A look at the 2 Carters Fish Restaurant and Food Trailer
Fred Carter has always loved to cook, and was known in his church for some of the best fried fish around.
“The pastor said to me one day, ‘You have to sell this fish,’” Carter said. “I thought, ‘I can’t sell this fish.’ I enjoyed cooking so much.”
But the more he thought about it, the more he and his wife, Delicia, thought it might work, and the dream took off.
Now, Carter 2 runs Carter’s Fish, a restaurant on Tuscaloosa Avenue.
2 Carter Fish—named after Fred and Delicia—started small, setting up a single stove and pot, and cooking under a tent.
As much as Fred loved to cook, always preparing big meals for his family, Delicia said it wasn’t something she ever had to do.
“I grew up in a big family of good cooks, and I didn’t have to cook,” she said, laughing. “They did all the cooking, and they didn’t pass that talent on to me.”
It was an easy transition, though, when the couple started cooking at a few events around town, still under the tent. About two years ago, Fred had a custom food trailer and started going to events like First Friday, First Saturday at Carver Square and other festivals. It’s one of the favorites now on Third Thursdays at The Venue at Coosa Landing, a monthly food truck gathering.
“Once we got into the food cart, we were able to get a few more items on the menu,” said Delicia. They added chicken wings, which soon came with the fried fish.
After two years of cooking from the food trailer, Fred and Delicia decide it’s time for a restaurant.
After some renovations and repairs, it opened in April at the old Penny Profit grill at 721 Tuscaloosa Ave.
The limited space in the food trailer restricted the number of menu items they could offer. With more space in the restaurant, they were able to expand the menu to include more items such as loaded okra.
It is one of my favorite and most unique things. Farid serves fried okra, which is topped with cheese, peppers, and ranch dressing, similar to French fries.
“Everyone loved it,” he said.
In addition to fried fish and fried shrimp, 2 Carters Fish offers side dishes like baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, and grits and grits.
They’ve also added seafood okra, shrimp in garlic butter, shrimp grits, and seafood pasta.
No matter the menu, Carter’s puts God and love into their cooking and service.
“We’ll give you our best,” Delicia said. “When people enter our restaurant, they will feel loved and will be greeted with a smile. We try to give all our customers the feeling of being at home.”
The restaurant is open from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturdays, and Carters continues to haul their food trailer to various events around town.
