You choose it, they cook it

Four years ago, and with little fanfare, the Morse Fish Company celebrated its 100th anniversary. "We put a sign out front, and I think that’s about it," said John Blacker Jr., who says his family took over the South End seafood shop "only" about 80 years ago.

This no-fuss attitude seems fitting for a fish market/urban clam shack that is as gloriously casual as it gets. The floor is cement, the décor mainly groceries like Old Bay and cans of clam juice, and the seating area is what you could call patio chic, complete with plastic chairs.

What’s important, though, is that you can do two things here: shop and eat. If you purchase seafood to cook at home, you pick it out from the lengthy display case. If you eat at one of the eight tables, you scan the same case, order at the walk-up counter, and they’ll either fry or broil it for you.

"You order and we go and grab it from the case, so it’s not like we’re hiding anything," says Blacker. "What you see is what you get."

Recipes are bare-bones basic. Broiled fish gets dabbed with butter, dusted with paprika, and served with fresh lemon. The fry seems to be a simple flour and cornmeal mix and comes with a thick, pickle-packed tartar sauce.

But where the menu gets interesting is in the selection. The usual clam shack fare like fried oysters, clams, and the popular haddock sandwich, piled high with flaky fish ($8), can be had daily. Specials, however, are dictated by what Blacker finds at the fish markets each morning. Halibut, red perch, wild salmon, rainbow trout, tilapia, kingfish, sole — Morse’s wipe board features about a dozen choices each day. And the look-before-they-cook system means fresh-fish fans can choose what looks best.

On a recent visit, we started with three broils: Halibut ($13), red snapper ($11), and sole ($12). All were lunch plates, which are served all day and differ from the dinner versions (which are about $2 more) in that their portions are slightly smaller (but still hefty) and don’t come with coleslaw. When we popped open our Styrofoam containers — everything is served takeout style — we found large portions of tender, moist, super-fresh fish on mounds of buttery rice. On the side was a veggie succotash of the frozen variety, and for some reason we were served coleslaw, too.

The fish was a treat. For anyone looking for their weekly dose of nutrition from the sea, this is a quick, easy way to get it. We ordered the sole without butter as well, the cook happily obliged, and we happily ate it. Meanwhile, we pondered the roughly 40-foot ocean mural that runs along one wall and couldn’t help but feel that Morse has something in common with the buried treasure in the scene.

Only in the last few years has Morse added evening hours. As an influx of shops and restaurants with nighttime hours has made the neighborhood safer, the Blackers too have kept their doors open later — which means you don’t have to skip work to try Morse’s other draws, like their superb shrimp cocktail. At $6 for 10 succulent, perfectly cooked jumbo shrimp (served with a zippy horseradishy cocktail sauce), you won’t care that this classic is served in plastic rather than the crystal it deserves. The creamy but not-too-thick clam chowder ($4) is swimming with large, tender clams, and is also china-worthy.

As for the Frialator food group, the scallops ($12 lunch, $15 dinner) were juicy and came with crispy fries. Clam strips ($7 lunch, $9 dinner) were also tender little morsels rather than the usual rubbery ribbons that are so common elsewhere.

Other fried items, however, were average. The calamari ($6 lunch, $9 dinner) used good-quality whole tiny squids and rings, but had too much batter. Onion rings ($3.50) were bready, and fried tilapia ($9) wasn’t crisp enough. The generously packed lobster sandwich ($13) also disappointed, with a chewy, unbuttered bun and somewhat dry meat.

These fishmongers don’t do dessert, but with the portions so mighty, it may be best to just to kick back, pat your belly, and ponder what to try next time.