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basis, like the lobster bisque, a smokier-than-usual version that is a superb antidote to the cold chill outside.

Other basket favorites at DJ’s include baked clams, kung pow calamari, shrimp scampi, Ipswich fried clams and a split grilled hot dog for land-lubbers. Then there’s the tacos, which range from Mahi Mahi to shrimp and chicken and roast pork. All items can be grilled, blackened or fried, but the cooks highly recommended the Mahi Mahi in the blackened fashion. Dipped in melted butter and dredged in a blend of herbs and spices, the blackened Mahi Mahi taco packs some spicy heat thanks to Cajun mayo, but it is mellowed out nicely by pickled onions and cooling cabbage.

As for fried fare, DJ’s drops plenty into the fryer,

like fish fingers, shrimp, clam strips and the south-ern-in-origin conch fritters, which are seldom seen on Long Island menus. The fritters are fried balls of doughy loveliness, dotted with peppers and conch. Great for dipping, the conch fritters come with a key lime honey mustard and a smoky little number dubbed “Cowboy Sauce.”

Specials also abound at DJ’s and range from fresh seafood marinara over linguine to locally caught flounder. Meanwhile, the first Wednesday of every month is a party at DJs, with live music and fresh shucking of Maris Stella Blue Point oysters.

It might be cold outside, but it’s an endless summer at DJs.

DJ’s Clam Shack, 3255 Sunrise Hwy., Wantagh, 516-900-1400, www.djsclamshackwantagh.com.

A Clam For All SeasonsDJ’s Clam Shack keeps it fresh all winter long

BY STEVE MOSCOsmosco@antonmediagroup.com

No one knows for sure how it hap-pened or who did it, but somewhere along the way it was decided that seafood is strictly summertime eats. Across the south and north shores

of Long Island, restaurants that specialize in ocean fare either close for the gray winter season or

brave the cold, diminishing returns and remain open. One local eatery keeping their lines in the water during the so-called down season is DJ’s Clam Shack in Wantagh—an oasis of fresh seafood making a strong case that this cuisine should be enjoyed all year round.

Deep diving into New England and Southern-style seafood, DJ’s slings lobster rolls, fried clams, crab cakes, fish tacos and much more. And even beyond the food, owner Paul Riggio and his team

have created a family atmosphere on Sunrise Highway. Sit in the restaurant for no less than five minutes and you’ll witness customers enthusi-astically greet Riggio and his team as if they were longtime friends.

“The town is just fantastic to us,” said Wall Street escapee Riggio in the diminutive, laid-back eatery. “We have a neighborhood vibe and we look to treat people right the first time they come in.”

And when they come in, customers are greeted with an immediate whiff from the up-front grill, where manager Anthony Gentile can be found butter-grilling split-top buns and dropping conch fritters into the deep fryer. When asked what the must-eat items are at DJ’s, Riggio and Gentile don’t hesitate even for a second—it’s the lobster roll. Using the tenderest chunks of lobster—specifically, knuckle and claw meat—the lobster rolls are served two ways: the cold, mayo-based New England style,

and the warm, butter-forward, Connecticut-style.The cold roll can be ordered light or heavy on

the mayo, which is delightfully seasoned with tarragon and finished with celery. And while

both incarnations put that signature lobster lusciousness fully on display, it is the opinion of this writer that DJ’s warm, buttered lobster roll is nothing short of the food version of a religious experience. Butter and lobster are best friends, and adding the flat-top grilled toasty roll to the equation elicits groans of eater’s pleasure immediately upon the first bite. Using the knuckle and claw in the roll is an ingenious maneuver, as that meat far surpasses the highly regarded tail portion in the aforementioned tenderness, but also

in sweetness and overall flavor. Another highly recommended dish is the

garlic-steamed Little Neck clams. Featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives when

the show visited DJ’s original location in Key West, FL, the clams are steamed in a skillet with

plenty of garlic, celery and surprisingly comple-mentary jalapeños and served with garlic bread

that absolutely screams to be dipped into the juice pooled at the bottom of the dish. Clams also star in DJ’s creamy New England clam chowder, a down-right luxuriously silky soup loaded with perfectly sized middle necks. Other soups are on a rotating

DINING

Garlic-steamed Little Neck Clams

Blackened Mahi Mahi taco

DJs Clam Shack owner Paul Riggio (center) with his crew.

Fresh Blue Point oysters are shucked once a month.

The cold lobster roll, dressed with mayo.

Grilled garlic shrimp scampi roll

Deep-fried conch fritters

The luscious, warm and buttery lobster roll.