When chef Adam Evans and wife/partner Suzanne Humphries Evans decided to open Automatic Seafood and Oysters in Birmingham, they did so with a goal of honoring Gulf Coast seafood and presenting it in dishes that celebrate how special it can be.

Take the fish collar. It’s a cut of meat that some see as a humble trimming, while fishermen who know – and certain cultures – hold it up as the delicacy it is.

In the hands of chef Evans, the 2022 James Beard Awards’ Best Chef: South winner, the fish collar is elevated to a new level of deliciousness.

Because Automatic Seafood uses whole fish, it has access to a multitude of fish collars – the triangular piece of fish between the gills and the main body of the fish.

Crispy Fish Collar at Automatic Seafood is one of 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

Automatic takes that cut of fish, seasons it, dredges it in the restaurant’s unique gluten-free batter and then fries it until it’s super crispy.

But it doesn’t stop there. It’s topped with Calabrian chili peppers and a butter sauce.

The Automatic Seafood and Oysters Crispy Fish Collars is a dish that has earned a spot on the Alabama Tourism Department’s list of 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama.

Automatic Seafood and Oysters was a James Beard Awards finalist for Best New Restaurant in 2020 but the pandemic prevented a winner from being named that year. (Chad Allen / Alabama News Center)