Roe is a fairly new seafood restaurant and fish market in Long Beach. As of the time of my visit, they were working on their sit-down area/location and only had a few seats inside and outside tables.
We started off with some calamari fries to share. They had a flavor that was reminiscent of popcorn chicken from a Chinese boba shop. That means that they were pretty darn delicious. The creamy dipping sauce served alongside the calamari was acidic with a nice amount of spice. My only gripe with these beauties was the lack of a satisfying crunch.
I had the ahi tuna burrito. To sum it up, I should have definitely gone with the plate. I learned my lesson the hard way, these burritos are bland. Seriously. The flavor of the fish was completely masked by all the rice and beans. It was a complete shame because this was seared ahi tuna, one of my absolute favorite kinds of fish. Well, now I know and you do too. Stick to their plates and avoid these burritos like the Plague, unless you like the taste of rice and beans with some Cholula or Tapatío.
This. This is what you should get. I didn't get to taste the fish alone, but I'm sure it was delicious. Seared ahi tuna is always delicious.
The salmon was also a big winner in my book. There was a subtle crust that developed on the surface which provided some great textural contrast. Besides that, I'm pretty sure you know what salmon tastes like. The brown rice was surprisingly pretty good, although it didn't have the bite that brown rice typically does. The slaw was a tad bit disappointing. I like my slaw vinegary, and this slaw could have used some more.
Finally we tried some of their ceviche. It was a mix of both fish and shrimp, and had some citrus notes and was pretty mild. It didn't taste like a typical ceviche you would get at a Mexican place, but it was definitely delicious. Many other patrons seemed to enjoy it as well.
Overall, I enjoyed Roe, it's a great place to get some quality seafood in a prime spot on 2nd Street (if you don't mind all the traffic while you sit outside). Definitely check it out if you love seafood and look out for their new sit-down restaurant.
Roe 5374 E 2nd St Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 434-2763 www.roe-fish.com