If there is one thing that Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island do better than almost anywhere else on the Gulf Coast, it is fresh seafood
Not the frozen-and-reheated kind. Not the chain restaurant kind. The real kind, pulled from the Gulf of Mexico that morning, served with a view of the same water it came from.
We have been helping families vacation on the Emerald Coast for over 20 years at Brooks & Shorey Resorts. In that time, we have eaten at almost every seafood restaurant in Fort Walton Beach, sent thousands of guests to our favorite spots, and learned exactly which places are worth your time, and which ones are just trading on a pretty view.
This guide is the honest answer to the question we get asked most often at check-in:
“Where should we actually eat seafood around here?”
Why Fort Walton Beach Seafood Is Different
Most people know Destin is called the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village.” What fewer people know is that the waters right off Okaloosa Island, the barrier island where our condos sit, are the same emerald Gulf waters that produce some of the freshest catches available anywhere on the Florida Panhandle.
The reason the seafood here tastes different from what you get at home is simple: the fish did not travel far. Local restaurants and markets source directly from Gulf fishing fleets operating out of Destin Harbor, just a few miles east. When a grouper was caught this morning and is on your plate tonight, you can taste the difference.
What Fresh Seafood Is In Season in June
If you are visiting the Emerald Coast in June, you are arriving at one of the best moments of the year for fresh Gulf seafood. Here is what is at peak freshness right now:
Gulf Shrimp → June marks the height of shrimp season. Gulf shrimp are sweet, tender, and available in abundance. You will find them boiled, grilled, fried, and in gumbo at nearly every restaurant on this list.
Mahi-Mahi → One of the most prized catches of the summer season. Mahi has a firm, mild flesh that holds up beautifully to blackening, grilling, or fish tacos. If a restaurant has it fresh on the menu in June, order it.
Red Snapper → A Gulf Coast classic. Red snapper season is in full swing by June, and it is widely considered one of the finest eating fish in the Gulf of Mexico.
Grouper → A staple of every serious seafood restaurant on the Emerald Coast. Grouper is meaty, white-fleshed, and incredibly versatile. The blackened grouper sandwich is a local institution.
Cobia → Less well-known than snapper or grouper but prized by local anglers and chefs. If you see it on a menu, try it.
Fresh Oysters → Gulf oysters are available year-round in Fort Walton Beach, and while summer is not their absolute peak, most local restaurants source them carefully. Chargrilled oysters are a specific local delicacy worth ordering.
Where Locals Actually Eat Seafood in Fort Walton
Beach
1. The Crab Trap, Okaloosa Island (Right on The Boardwalk)
If you are staying in one of our condos on Okaloosa Island, The Crab Trap is the restaurant you can walk to. It sits perched above the white sand right at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island, with two levels of dining and a view of the Gulf that makes every meal better.
The Crab Trap has been a local institution since it opened its first location in Destin in 1991. What makes it stand out from other seafood restaurants is their own wild fish processing facility, the Seafood Commissary, located right at The Boardwalk. The fish on your plate came through their own facility, which means the chain from Gulf to table is as short as it gets.
What to order: The Seafood Gumbo is award-winning and genuinely one of the best bowls of gumbo on the Emerald Coast. The signature crab cakes are made with 85% crab meat. The blackened grouper is what the regulars order.
Best for: Families, couples, casual dinners, and anyone who wants a great meal they can walk to from the beach.
2. Boshamps Seafood & Oyster House, Destin Harbor
About 20 minutes east of Fort Walton Beach, right on the Destin Harbor, Boshamps is what happens when a family with 40 years of restaurant experience decides to strip away the formality and just make great food in a great setting.
Owner Miller Phillips transformed what was formerly a white-tablecloth fine dining restaurant into one of the most beloved casual dining experiences on the Emerald Coast. The restaurant has four tiered decks that step down toward the water, giving you panoramic views of the Destin Harbor and the fishing fleet coming in.
The philosophy here is Gulf-to-Table Southern Cuisine, and they mean it. The oysters are shucked to order. The grouper is sourced locally. The atmosphere is lively but relaxed, the kind of place where kids are genuinely welcome and the sunset is part of the dining experience.
What to order: The Oysters Boshamps, baked with caramelized Vidalia onions, Alabama feta cheese, and house-made bacon marmalade, are widely regarded as one of the best single bites of food available on the Emerald Coast. Also, the Original Snapper Destin is a house specialty worth ordering.
Best for: Sunset dinners, couples, date nights, any occasion where you want a memorable waterfront experience.
3. AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, Destin Harbor
Since 1984, AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar has grown from a small oyster shack on the Destin Harbor into one of the most iconic seafood destinations on the Emerald Coast, and for good reason.
AJ’s is the restaurant that has the energy. Live music, a sprawling waterfront setting, a full bar, and a menu that covers everything from freshly shucked raw oysters to grilled mahi-mahi to award-winning seafood gumbo. It is loud and lively in the best possible way, the kind of place where a dinner turns into a two-hour event without anyone noticing.
It is also one of the most family-friendly spots on the harbor, with outdoor seating that gives kids room to move while parents enjoy their meal.
What to order: The raw oysters are the starting point for any AJ’s meal. The Grilled Mahi-Mahi is consistently excellent when it is running fresh. The AJ’s Award-Winning Seafood Gumbo is a worthy competitor to The Crab Trap’s version, try both and decide.
Best for: Groups, families, anyone who wants great food with great atmosphere and live music.
4. Old Bay Steamer, Okaloosa Island
For a more casual, no-frills seafood experience right on Okaloosa Island, Old Bay Steamer is the local’s choice. It is the restaurant that tourists often walk past because it does not look flashy from the outside, which is precisely why locals love it.
The concept is simple: fresh Gulf seafood, generously portioned, steamed or fried to order. The steamer platters are the centerpiece of the menu, piled high with shrimp, crab legs, corn, and potatoes. The crab-stuffed mushrooms are a hidden gem that regulars always order.
Old Bay Steamer is located at 102 Santa Rosa Blvd on Okaloosa Island, close enough to most of our condo properties to make it a genuine weeknight option when you do not feel like cooking or driving.
What to order: The Steamers for One (or Two) is the definitive experience here. Shrimp, oysters, and crab legs steamed together. The seafood nachos are an underrated starter.
Best for: Casual family dinners, budget-conscious meals that do not sacrifice quality, local experience over tourist polish.
5. Harbor Docks, Destin
Harbor Docks has been locally sourcing food for more than 40 years and operating a wholesale seafood market since 1981. This is about as direct-from-the-Gulf as restaurant dining gets on the Emerald Coast.
Their seafood is harvested directly from the Gulf of Mexico, unloaded at their own docks, cleaned in their market on-site, and served upstairs in the restaurant. There is no step in between. The relationships they have built with local commercial fishermen over four decades are what make the quality here consistent year after year.
This is a quieter, less touristy restaurant than some of the Destin Harbor showstoppers, and that is part of its appeal. The focus is entirely on the food.
What to order: Whatever the daily catch is. At Harbor Docks, the daily specials reflect what came off the boats that morning. That is always the right answer
Best for: Serious seafood eaters, repeat visitors who want the best possible freshness, anyone who appreciates simple excellence over spectacle.
Want to Cook It Yourself? Where to Buy Fresh Seafood
One of the most underappreciated advantages of staying in a fully equipped condo at Brooks & Shorey Resorts is the kitchen. When you have a real kitchen, you can do something that hotel guests cannot: buy fresh Gulf seafood in the morning and cook it yourself that evening.
It costs a fraction of a restaurant meal. It tastes just as good. And a condo dinner on the balcony with the Gulf as your backdrop is one of the most memorable meals you will have on any vacation.
Here is where to buy the best fresh seafood near Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island:
Blalock Seafood & Specialty Market, Destin
Blalock Seafood is a beloved local market that sources directly from Gulf fishing fleets. They carry fresh shrimp, fish, and shellfish, and will steam shrimp and crab legs for you right there if you want to skip the cooking. They are one of the most trusted names among Destin residents for quality and freshness.
Destin Ice House, Destin
Destin Ice has been serving locals and visitors since around 1984. They are known for consistent quality, friendly staff, and a selection that reflects what is actually fresh that day. Their smoked tuna dip is a cult item among Destin regulars, buy a container to bring back to the condo.
Gulf Coast Seafood, Fort Walton Beach
Located right in Fort Walton Beach, Gulf Coast Seafood sources directly from Fort Walton Beach-based fishing crews. This is as local as it gets, they buy directly from the fishermen, which means you are getting the freshest possible product without paying the full restaurant markup.
Sea Market, Destin
Sea Market (also known as Fresh Fish Destin) is open 364 days a year, seven days a week, on Emerald Coast Parkway in Destin. For guests who want the widest selection of fresh and specialty seafood, this is the market with the deepest inventory.
The Beach-to-Table Experience: The Most Memorable Meal of Your Trip
Here is something we suggest to every guest who asks about seafood:
One morning, instead of going out for breakfast, drive to one of the local seafood markets listed above. Pick up fresh Gulf shrimp, a grouper fillet, or whatever looks best that day. Spend the afternoon at the beach. Then, as the sun starts to fall toward the horizon, cook dinner in your condo kitchen.
Set the table on the balcony. Open a bottle of something cold. Watch the Gulf turn pink.
That dinner, the one you cooked yourself, with fish that was swimming in the Gulf that morning, eaten with the same water visible through the sliding door, is the one guests talk about every time they come back.
It is also why a condo with a full kitchen is not just a convenience. It is one of the best reasons to stay with us.
Browse our condos on Okaloosa Island and find the one with the kitchen and balcony that
will make that dinner possible.
A Few Practical Tips Before You Go
Arrive early at popular spots. The Crab Trap, Boshamps, and AJ’s do not take reservations for most tables, and they fill up fast on summer evenings, especially on weekends. Arrive before 6pm or be prepared to wait.
Ask what came in today. At any good seafood restaurant in the area, it is completely normal to ask your server what is freshest. They will tell you. The daily catch board or daily specials are always where you find the best value.
Trust local restaurants over chains. If you see a national seafood chain on your drive, keep going. The independently owned restaurants and local markets on this list are operating on reputation built over decades in this community. That is a very different standard than a corporate franchise.
Pair your meal with the view. The best seafood meal in Fort Walton Beach is not the most expensive one. It is the one eaten while watching the sun go down over the Gulf. Prioritize setting as much as the menu.
Plan Your Seafood Trip from Okaloosa Island
All of the restaurants on this list are within 20 minutes of our beachfront condos on Okaloosa Island. When you stay with Brooks & Shorey Resorts, you are not just booking a condo, you are booking a home base for the full Emerald Coast experience, including the freshest seafood on the Gulf Coast.
We have been helping families eat well here for over 20 years. These are the places we actually recommend.
Check availability and book your Okaloosa Island condo, and arrive hungry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What seafood is fresh in Fort Walton Beach in June?
In June, Gulf shrimp, mahi-mahi, red snapper, grouper, and cobia are all in peak season. Most local restaurants update their menus daily to reflect what came off the boats that morning.
Where can I buy fresh seafood near Okaloosa Island?
The closest options are Gulf Coast Seafood in Fort Walton Beach and Blalock Seafood in Destin. Both source directly from local Gulf fishing crews and carry fresh daily inventory.
Can I cook seafood in my vacation condo?
Yes, all Brooks & Shorey condo rentals come with fully equipped kitchens. Many of our guests buy fresh seafood from local markets and cook it themselves, which is one of the most memorable parts of an Okaloosa Island vacation.
What is the best restaurant for families with kids in Fort Walton Beach?
The Crab Trap on Okaloosa Island and AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar in Destin are both genuinely family-friendly, with outdoor seating, kids’ menu options, and a casual atmosphere where children are welcome.
Is the seafood in Fort Walton Beach actually fresh?
Yes, this is one of the main reasons the Emerald Coast has been a food destination for decades. Destin is home to one of Florida’s largest commercial fishing fleets, and most local restaurants source directly from those fleets. When you ask your server what came in today, they will have a real answer.
How far are the seafood restaurants from Brooks & Shorey condos?
The Crab Trap is walkable from most Okaloosa Island properties. Old Bay Steamer is a 5-minute drive. Boshamps, AJ’s, and the Destin seafood markets are all within 15–20 minutes.
Brooks & Shorey Resorts has been the locally owned, award-winning vacation rental company on Okaloosa Island for over 20 years. We have been named “Finest on the Emerald Coast” nine consecutive years. Browse our beachfront condos and plan your stay.
