My seafood epiphany on Lamma Island

Seafood places in Hong Kong are a dime a dozen. There are so many of them in this cosmopolitan city, it’s hard to know which is good and which is not. Unless you are a dedicated foodie, you rely on food review pieces like this one to decide if a place is worth your time and money. But I am not here to convince you that Lamma Hilton Shum Kee Seafood Restaurant is worth the one hour ferry ride and then the 10-minutes-odd walk along the waterline of Sok Kwu Wan. It just is.  

Don’t let the almost empty tables fool you. The seafood at this medium-sized restaurant, tucked at the very end of a strip of similar-looking seafood restaurants, was the best I had in my life. 

Of course I am not kidding. Even Shafik, the Fussiest Eater In The World™ and one of my travel buddies on that day will concur with me.

Okay, maybe that photo wasn’t the best to drive home my point, but I wanted to show he is not some imaginary friend I cooked up. (Plus it was his first encounter with the many-legged shell fish, and he was decidedly undecided if he should take a bite, and he is impartial to seafood at the best of time, yada yada yada… but I digress).

There is no doubt the food is fabulous. But instead of telling you why, let me tell you how to enjoy five of the best seafood dishes we had here on a sunny, late afternoon on Lamma Island.

First up, the friend calamari. Deliciously succulent with the lightest batter imaginable, you have to devour it while it's still piping hot. Never mind the scorched tongue; dip one into the accompanying sour plum sauce, give it a good blow over and chew in. At HK$120, the portion is good for a table of four. Best served with chilled beer; I would recommend the smooth, slightly tangy Blue Girl.

If you are like us and choose your fish from the tanks fronting the restaurant, chances are you would want have it steamed. Apparently that’s the only deserving way to cook fresh fishes. But thanks to the Fussiest Eater In The World™ in our group, who abhorred the whole steam-the-fish idea, we had to deep fry the grouper (HK$180, seasonal price), much to the disapproval of the stall owner. But behold; it was the best deep fried fish we ever had. Even without any visible coating, the fish was crunchy on the outside, soft and fresh on the inside. So take the road less traveled and deep fry a fish of your choice. You won’t regret it. 

There is only one definitive way to cook fresh bamboo clams (HK$90 per portion). Request for yours to be stir fried with black bean paste and lots of chillies. The juicy clams, despite their shape, burst with flavor the moment you bite into them. If you are not a fan of clams (or shellfish; though it must be said, why are you having a seafood lunch, then?), the gravy itself is delicious to go with white steam rice. It’s finger-licking good to the last spoonful.

To test the true skills of a seafood chef, just ask for live scallops (HK$25 per piece). Get them steamed with garlic and tang hoon. Few can do it right; either the tang hoon become too lumpy, the scallops dry up, or the taste is way too garlicky. None of these happened with ours at Shum Kee. One bite into the large morsels turned our skeptical faces into looks of amazement. That happened so literally, it was hard not to laugh out loud.

And now to the obvious highlight of our meal, the deep fried crayfishes (HK$240 for eight pieces). To enjoy this delightful, if slightly weird-looking dish, you’ll need the help of a pair of scissors to cut off the bottom shells, exposing rows of succulent, juicy meat. They are perfect to go with sambal chillies. Or go with lime sauce if you are not a 'spice' person. Each crayfish will keep you occupied for at least five minutes. Together with a plate of seafood fried rice (they were very generous with the prawns!), soft drinks, peanuts and beer, the whole lunch cost slightly less than HK$1,000 for a group of five. I have tried similar seafood dishes at other nearby outlets, but they were never as good as my virgin experience at Lamma Hilton Shum Kee. The service was impeccable and you don’t even have to brave the weekend crowd to dine in peace, right by the sea. 

So the next time you are in Sok Kwu Wan, check in, sit down, and tuck in. It’s an experience you’ll not forget in a hurry. 

Lamma Hilton Shum Kee Seafood Restaurant, 26 Sok Kwun Wan, Lamma Island; tel. +852 2982 8241