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Chef Daniel Le’s Essex Pearl Lands at Market 57
April 15, 2025, 9:21.42 am ET

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Photos: Market 57

As you enter the Market 57 food hall, one of the first things you’ll spot is Essex Pearl, Chef Daniel Le’s modern lobster shack. If the name sounds familiar, it should — Le previously operated the original Essex Pearl at Essex Market, which closed in April 2024 in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Now, Le tells Cititour, “I love this new location because it fits us perfectly — right on the pier, seafood, water — it all goes hand in hand.” Here, Le blends culinary traditions from the coastal villages of Indonesia and Vietnam with the modern flavors of Singapore.

“One of our biggest signatures is my lobster roll. It’s not Connecticut-style. It’s not Maine-style. It’s kinda my style,” Le says. His version combines a mix of mayonnaise and butter with bold Southeast Asian flavors. It’s served on a toasted, butter-slathered brioche bun.

Another standout is the Blue Claw Crab Salad roll, seasoned with black pepper, ginger, and galangal (a rhizome in the ginger family). It’s finished with an herb chimichurri made from Thai basil, coriander, and mint, then topped with toasted coconut and crispy fried shallots. “It’s one of the most underrated rolls, I believe,” says Le. Essex Pearl is also offering a Shrimp Patty burger with additional dishes to follow once ventillation is installed for the fryers.

Don’t skip the seafood bisque — the sleeper hit on the menu — brimming with chunks of fresh lobster, fish, shrimp, scallops, and calamari, depending on what’s fresh. Le makes the bisque from lobster bodies, pure coconut milk, red Holland chilies, galangal, shallots, garlic, and a touch of fish oil. It’s topped with what he calls his signature “crunch”: fried shallots, garlic, and galangal, finished with a sprinkle of Thai basil. We tried it — and it’s simply amazing.

All of the seafood at Essex Pearl is provided by Aqua Best, a partner in the restaurant, and known as one of the premier seafood purveyors in New York City.

Chef Le’s cooking is crisp, clean, and flavor-packed, with just the right amount of heat — making Essex Pearl a must-stop if you’re visiting Market 57 or nearby Little Island. See more of our interview with Chef Le here:

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