The Salty Net in Fulton specializes in seafood, but has something for everyone
Mar. 1—FULTON — Terry Larabee spent most of his career in education. He taught and coached in schools in North Mississippi and was the superintendent of education in both Meridian and Philadelphia.
In 2013, he left public education and went to work for an educational software company for the next seven years.
And then in late 2021, he got the crazy idea to open a seafood restaurant in Fulton, his hometown. The Salty Net has been going strong since it opened its doors in January 2022.
"The joke here is, when I'm asked why I did this, I say, 'I had a lapse in judgment,'" Larabee said. "Because the truth is, I really don't know what it is I'm doing."
The Salty Net is located at 107 N. Cummings St. in downtown Fulton. It's open Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
"When I was a coach, we did a lot of barbecue competitions and catering, but I got out of that when I got into administration," said Larabee, 57. "When I retired, I started tinkering with it again."
Larabee decided to focus on seafood because he has some friends who have seafood restaurants, and they were able to give him lots of help and advice.
"The menu we have now is pretty much what we started with," he said. "We added steaks and hamburgers because we had big groups come in, and if one didn't eat seafood, they didn't have any options. I was skeptical about adding a hamburger to the menu, because Fulton has so many burger places. I decided if we were going to offer a hamburger, it was going to be the best hamburger. We only use ground chuck, because it has more flavor. It's turned out to be a good seller."
Larabee's wife, Aleksandra, is the artsy one in the family. She festooned the restaurant with beachy decor, and she's also the one responsible for the fancy desserts on the weekends.
"All I wanted to do was sell shrimp and crawfish, but then my wife got involved," Larabee said, laughing. "She does things like strawberry tart with vanilla bean white chocolate mousse, and blueberry creme brulee. And these little chocolate fish everybody loves."
And while those desserts add a sweet touch to the end of an evening, it's the seafood that folks keep coming back for.
Popular appetizers include crispy, sweet and spicy dynamite shrimp; crab claws sauteed in a butter and garlic sauce; and both raw and charbroiled oysters, when they're in season.
Bestselling entrees include the surf and turf — a 10 ounce ribeye with a skewer of grilled or fried shrimp; crab legs with potatoes and corn; and the grilled chicken salad.
Most weeks, either Friday or Saturday night, an acoustic guitar player will entertain guests.
"We've had finalists from 'The Voice,' and 'American Idol' people here," he said.
Larabee said many of his customers are locals, but some also come from Hamilton and Sulligent, Alabama, as well as Booneville, Tupelo and Pontotoc.
"We'll have people come in here really dressed up and others in cutoff shorts, and that's what I want," Larabee said. "We want everybody to come here and be comfortable."
