Albany Fish Company is the big catch in southwest Georgia

ALBANY — You’ve passed it on Dawson Road at least a dozen times. Is it a fish market? Is it a restaurant? Technically it’s both. I’m taking about Albany Fish Company.

You take the door on your left and you’re greeted at once with seafairing decor and a framed Major League Baseball picture. Who’s house is this? Where am I? The feeling of home doesn’t stop there. Kick back, relax, and enjoy the best of the beach and the bayou right here in Albany.

The menu is a seafood lover’s dream. The selection of fresh fish that customers can buy here is unbelievable. Even if you’re not in a mood to sit back and be taken care of, they have more than a dozen different kinds of fresh fish on ice to be taken. You can even order their meals to go, which come in a giant aluminum pan.

Albany Fish Company is a family-owned business run by the father/son duo Glenn Singfield and Glenn “Chef G” Singfield II. I have to say, Chef G took care of me. He’s a cool guy who knows his stuff. He asked if I drank and told me about their peach mimosa. If you twist my arm I guess I could try it.

The peach mimosa at the Albany Fish Company is no joke. They don’t insult you by hiding the alcohol with too much sugar and syrup and a hundred garnishes. Oh no, it’s in there, alright, but it is so smooth. It’s like a peachy fruit punch that made it really difficult for me to crack open the crab legs. I was off my game, people. It happens. It was the mimosa. For readers 21 and over, you’re going to want to try this, but I’m not going to deny anyone their ice cold beer with a platter of fried fish.

Chef G decided that the dish I had to try was the “Irene the Dream.”

“We had a regular customer who always came in and ate here, and one day she said ‘Y’all have to make a dish for me,’ and we did and we named it after her,” Chef G said while explaining the history of Irene the Dream. “I knew she really didn’t want anything too spicy, and she liked sweet things, so this is what I came up with.”

Listen, no one is prepared for Irene the Dream (that from now on will be referred to as ‘Irene’ because we’re on a first-name basis now). I don’t know if you’re supposed to eat this on your own or share it, but it’s as big as your appetite. Irene comes with two snow crab clusters, a pound of shrimp, potatoes, corn, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and carrots in a hot bath of garlic butter and white wine sauce. It’s huge, indulgent and delicious.

Presentationwise, the dish looks as if the crab is about to jump off the plate and run back to the ocean. Irene is the lady everyone is talking about. Diners came in and watched her from across the room. She’s this season’s It Girl, and she was all mine.

I started off with one of the vegetables just to get a feel of the flavors before I got my hands dirty. The sauce is one of a kind. I’ve never tasted anything like it before, and I’ve eaten at a lot of places. It was sweet and savory, but it was light enough that it didn’t bog down the dish. The vegetables were cooked until tender but not mushy.

I’m already not that confident with eating crab legs so the shrimp came next. I peeled the first shrimp, which reminded me of why I haven’t really had shrimp in a few years since the last time I had a low-country boil. I didn’t know shrimp had little legs; I thought they got around like mermaids. After releasing the first shrimp from its tiny cage, I took a bite. A choir of angels appeared, and a ray of light came through the clouds. I had found the El Dorado.

Albany Fish Company has mastered shrimp. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. The fish were big and meaty and had absorbed all of the flavors of the garlic butter. I was only one in, but there was a whole pound of it!

Napkin count: 1

While peeling the shrimp, “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate came on the sound system and I almost lost it. What a big mood.

Chef G and I sat and talked about food and new experiences.

“Have you ever had gator?” he asked.

I told him I had a few times, but he said I’d never had his gator. Is it the best gator? He was up for the challenge. A plate of golden fried gator tail nuggets came out with a dipping sauce. It was the best gator.

Juicy and tender is going to be a theme at Albany Fish Company. It’s the only way to describe everything in the restaurant. The batter was perfect. You don’t need to dip it in anything to enjoy it, but I encourage you to. The dipping sauce is amazing, and it kind of tasted like pizza. I can’t wait to come back and get a gator and shrimp po-boy.

It was time to tackle the crab legs.

Napkin count: 2

I probably spent 20 minutes trying to get the meat out only because it’s something I’m not good at. The leg I was working on got cold before I could dig into it, but that’s OK. The snow crab is definitely the star of Irene, but their shrimp hit such a big home run that I’m a little bit biased. The crab was sweet and say it with me, “juicy and tender.” Everything was as fresh as if you went out and caught it yourself. Crab lovers rejoice: Albany Fish Company doesn’t short you.

Napkin count: 3

If you’re not into crab and shrimp, they’ve got fresh-water fish. If you want to try something new, they have alligator and frog legs. Everything comes grilled, fried or blackened. They have other dishes like Irene that take you on a culinary adventure, and they have more traditional seafood plates that feel like home. The menu has everything from po-boys to fried rice to Oysters Rockefeller with the works. You can’t be disappointed at Albany Fish Company.

Stop by Tuesdays through Saturdays to experience a gem nestled away in the Lake Park Centre Plaza. Albany Fish Company is located at 1921 Dawson Road.

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