Simply Salad: From Grouper to Coconut Chicken

Let’s face it: the beach is a great place to be, especially when we’re talking about dining out. There are thousands of restaurants up and down the Pinellas Beaches.

A lot of pubs and bars serve fried goodies and guilty pleasures while other restaurants offer a more upscale menu. One item that most venues have in common is salad.

It doesn’t matter if you go to a bar or to a five-star restaurant, salad is something that you can almost always count on. The beach has many offerings in this department, but we landed on these five as our favorites:

• MadFish- 5200 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach

MadFish House Salad: Located just three blocks south of the Tradewinds resort, MadFish has a lengthy menu that offers everything from seafood to steak. Don’t forget the salads. The MadFish House Salad goes for just $3.95 and includes whole red leaf lettuce, craisins and blue cheese crumbles. Dinner at MadFish starts at 5:30 pm.

• Middlegrounds Grill- 10925 Gulf Boulevard, Treasure Island

Orchard Salad: In the heart of Treasure Island lies Middlegrounds Grill. A bit more upscale than a pub or bar, Middlegrounds offers higher quality food. The Orchard Salad is complete with spinach, arugula, radicchio, fennel and blue cheese crumbles. Scattered throughout the plate are slliced apples, pears and sprinkled with spicy walnuts. It’s $12 for the salad at Middlegrounds.

• The Hut @ John’s Pass- 190 128th Avenue East, Madeira Beach

Grouper Palm Salad: Just off the boardwalk at John’s Pass, The Hut is home to live music and good food. The Hut hosts a menu of bar food essentials along with an extensive craft beer selection. The Grouper Palm Salad lets guests choose to have the grouper cooked their way where  it will sit atop a spring mix with tomatoes and cucumbers. Other mix ins include black olives, red onions and feta cheese. The Hut has the salad going for $16.99.

• Daquiri Deck- 14995 Gulf Boulevard, Madeira Beach

Taco Salad: Just over the Tom Stewart causeway on the inter-coastal side, the Daquiri Deck is a favorite spot for locals to indulge in food, drinks and music. Noted on the “Hurricane Alley Greens” portion of the menu, the Taco Salad is marked at $8.29. Served inside of a large tortilla shell sits a mountain of lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, onions, jalepenos, salsa and cheese. The meat of the dish is seasoned ground beef and refried beans that tops it all off.

• Conch Republic- 16699 Gulf Boulevard, North Redington Beach

Island Salad: Farther north on the Pinellas Beach stretch, the Conch Republic restaurant offers patrons everything from pasta to cheesecake. The Island Salad goes for $8.95 and boasts fried chicken rolled in coconut. A hefty portion of the coconut chicken is then placed on top of romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges and almonds.