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North Carolinians are justifiably proud of their fried seafood tradition - so proud, in fact, that "Calabash style," named for a coastal town near Sunset Beach, is synonymous with platters piled high with cornmeal-crusted fish and shellfish. It takes an open-minded Carolinian to acknowledge that our state doesn't hold the patent on fried seafood excellence. Luckily for us, Burlington native A.J. Dalola is a progressive thinker.

Granted, an eye-opening experience contributed to Dalola's open-mindedness. When he was a teenager, he moved with his family to upstate New York, where he became a devoted fan of the New England-style fish fry. In this style, cracker meal replaces cornmeal as the breading of choice. Haddock, cod and clams are as popular as shrimp, oysters and flounder are in the South. Onion rings, not hushpuppies, are the distinguishing accompaniment.

When Dalola returned to North Carolina as an adult, he decided to preach the New England gospel. He hired Walter Bench, who had worked in the kitchen of one of his favorite fish fries, as chef, and he opened Skipper's Fish Fry & Market in Apex last November. Judging by the crowds that have filled the rustic nautical-themed dining room almost since Day One, he has made a lot of converts.

Carolina boy that I am, you can count me among their number. Skipper's had me the first time I dined there and enjoyed the best fish sandwich I've ever had. The fish (cod or haddock, depending on the market) is moist and flaky under a light, crackly crust, and it's so big that it could easily fill two buns. It doesn't even need any tartar sauce, which, like pretty much everything at Skipper's, is homemade.

On subsequent visits - after I was able to break myself from the habit of ordering the fish sandwich, that is - I've sampled much of the menu, with impressive results nearly across the board. Indeed, the only disappointment was a ho-hum clam chowder. Chef Bench's specialty lobster bisque is a winner, though.

Steamed seafood is offered only on Tuesdays, and it's worth marking your calendar. Peel 'n' eat shrimp, clams and oysters (which Dalola or Bench will shuck for you at the table) are superb. Even snow crab legs are fine, though they seem out of place here.

You can't go wrong with fried seafood, whether your taste runs to oysters, shrimp (jumbo or "baby," which we Southerners call "popcorn"), flounder or catfish. Not surprisingly, clams are first-rate, as are scallops. Fried platters are offered in three versions: Portion (without accompaniment), Platter (with fresh cut fries, creamy, fine-textured coleslaw and hushpuppies) and Onion Platter (same as the Platter, but with excellent onion rings instead of the fries).

No, hushpuppies are not traditionally offered at a New England style fish fry. But these are as good as you'll find in Calabash. Guess you can take the boy out of Carolina, but you can't take Carolina out of the boy.

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