SILVERDALE — A pair of South Kitsap restauranteurs are bringing their unique approach to cooking seafood to Oldtown Silverdale.

Kettlefish, a new fast-casual seafood restaurant on Byron Street, takes its name from the steam kettle process used to cook its made-to-order cioppino, bouillabaisse, shellfish and signature “Pacific pan roast.”

“This is an old-school way of cooking from back east and down south when everything was powered by steam,” Kettlefish co-owner Paddy O’Brien said.

O’Brien and Dave Montoure are longtime restauranteurs and recent transplants to Kitsap County. O’Brien has owned several Irish pubs and Montoure operates The West 5, a bar and restaurant in West Seattle.

The pair eyed Kitsap for its natural abundance of shellfish and cheaper costs — but also because they spied a hole in the seafood market here.

"We really felt like Kitsap County was lacking seafood options and with all the oyster beds and everything around us we really wanted to take advantage of that and bring that to Silverdale," O'Brien said.

The kettles work by harnessing superheated steam to quickly cook food. Steam is pumped into the lining of a jacketed steel basin, indirectly heating the contents as the steam circulates. Temperatures can eclipse 200 degrees in 30 seconds and most dishes take six to eight minutes to cook start to finish.

“It’s fast, you don’t overcook, it smells amazing, and people enjoy watching it,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien discovered the technique at an oyster bar in Nevada that had been using steam kettles for several years. The original owner of that oyster bar had taken the idea from East Coast seafood restaurants.

“I'm like, this sounds good but I'm more of an Irish pub guy, I never saw myself doing this at the time,” O’Brien said. “And then we went down there, and I went ‘Oh man, this is really good.’”

In addition to the steam kettle dishes, customers can choose from Northwest-style fish and chips, prawn and chips or oysters and chips. Kettlefish also has three beers on tap plus two wines and a cider.  

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Kettlefish’s signature dish is the “Pacific pan roast,” a local take on the popular east coast seafood stew. This version is a buttery mixture of oysters, shrimp and cod with horseradish, cocktail sauce and a touch of Tabasco.

“It's something that we titled ‘Pacific pan roast’ to just kind of make it our own,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien and Montoure fused the steam kettle idea with a traditional fish and chips takeout shop to create a “fast-casual” seafood spot. While seating is limited on site, the owners hope customers will take advantage of Kettlefish’s location.

“The waterfront park is really great for us for folks that want to come down and enjoy the amenities and public facilities down here, it’s a great place to grab a bite to eat and go down and enjoy Oldtown Silverdale,” Montoure said.

Customers will soon be able to order to go online, and Kettlefish is considering partnering with UberEats or other food delivery services, Montoure said.

The Old Town location is planned to be the first of many. Eventually, O’Brien and Montoure hope to expand Kettlefish to the rest of Kitsap and beyond.

“Right now we’re very focused on getting this operation off the ground, listening to our guests and our clientele and making sure we have a product that’s really in tune with what our consumers want here,” Montoure said.

Kettlefish held its soft opening April 29 and is planning a larger celebration for the weekend of June 14. Reactions have been positive so far. 

“We just put some balloons out and opened the doors and we’ve been busy every day,” O’Brien said.