The Boil Daddy isn’t just landlocked, it’s noncoastal in a strip mall; nonetheless, it’s all about seafood, primarily crustaceans.

This small, casual restaurant features a shellfish-centric menu with some items boasting Creole or Hawaiian flavors. Despite the name The Boil Daddy, the majority of items are fried.

The bill of fare is divided into two main sections, with a few subsets. There’s World Famous Daddy’s Catch and Daddy’s All Day Long. The former involves a multistep mix and match process. This includes not only deciding which catch to choose, but the quantity as well: half pound or full pound.

After choosing the seafood, select a sauce: garlic butter, Cajun or Daddy’s, which is a combination of both. It’s also necessary to name which level of spice. These range from original to OMG!, which is considered extra spicy and is nonrefundable. Interesting.

The final step is to decide whether to opt for a side, which is an extra charge.

After all of that we took the easier route and ordered from the All Day Long part of the menu. This, too, required some decisions to be made, just not as many.

We started with the crab cake appetizer ($9), which was my favorite part of the meal. Two, thick cookie-size patties drizzled with remoulade were nicely fried. The crispy exterior belied the soft, savory crab meat filling. This came with a choice of garlic or regular fries.

Daddy’s Shrimp Bowl ($16) included whole red potatoes, sausages and rice. I expected an actual bowl with everything atop the rice. Instead, a large mound of white rice was on one side of a plate and on the other side, an ever bigger serving of the shrimp, spuds and sausages smothered in Daddy’s sauce.

There was a choice of sauces with this entree and I opted for the combo, which proved to be spicier than expected.

I attempted to mix everything together for rice to be part of each bite, but the shape of the plate made it difficult. A bowl was missed.

Still, the shrimp was plump and juicy, the potatoes well cooked and the long slices for sausage nearly hidden by the sauce.

The fried calamari basket ($16) also came with a choice of fries. This was a considerable amount of food. What was most impressive was the only evidence the components had been fried was the crunchy, golden exterior of the calamari rings. Nothing was greasy or slick.

The only thing missing was some kind of sauce to go with the fried squid. As an afterthought, we ordered some of the Cajun, which, unfortunately, didn’t do the calamari justice.

The place is bright with colorful posters of lobsters adorning some of the walls. Tables are lined with sheets of waxed paper; each table has a plastic-lined bucket for discarding shells and tails. Plastic gloves and bibs are also provided.

Service was inconsistent. Our server was initially attentive but there was no follow-up after our food arrived.

The Boil Daddy

Casual seafood for dining in or takeout.

Location: 5996 Stetson Hills Blvd.

Contact: 719-698-0957; theboildaddy.com

Prices: $8 to $65 ; family feast meals $82 to $212

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 daily.

Details: Credit cards accepted. Beer and wine. Wi-Fi.

Favorite dishes: Crab cakes.

Other: Gluten-free options available.