Sel de Mer

Sel de Mer, the new seafood restaurant, opened by former chef of Sweetwater. Above: Mahi Mahi with creamy polenta, romanesco cauliflower, spinach, and tomato beurre blanc.

374 Graham Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(718) 387-4181

By Mary Yeung &
Photos by Bess Adler

When it comes to seafood, Americans have got it just right, a little bit of butter, a dash of salt and pepper and a splash of wine. There is no need to mess with heavy-duty spices, cheeses, or tomato sauce. If the fish is wild and fresh, all it takes is impeccable timing and it will win you over on its own.

That’s why I’m so happy with Sel de Mer, where everything is cooked perfectly, simply, and the fish is always fresh. “It’s not that hard to get wild fish,” says Jeff Slagg, chef and owner of Sel de Mer. “I get them from long Island and New England.”

Slagg inherited his cooking skills from his mom, who he says is a phenomenal cook. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and while attending college there, he worked for local restaurants. When a close relative passed away here, he moved to New York. He found work at Oceana, the famed Manhattan seafood palace, and later manned the kitchen at Sweetwater, here in Williamsburg, before striking out on his own last year.

The design of his small restaurant is casual, yet done with a great deal of care; the wall is country slate blue, and flea market oil paintings of bearded fisherman adorn the walls. “I want to pay homage to the men who catch the fish I cook,” says Slagg. There is a soulful feeling to the place, especially at night, when the candles are lit and Patsy Cline is plaintively singing her heart out.

The menus are attached to old cloth book covers and list the everyday fare, mussels, steamers, fish and chips, and fish sliders; the specials are listed on the blackboard, which always involve chowders, roasted whole fish and boiled fresh lobsters. I also liked the idea that Stagg often comes out of the kitchen to advise diners on the specials. In a seafood place, you want the chef’s recommendation.

The boiled lobster here is really fresh and precisely timed, it comes with a mess of fries and at $16, it’s a great deal. The pan roasted cod, teamed with crisp brussel sprouts, was light and delicate, and the fish sliders served on an English muffin with a salty hand-cut slaw, is another great buy at $12. You’ll never eat another frozen fish cake again. Most of the sides are good too; the roasted beet salad, with field greens and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese is sweet and sharp. The mussels, bathed in a light wine sauce, are plump and briny. This guy knows how to shop.

If there is one qualm I have with the dishes it is that the sides for many of the mains are French fries. Since most people go to a fish place hoping to enjoy a healthy meal, the fries kind of cancel out the health equation. It would be good to have alternatives like rice, potato salads, or just boiled potatoes. Sure, I can leave the fries behind, but when a large pile of golden fries is on my plate there is no such thing as free will.

For those who don’t like fish, there is always the burger, which is getting rave reviews from bloggers. I wouldn’t know because I always went for the seafood. With options like whole roasted fish, chowders, fish and chips, steamers, and mussels prepared in four different ways, who needs beef?