As the Triangle has morphed from Old South into New South, food lovers have reaped the savory windfall. But part of the price of our growing culinary sophistication is the alarming attrition of the rustic eateries that once defined our region. For each new tapas bar and sushi bar, it seems, another barbecue joint or seafood shack went belly up.

Happily, the trend appears to be reversing. A handful of barbecue joints have opened in the past couple of years. And now, two newcomers are promising to save the seafood shack/fish market genre from extinction.

On paper, Jezebel's Salty Fare and Skipper's Fish Fry & Market are as different as night crawlers and day boat scallops. Jezebel's touts its Outer Banks heritage and the fact that its fish and shellfish are harvested from Carolina waters. Skipper's bills itself as a "New England style fish fry." Jezebel's started out primarily as a fresh seafood market when it opened two years ago and has expanded the restaurant side in response to customer demand. Skipper's, which opened last November, has so far concentrated its efforts on getting the restaurant up to speed. Its market won't become a reality until around midsummer.

For all their differences, it's their commonalities - irreproachably fresh seafood, simply prepared and served counter style by a friendly, knowledgeable staff - that make them special. It's no coincidence, either, that these are the very traits that describe the ideal seafood shack.

Jezebel's Salty Fare

Before taste ever gets involved, sight and smell tell you Jezebel's is a good choice. The refrigerated display case filled with neat rows of glistening raw fish and ready-to-cook preparations fills your eyes. Meanwhile, your nose detects no fishy smell. No doubt about it, the seafood here is fresh.

It should be. Owner Jennifer Dixon comes to the Triangle from the Outer Banks, where she maintains a strong network of seafood suppliers. Their catch provides Jezebel's with the makings of an unusually varied menu, from platters (at least nine or 10 fish and shellfish options, available grilled or fried) to sandwiches to daily specials. If soft shell crabs are available, get them. They are supplied, as are the oysters, by a Wanchese fisherman who was once a student in Dixon's English class.

With few exceptions, the cooking lives up to the quality of the seafood. Grilled mahi mahi, which can be tough if overcooked, is so tender you'll have no trouble negotiating it with a plastic fork. And it's so juicy, you'll be tempted to lick the paper plate.

Steamed shrimp, moderately spiced with Old Bay, are likewise rewarding. So is most everything that comes out of the deep fryer. Oysters are plump and properly cooked. Scallops are addictively sweet under a translucent crust. Even flounder, notoriously dry when fried, is succulent. Crab cakes, bound with crushed potato chips, are fine-textured but flavorful.

Jezebel's weakness - and it is a minor one - is inconsistency. Occasionally, deep-fried foods are overcooked. And side dishes, two of which are included in the price of entrees, can be hit or miss. Hushpuppies, usually light and golden brown, are sometimes dense and a shade too dark. French fries, cucumber salad and thin, crisp-crusted coins of fried squash are all better options than potato salad and slaw, both of which are bland.

If you read the menu carefully, you'll discover a bonus: Any of those temptations in the display case can be prepared and served in the restaurant for a $2 surcharge over the take-it-home-and-cook-it-yourself price. The selection, which ranges from bacon-wrapped scallops to crab cake-stuffed portobellos, is admittedly fancier than you'd expect at a seafood shack. But the bargain price isn't.

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