RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Lately it seems the fish market-style restaurant is getting more popular, which is surprising because the chance for failure is pretty significant.

Fish is a dicey dish to diners. Make a mistake and most will not forgive you, especially if you are charging $20 for a piece of fish with some vegetables and rice surrounding it.

The Market Broiler is one of the successful ones. Started in 1989 by Rodney Couch, Sergio Mendez and a handful of others with extensive knowledge in the restaurant business, there are now six establishments, including one in Huntington Beach.

The mini-chain’s biggest strong suit is its fresh fish. There are 18 fresh fish selections on the menu that change daily. On visits I have seen everything from Ecuadorian thresher shark to Oregon ling cod to Fijian yellow fin tuna.

What makes their success is the simplicity of how the fish is prepared and the variety of the seasonings it offers with it. All of the fish is cooked on a mesquite grill and then one of seven different flavors is available: Cajun, Jamaican lime pepper, lemon pepper, Hawaiian hoisin, teriyaki, sesame orange and Italian marinade.

What flavor you get will decide on the piece of fish. For thicker cuts, like shark or Halibut, the lime pepper or sesame orange would probably be better.

The Ahi screams for the hoison, though the fish is usually so moist the way it is prepared, sauce might not be needed at all.

There isn’t a lot of fish I won’t cook Cajun style. I like the combination of cayenne, dry mustard, garlic powder and file powder applied and then seared into the fish.

My latest visit I ordered Pacific red snapper, and Cajun style is perfect for the semi-delicate cut of fish. Three six-inch fillets arrived, each slathered in Cajun spices. The nature of the spices is to dominate the fish, but it shouldn’t obliterate the seafood. The dish was well prepared and the seasoning was not too intrusive.

One of my friends wanted something other than the marinades offered with the fish entrees and discovered a miso marinated mahi mahi. The soy ginger sauce used is very flavorful and penetrated every bite of the fish.

He ordered it from the combination portion of the menu. There are 14 choices available for either two- or three-item dinners. He chose crab shrimp cakes with the aioli (garlic mayonnaise) dipping sauce that were quite good.

The menu is vast and can be a bit intimidating. In addition to 18 fresh fish selections daily, there are two other full pages of selections and making a choice can be a bit daunting.

The combination selections can alleviate the problem of someone stuck on wanting multiple entrees. Some of the items are shark or salmon fillet, teriyaki steak skewers or snow crab.

My other friend found herself in the opposite predicament. She was not in the mood for a big dinner and opted for a salad. She would have been better off with a dinner.

The miso ginger salad she ordered was very generous, arriving in a large bowl that made her eyes widen when it was placed before her.

The mix of romaine and other spring greens had cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grated carrots and daikon sprouts sprinkled throughout. She added shrimp to the restaurant’s newest salad.

While the specialty is fish at Market Broiler, it is not exclusive to the facility. There are steaks, chicken and ribs also on the menu.

Most of the entrees are between $13.95 and $18.95 and the ones I have had are well worth it. This restaurant is perfect for people who want quality fish at an affordable price.

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants for the Independent.