Panama City Beach Seafood

Panama City Beach seafood is some of the best in the world. Fresh fish caught locally is supplemented with delicacies from around the region and around the country.  You can visit famous local restaurants or stop by a Panama City Beach seafood market and try your hand at local cuisine.  If you go fishing you can even have your catch prepared for you.

Local Catches

Fresh caught Gulf seafood is what Panama City Beach is all about. Locally caught snapper, grouper, mahi mahi, swordfish and even shark can be found on the menus of local restaurants and in our local seafood markets.  Try them grilled, fried or blackened (cooked over high heat in butter and cajun spices) or you visit some of the area’s well know fine dining establishments for new interpretations of these local favorites. Be sure look for local shrimp, scallops and crawfish too.

Lobster and Crab

Lobster and crab can be a little more confusing because although both of these can be found locally or regionally, restaurants and markets in the area often choose to import other popular species as well.  The little crabs you see on the beach are known as ghost crabs or sand crabs and aren’t much for eating but the estuary areas to the north of town are known for their delicious blue crabs.  You can find these in some seafood markets and served up in local restaurants along with the popular imported snow crab legs.  Lobster is a similar story because although Florida does have its own local rock lobsters, the lobster you’re most likely to find served up in Panama City Beach is imported Maine lobster.  It’s easy to tell the difference because our Florida rock lobsters don’t have claws.

Apalachicola Oysters

Not far to the southeast of Panama city Beach lies the famous Apalachicola Bay, one of the greatest oyster grounds in the country. These prize oysters are served up fresh all over Panama City Beach along with oysters flown in form farther away.