Go Fish food truck in Montgomery County
By Rian Rapuano
Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012

Missy Carr's vision is to bring fish to the people.

The L'Academie de Cuisine graduate acquired that mission about a year ago, when she was introduced through friends to Greg Casten, owner of local seafood wholesaler ProFish. Carr, who has owned prepared-food/catering businesses in suburban Maryland, decided to start a Web-based delivery business that would make locally sourced seafood more accessible and affordable for home cooks.

Soon, the concept of the Go Fish food truck emerged, even though it was originally thought of as a marketing tool for the Web business.

"We wanted a vehicle to get our brand out to the community and develop a relationship with people," says Carr, 44, of Silver Spring. "People want good quality, but how do they trust it?"

The truck, painted with green scales and a fish-shack motif, rolled out in July. Its menu includes a handful of prepared seafood items and soups, as well as ready-to-cook meals and plain fresh fish.

Crab cakes are the truck's signature item, made from pasteurized lump and jumbo-lump Virginia blue crab in winter and fresh Maryland blue crab in summer. Carr serves her crab cake sandwich ($11) on a potato roll with romaine lettuce, tomato and a side of outstanding remoulade.

As good as that sounds, we opted for the Crabby Melt ($11) topped with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses and served on a soft sub roll. While the flavors are terrific, we ate it with a fork because the bun was steamed into sogginess before we got home.

Shrimp tacos and mahi mahi tacos (two, $8) also are popular. The main ingredients are spiced with chili powder and cumin, then piled onto flour tortillas and topped with a wonderfully crunchy cabbage slaw, cheese and a zigzag of chipotle cream.

Both the jambalaya ($8) and the clam chowder (12 ounces, $5; 16 ounces, $7) are occasional menu items. While enjoyable, they probably won't satisfy cravings of New Orleans or New England transplants. Carr's jambalaya is timidly spiced, and this Massachusetts native feels Old Bay and corn have no place in New England clam chowder. Still, the dishes are hearty and satisfying if not traditional.

No matter how she sells it - cooked or not - Carr says freshness is key.

"When you order from us, it was hand-picked, hand-cut and packed all within 24 hours of coming to your door or getting into your hands," she says.

We see her vision, and we're hooked.