This article appeared in the June 18th Issue of TV Times
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By David Maull
TV Times

The only thing missing is a dining room.

But that hasn't prevented South Bethany Seafood Market from becoming a full-service restaurant offering everything from steamed crabs to rotisserie chicken to filet mignon.

Located in the Seaside Village Shopping Center in Bethany Beach, the market has grown steadily in the seven years it has been owned by Ray and Cathy Berzins.

"We've always liked seafood. We always wanted to get into the restaurant business," Ray said. "This was like the perfect lead-in."

On the surface, South Bethany Seafood looks like the typical seafood market with cases of fresh fish, shrimp, scallops and lobster. But behind those cases, employees are busy producing a full menu of carryout meals.

Ray noted the market offers "one-stop shopping" for those wanting prepared meals, fresh seafood to cook themselves or large amounts of steamed crabs, shrimp and lobster.

"It just progressed year after year after year. Now it's almost 50 percent of the business," Ray said of the takeout service. "It's totally restaurant quality."

The Berzins opened the market in 1991, offering only fresh and steamed seafood. The following year, they added a lunchtime sandwich menu and the business took off.

"We wanted to bring some people in during the day," Cathy said. "We grew at a pace that was manageable."

Eventually, the menu grew to include sauteed and char-grilled items, rotisserie chicken, soups, salads and side orders.

"We add something new every year to keep people interested," Ray said.

The restaurant has 15 employees during the summer and it's not unusual for them to churn out 20 bushels of steamed crabs and 80 dinners on a busy summer night. There is also a special oven that can cook 32 rotisserie chickens in an hour.

"You'd be surprised in this little place how much food we can shove out of here," Ray said while standing next to the eight large pots used to steam seafood.

Steamed items include crabs, lobster, shrimp and clams. Also on the menu are sauteed crab cakes and flounder and char-grilled tuna, swordfish, salmon, chicken breast and filet mignon.

The sandwich menu includes crab cakes, tuna steak, flounder, tuna salad, shrimp salad and chicken salad.

For the large family, South Bethany Seafood has a number of package meals featuring seafood, chicken and side orders such cole slaw, potato salad and corn on the cob.

In June, the Berzins began their latest venture - sushi.

Having always been sushi enthusiasts, the Berzins decided to offer the Japanese dish to take advantage of their fresh fish selection.

"It's something that we can do because we have the freshest seafood available," Ray said.

But South Bethany Seafood also prides itself on being affordable.

"We try to be moderate with our pricing," Ray said.