Boston’s Vietnamese-Cajun Seafood Scene Will Shake Into Roslindale Next

Since the early 2016 debuts of Shaking Crab in Newton and Holly Crab in Allston, Boston has apparently taken a liking to Cajun-style boiled seafood — or more precisely, a Vietnamese take on Cajun-style seafood — in which various seafood options are tossed with spices in a bag and served right in that bag. In addition to those two restaurants, the growing scene now includes a second Shaking Crab location (in Quincy) with two more on the way (near the Common and in Cambridge’s Porter Square), plus Loui Loui Louisiana Seafood in Stoneham and Allston, not to mention Atlantic Kitchen in Randolph.

As Holly Crab co-owner Ryan Kim told Eater prior to opening his Allston restaurant, this style of seafood that is gaining popularity on the East Coast is already fairly popular on the West Coast and has both Louisiana roots and Vietnamese influences. “It's Louisiana spice, but there is a Vietnamese touch to it," Kim said at the time, noting that he is Korean, not Vietnamese, but viewed it as a good business move to get into the Vietnamese-Cajun seafood arena. “It's really good because we could make it simple, provide good stuff — the freshest stuff, and we're in the right market.”

Add one more restaurant to that market: Shaking Seafood will open in December or January at 19 Poplar St. in Roslindale, previously home to Jerusalem Trading, according to Roslindale Village Main Street. The co-owners are reportedly part-owners of similar restaurants in Virginia and Georgia.

Shaking Seafood will seat 90 and may serve booze and accommodate live music, pending the appropriate permitting processes.

Stay tuned for more details on Shaking Seafood as its opening approaches — and more forthcoming restaurants in the same vein, including the two new Shaking Crab locations.

• RVMS Welcomes Shaking Seafood to Roslindale [RVMS]