You can get fish and chips all over the city, including at several different places named Spud, which share a common ancestor in an Alki shop run by a couple of English brothers that opened in the 1930s. But forget the tangled history and head to the sleek, recently redesigned Spud on Green Lake, which does everything right, from the flaky Alaskan cod to the crispy batter to the hand-cut fries. There’s nothing fancy about this place (unless you count the natural wine), and the menu is basically, “how much fish do you want?” but we challenge you to find better fried fish in Seattle.

This rustic-chic Fremont restaurant, with its two floors of exposed wooden beams and a covered patio, evokes a fishing lodge, a fitting nod to chef Eric Donnelly’s passion for the outdoors (he also owns FlintCreek in Greenwood). Not surprisingly, RockCreek sources and prepares all of its seafood thoughtfully, whether it’s lightly fried squid from Rhode Island served in a Chinese-style takeout box with a sweet soy sauce or sturgeon from the Columbia River with an herb-peppercorn crust and parsnip puree. The cocktail game here is strong, too.

Fremont’s Local Tide is a seafood dream, a former pop-up that drew long lines in particular for its impeccable Dungeness crab roll with house mayo on a griddled split-top bun, currently available in limited quantities Friday through Sunday. Owner Victor Steinbrueck, who shares a name with his grandfather — the architect who led the charge to protect Pike Place Market from demolition in the 1960s — has melded fast-casual vibes with painstaking sourcing and prep for a concise menu of hits from a rockfish banh mi to salmon teriyaki over red rice. This attention to detail carries through to the design, which shines thanks to touches like light fixtures carved by Steinbrueck’s brother.

On Seattle menus, the term “local” has started to lose some of its significance, a welcome side effect of a movement to prioritize ingredients sourced close by. Nevertheless, Seabird, Brendan McGill’s Bainbridge Island restaurant, has upped the ante, winning a recent Eater Award in 2022 for its ocean-to-table approach. Even the house martini’s local gin benefits from an infusion of shellfish.

The sushi list at this Hawaiian-influenced Belltown restaurant leans opulent and gleefully nontraditional — on any given evening, the specials board is likely to read “stuffed,” “topped,” “fried,” and “drizzled,” all in reference to the same roll — but don’t let the flash distract from the solid execution; some of the best items on this menu are the most understated, like the hamachi sashimi. Owner Kyle “Yosh” Yoshimura, of the Yoshimura family behind the recently closed Mutual Fish Company, managed to keep Ohana afloat amid pandemic shockwaves, cementing its status as a beloved cornerstone of Belltown nightlife. Ohana expanded to the Eastside in 2015, and the Issaquah location has earlier hours and less rowdy vibes.

More than a century old and now the country’s largest purveyor of farmed shellfish, Taylor Shellfish Farms and its handful of hip oyster bars (in Pioneer Square, Capitol Hill, and Queen Anne) are an educational experience. Be sure to ask lots of questions about the many Kumamotos, tiny native Olympias, and other types of locally grown oysters available on the half shell. If you want something a little heartier to go with your Bloody Mary, try geoduck chowder or a fried oyster po’ boy.

This new restaurant from Dan and Jackie Mallahan sources everything from the farms and waters around Puget Sound, so naturally the ever-changing menu tends to lean heavily on seafood. The black cod (fished by members of the Makah Nation), is so tender it’s almost creamy, with skin that’s crispy and bursting with flavor. It’s a terrific piece of fish, served in halibut bone broth for an extra dose of fishiness.

Gather a group and secure your bib for this one: The joyously messy Viet-Cajun seafood boil reigns at Hiep Ngo’s Crawfish House in White Center. Order seafood by the pound — including regional delicacies like Dungeness crab and, from May to October, signal crawfish, the only one native to the Pacific Northwest — and add sauces like garlic butter or Tango, a house specialty with tamarind for a sweet-savory tartness. The extensive menu also features the likes of seafood egg rolls, oysters fresh or fried in po’ boys, clam chowder, and fried catfish with crawfish etouffee.