Food Network: Best New Hampshire Seafood Restaurant

Summer is here, and so are the best seafood shacks on the Seacoast of Northern New England.

Yes, New Hampshire has a shorter coastline than our neighbors in Maine and Massachusetts, but Granite Staters make the most of the 13 miles of coast they call home.

Lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp, cod, halibut, oysters and clam chowder are all popular seafoods you can find fresh in all of New England, but especially at the small shacks with picnic tables, melted butter, and a boatload of food.

Food Network has listed the top seafood restaurants in each state, and in New Hampshire, the top spot is right on the coastline. You probably pass it on your way to Hampton Beach.

But, it's not in Hampton, nor in bustling Portsmouth, nor in Rye.

There's a spot in Seabrook that's "in the rough" (which means "nothing fancy"), and serves up delicious lobster plunged directly from the tank to the boiling water, fried clams, steamers, French fries, and more.

Food Network says Brown's Lobster Pound has the best and freshest seafood in New Hampshire, and it's hard to argue with that call.  That's not taking into account the breathtaking views from the deck.

Last year, Brown's won the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival's "Best Lobster Roll" Award.  Located right on the water, the restaurant has plenty of outdoor picnic tables, with patrons eating their seafood plates with gusto and glee.

Also nearby is Markey's Lobster Pool in Seabrook, offering other types of traditional, straightforward New England seafood recipes.

So take a drive along Route 1A to Route 286 in New Hampshire and smell the seafood wafting in the sunshine and the ocean's glow.