafood.com

First opened as a fish market in 1951 and accommodating customers at tables since the 1970s before officially adding its restaurant in 2001, "quality and freshness are the foundations of great seafood and of our family-owned business," said second generation co-owner Joe Aguanno.

At the 64-seat, contemporary Nantucket-inspired restaurant known as Codmother's, which has an outdoor café and was fully renovated after Hurricane Irene and reopened in 2012, "we have 50-60 different items on the menu — from salmon, scallops, shrimp and Chilean sea bass to seasonal specialties like soft-shelled crabs, which we'll offer now through September," Aguanno said.

Among their signature dishes, "our Shellfish Sauté features shrimp, scallops, lobster, mussels and calamari in a red or scampi sauce ($28) and our homemade soups, including lobster bisque and Manhattan and New England clam chowder, are outstanding; we also offer popular specials like our salmon with spinach pesto over roasted sweet potatoes," he said.

Their secret to serving the best catches?

"We're at the New Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx at least three times a week and get fresh fish from all over the world, and we do all of our processing onsite," Aguanno said. "We're a very casual and family-oriented restaurant and like to turn people into 'fish snobs' — once they come here, they won't want to go anyplace else."

H2Ocean, Cedar Knolls

41 Ridgedale Avenue, Cedar Knolls; tel (973) 984-9594; www.h2oceanrestaurant.com

Since opening last August, General Manager Jack Pires said that H2Ocean's secret to outstanding seafood is very simple.

"Take a great quality item, such as seasonal, fully sustainable wild line-caught seafood and let its flavor shine through with a Mediterranean-style preparation involving olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper" or any of the restaurant's other grilled, blackened or similarly tasty approaches.

Among the signature dishes at this 130-seat restaurant featuring modern décor with a nautical twist, diners have sung the praises of H2Ocean's Ahi Tuna Tartare appetizer, served over a rice cake with tobiko (fish eggs) and a sesame emulsion ($14) as well as its grilled octopus served with fire-roasted red and yellow peppers, pickled garlic cloves, smoked Spanish paprika and espolette (chili) to deliver light heat ($16).

In addition to a top-notch raw bar, "we also feature a potato-crusted wild sole entrée with a caviar beurre blanc served over crab-filled mashed potatoes ($29) and Monday is our 'Lobstermania' night, during which we feature a three-course lobster dinner, which includes salad, a 1¹/₄-pound Maine lobster with a fresh vegetable and mashed potatoes, and a seasonal gelato for $25," Pires said.

For those who believe that great seafood is only available near the shore, "they haven't been to H2Ocean," he said. "We take pride in offering the highest quality and most authentic seafood as well as superb steaks and chicken too."

Sammy's Steakhouse, Mendham

353 Mendham Road West (Route 24), Mendham; tel (973) 543-7675; www.sammyscidermill.com

Don't be fooled by its name – though renowned for its juicy steaks, this 82-year-old landmark, which originally opened in 1933 after Prohibition ended, has been known for its outstanding seafood and sizable portions for decades.

"Great seafood is all about freshness and we get ours from Fulton Fish Market and filet it ourselves onsite, so it's not pre-packaged or frozen," said Phil Fornaro, third generation co-owner with brother Sam and sister Mary Ann. "Our signature 1¹/₄-pound lobsters, served as singles or twins, come in fresh every day and we boil them in kettles in their own broth as opposed to steaming them so that they're basted in their own salt brine and remain sweet," he said.

"Our shrimp scampi ($36) is also very popular — ours is floured and fried with the sauce served last so that the shrimp remain crispy under the sauce, and we also offer a soft-shelled crab scampi version as well as great swordfish and salmon dishes and specials such as lobster fra diavolo in a red marinara sauce," he said.

Fornaro noted that while people are eating healthier and fish is very popular once again, "you've got to be sure you go to a restaurant with great quality and long-standing relationships with the best seafood distributors."

With its casual and festive ambiance and dinners that include a salad, entrée, French fries, a fresh vegetable, dessert, and coffee or tea, "the family atmosphere is very big with us and whether you're here for a business meeting or a Sunday family dinner, you're going to get a great meal and have a fantastic time," Fornaro said. "It's like coming home."

Bonefish Grill, Pine Brook

28 Route 46, Pine Brook section of Montville Twp.; tel (973) 227-2443; www.bonefishgrill.com

At this "polished casual" restaurant decorated in mahogany wood and nautical accents, guests will enjoy a broad range of different fresh seafood options caught daily, "from arctic char and rainbow trout to tilapia, sea bass and seasonal specialties like soft-shelled crabs," said managing partner Sal DiGiovine.

According to DiGiovine, this seafood franchise, originally started in Tampa and now one of a number of locations in New Jersey, is also big on customer choice. "Guests pick their fish and then select the sauce they'd like it prepared with, such as mango salsa, pesto, pan-Asian, lime tomato garlic, lemon butter or our 'dynamite-style,' which features mushrooms, spinach, and crabmeat with a spicy sauce."

Among Bonefish Grill's signature appetizers, DiGiovine recommends their popular Bang Bang Shrimp ($10.50) or Mussels Josephine ($10.90), and be sure to save room after the main course, as "our desserts are all homemade and we have a great wine selection too," he said.

Legal Sea Foods, Short Hills

The Mall At Short Hills, 1200 Morris Turnpike, Short Hills; tel (973) 467-0089; www.legalseafoods.com

Located just over the border from Morris County, Legal Sea Foods at the Short Hills Mall has been delighting local seafood lovers for 12 years.

Originally a family-owned fish market in Boston that opened its first restaurant there in 1968, "great seafood is about freshness and the quality of the fish," said host/server Kristi Dimogerodakis. "Legal Sea Foods restaurants are only located along the east coast to ensure that the fish is as fresh as possible; we also only purchase from our own buyers, we only take the dayboat and top catches, and we test all of our fish to ensure its quality."

Among the restaurant's biggest sellers, "our oven-baked, all-crabmeat crabcakes are sensational ($30.95 for two jumbo lump crabcakes), as is our cioppino, which features lobsters, clams, calamari, scallops, shrimp, mussels and a piece of white fish in a tomato saffron broth served over linguini or with jasmine rice ($27.95)," she said.

"We also offer a great 1¹/₄-pound baked lobster stuffed with a shrimp and scallop Ritz cracker stuffing along with a six-ounce filet mignon ($50.95 with two sides) and we bring in amazing seasonal items when their quality is at its peak," Dimogerodakis said. "The food is delicious and you'll walk away wanting to come back. Love goes into our preparation every time."

Got a Morris eatery to recommend? Email eabreu@GannettNJ.com