NY Supreme Steamers II: Half fish market, half buffet, all good

Half fish market, half restaurant, NY Supreme Steamers II is all about making choices. Customers can start by selecting fresh seafood from the icy buffet--shrimp, scallops, crab legs, salmon, tilapia, flounder, and whiting, all brought in fresh daily. Customers are charged by the pound, and once they’ve made their selections, they can bring them to the front to have them weighed and cooked to order. Owner Lillian Truman and her team will steam or fry your selection of seafood and serve it up alongside a bevy of fresh vegetables.

Seafood boils are a tradition in the south, where regional differences dictate ingredients and spices. In Louisiana, shrimp, crab and crawfish are dumped into pots with cayenne pepper, hot sauce, lemon juice and bay leaf. In Georgia and South Carolina, shrimp, corn on the cob, sausage and red potatoes are boiled with crab boil packets, to which liberal amounts of cayenne pepper have been added. Boil masters are in charge of the pot, determining what to put in when, and seasoning. Like any great chef, boil masters take great pride in their work, and each has their own idea about timing, seasoning, and style.

NY Supreme Steamers II is Truman’s second venture; she also co-owns a similar business, NY Supreme Steamers in Fayetteville, NC. Truman believes the recipe will work here, too. “It’s something new for this area, and people seem to like that,” Truman says.

Truman says her restaurant takes its cues from New York City steam houses, where steaming seafood is all the rage. Upstaters liked their fish fried, which puzzled Truman when she first arrived here. "Frying was more common, even though steaming was so much healthier," she says. 

And tastier.

Like a boil master, Truman has a singular approach to seasoning. According to her, the flavor is best delivered in a sauce, which she drizzles over the seafood at the end of the cooking process. When I inquire about the ingredients, Truman replies simply, "You're going to love it."

She is right. It is buttery, spicy, and a little tangy, a perfect accompaniment to the dish. I only wish I had bought something that would help me sop up the last bits. Instead I have to resort to a spoon.

Finish your meal with homemade peach cobbler or banana pudding--you won’t be sorry.

NY Supreme Steamers II is located at 212 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12206. For more information, call (518) 462-2100.