After years of enjoying fresh seafood from the New England Fish Market at many of Vero’s best restaurants, we decided to go directly to the source.

On a recent drive back to Vero from a day in South Florida, it was getting late, we were hungry, so we stopped off in Jensen at the New England Fish Market – home port to those big white trucks you see so frequently delivering the catch of the day to Vero fine-dining establishments.

Unlike the Vero restaurants where we have previously dined on this purveyor’s seafood, the New England Fish Market Restaurant is hardly fancy. No white table cloths or linen napkins here. And instead of a basket of warm bread, the server brings a basket of saltines and little plastic cups containing smoked fish dip. A not very elegant start, but quite tasty.

While the nautically decorated main dining room tends to be a bit crowded (and more than a bit noisy), the service is friendly and speedy, and our appetizers emerged from the kitchen in what seemed near-record time.

My husband, of course, had to check out a cup of New England clam chowder ($3.95), and for those who follow this column, he rated it a solid 8 on his one-to-10 scale (we may have our first 9 coming up from a new restaurant later this summer). I started with a cup of conch chowder (I know. I know. This isn’t a classic New England dish), and it was as tasty as it was spicy (also $3.95).

Our companion started with a house salad ($5.95), a plate of crisp romaine topped with carrots, cucumbers and grape tomatoes.

For a main course, my husband was not willing to consider anything but the whole belly clams, which as a rule cannot be found at any of Vero’s leading seafood restaurants. Not to put too fine a point on it, the lightly fried clams ($19.95), he reported, were heavenly. While they customarily are served with French fries, they cheerfully agreed to substitute boiled red potatoes.

I ordered the shrimp scampi ($18.95), a dozen gulf shrimp perfectly sautéed and served in a delicious garlic, lemon, tomato and parsley sauce. These also were accompanied by red potatoes, mixed vegetables, and garlic toast. The shrimp were excellent; my one complaint was it is tough to mop up the sauce with saltines.

Our companion had the same great shrimp as part of the shrimp scampi pasta ($18.95). This time, the shrimp were served over a bed of linguini. Also yummy.

We accompanied all this with a bottle of Cartlidge and Browne chardonnay, a modestly priced ($23) and surprisingly decent wine that seemed just right for this venue. For dessert, we tried the restaurant’s homemade key lime pie ($4.95), tasty but not quite as tart as we prefer.

While we probably will not be making the 40-mile drive to Jensen Beach regularly (even though I am sure my husband will be lobbying for a return visit for more fried clams), this restaurant clearly an excellent choice if you are passing nearby and craving great fresh seafood.

And in addition to the dishes mentioned here, the New England Fish Market (as befits its name) also features some New England favorites that we feel confident will not disappoint.

Chief among these is the clambake for two, which consists of two Maine lobsters, a dozen littleneck clams, a pound of mussels, two ears of corn, potatoes, and Andouille sausage – and whatever else you would like them to add since each clambake is hand-made to order.

The clambake will run you somewhere in the $69.99 area, or perhaps a bit more depending on what you add or substitute. The restaurant also is currently including three lobsters instead of the customary two. We spotted a couple of clambakes on adjacent tables, and they looked most tempting.

Even for those not well acquainted with the area, the restaurant is not hard to find. It is approximately a mile east of US 1 on the street that serves the old Treasure Coast Square Mall, where Vero residents used to shop before our own mall opened in the mid-1990s.

Dinner for the three of us with our modest bottle of wine ran $100, before tip. All in all, great fresh seafood at a great price.

I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com .

The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.

Hours: Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Bar: Beer and wine.

Address: 1419 N.E. Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach

Telephone: 772 334-7328

Review first published: May 21, 2009