Our Best Seafood Restaurants and Towns

Baltimore, Maryland, is well-known for several things: its inner harbor, being home to Johns Hopkins University, and its delicious recipe for crab cakes.

With the city's close proximity to Chesapeake Bay, it's hard not to find a restaurant that isn't serving up fresh crab in Baltimore. No matter how you like it, head to Obrycki's, but make sure you try the crab cakes!

Try it at home: Maryland crab cakes with creamy caper-dill sauce.

The fifteenth largest metropolis in the United States, Seattle, Washington, is both beautiful and bustling. With the Pacific Ocean as a neighbor, Seattle residents are spoiled with a constant source of fresh seafood.

Situated along the water, Pike Place Market is a protected historic district that serves as the heartbeat of Seattle. Make sure you watch the fish being tossed from worker to worker as employees bring in and position the latest catches.

Try it at home: Grilled wild salmon with cucumber-avocado salsa.

You might not go to San Francisco, California, solely for the seafood, but since you’ve got to eat while you're there, you might as well try cioppino, a local specialty. Traditionally made from the catch of the day, cioppino is a tomato-based fish stew filled with a plethora of tasty seafood.

Serving up a hefty portion of cioppino is Scoma’s, located at Fisherman’s Wharf.  Following a modest early life as a coffee shop, Scoma’s has grown to be a celebrity hotspot for fresh, delicious seafood.

Try it at home: Mother's cioppino.

Do you know where the shrimp comes from that you buy at the store? There's a good chance that it's from South Carolina.

Charleston restaurants serve up both incredibly fresh shrimp and a world-famous Low Country boil, which consists of shrimp, chunks of corn, sausage, potatoes, and lots of Old Bay seasoning.

While you're in Charleston, stop by the Charleston Crab House to sample some of their good ol' Low Country boil.

Try it at home: Low Country boil.

Located along the majestic Mississippi River, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is steeped in history and great seafood. Locals love to catch live crawfish and serve them up Cajun-style, and they're happy to teach newcomers how to eat them like a native.

To sample some of the region's best Cajun crawfish, make a point to stop at Boutin’s Cajun Restaurant.

Try it at home: Cajun / Creole recipes.

It's one of the most dangerous and deadliest professions, but catching King Crab is what Alaskans do best. Not only do they know how to obtain it, but Alaskans also know the most luscious ways to serve it. Seward, Alaska, is the setting for Homestead, a locally loved restaurant that serves King Crab legs fresh from the sea.

Try it at home: King Crab with lemon grass-ginger butter and roasted potatoes.

With its pristine waters protected by government laws, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, boasts some of the best terrain for catching fresh lobster, mussels, and many other seafood favorites.

See why Halifax’s population of well over 100,000 people loves living by the sea, and dine out with them at Bish World Cuisine. Treat yourself and indulge in the lobster!

Try it at home: Roasted lobster tails with ginger dipping sauce.

Boston, Massachusetts, throws the best tea parties and offers some of the best oysters too! Promising good things fresh from the Atlantic, Boston boasts many raw bars that offer a variety of ways to serve oysters.

Check out East Coast Grill & Raw Bar next time you're in the area, and don’t be afraid to slurp down some deliciousness.

Try it at home: Grilled oysters.

Key West, Florida, has always been a favored spot for vacationers, thanks to its warm weather, clear waters, and sunny skies. Key West, like most cities on the ocean, has great, if exotic, seafood options, including conch. Try the many ways that "conchs" (also the nickname for local residents) serve up conch – including conch fritters, cracked conch, and conch chowder. Also, don’t miss out on the terrific menu at Mangoes – a popular seafood restaurant in the Keys.

Try it at home: Conch fritters.

If you're from other parts of the States, you may never have heard of a famous fish from our northern neighbors called walleye. It's popular all over Michigan, Wisconsin, and Missouri, among other places, and is a prime player in weekly fish fries. 

To try some fresh from the Great Lakes, head to Great Lakes Shipping Co. Restaurant & Tavern in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where you can try the local specialty made crisp and juicy with frying, the most popular way to serve it.

Try it at home: Fried fish sandwiches.