Don't Miss This Season's Seafood Specials

Seafood is always a star at the beach, but landing a special sweetens the deal.

There’s something about salt-tinged air that whets the appetite for seafood, and that doesn’t change once fall rolls around, so many restaurants feature specials that are hard to resist. Here is a sampling of what you might catch. Some specials are offered all year, others only in the off-season. Call ahead to see if the special is still available or if the restaurant has launched its off-season deals. Given the extended tourist season, many don’t start until October or even November. 

In Lewes, Striper Bites will offer clam and appetizers specials 5 p.m. to close on Thursdays during the off-season. On Friday, the “locals’ happy hour” will highlight such items as raw oysters, stuffed oysters, shrimp tacos and seafood chowder. 107 Savannah Road, Lewes, 645-4657

Striper Bites’ sister location, Kindle, is known for its popular moules frites (mussels with fries), which will be priced at $9 during Sunday dinner service. 111 Bank St., Lewes, 645-7887

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Jerry’s Seafood, also in Lewes, is generous when it comes to offering a deal on its main attractions. Consider fish-and-chips for $11 on Mondays, $14 oyster dinners on Thursdays and a lobster special for $22 on Fridays. 108 Second St., 645-7756

At the Villages of Five Points, Fish On lives up to its name with a seafood-centric menu. The restaurant offers several specials, including half-price crab cake night on Mondays. Thursday will be fried fish night, which includes dishes like fish tacos. On Wednesdays, you will be able to take 25 percent off your check, whether you get a seafood dish or not. 17300 N. Village Main Blvd., Lewes, 645-9790

Matt’s Fish Camp in Tenley Court will offer half-price crab cakes on Wednesdays and $1 oysters, plus oyster specials on Thursdays. Friday fish fries will be $17, including soup or salad and a half platter each of such beach favorites as fried oysters, fried shrimp, fried Ipswich clams, fried lobster tails or fried scallops. 34401 Tenley Court, Lewes, 644-2267

A detour down Del. 24 to JD Shuckers Seafood Grill and Raw Bar gets you shucked oysters at $1 apiece on Thursday nights all year long. The restaurant used to offer the plump deal on Fridays, but the mountain of shells grew too high to handle. 20750 John J. Williams Hwy., Lewes, 945-8850

In addition to weekday happy hours at Fins Ale House & Raw Bar on Del. 1 and Fins Fish House & Raw Bar in downtown Rehoboth, both offer happy hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Sunday. Steamed shrimp, steamed clams, raw oysters, raw clams, fish tacos and mussels marinara are a few of the temptations you’ll find at reasonable prices. (Fish tacos, for instance, are $7.99 and a dozen steamed clams are $5.99.) 243 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 226-3467; 19269 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, 227-3467

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Craft beer is the bait at The Pickled Pig on Del. 1, but the menu also reels the diners in. The restaurant holds Seafood Sunday all day long, all year long. The menu features dishes that showcase oysters, clams, shrimp and other seafood favorites. 18756 Coastal Hwy., No. 3, Rehoboth Beach, 645-5444

On Wednesdays, Crabby Dick’s on Del. 1 offers crab cake suppers for $10.99. It’s a real deal if you also buy one of the half-price bottles of wines featured that evening. 18831 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, 645-9132

During the off-season, Fork + Flask at Nage will promote a happy hour at its new large bar. Raw oysters, prepared oysters, a fish tartare and mussels might pop up on the menu, which will be offered at the bar from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It’s a deal, considering you can get a raw oyster for $1.25 or $1.50 versus $3 a piece. Most bites will cost between $6 and $9. 19730 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, 226-2037

This year, The Crab House will extend its season into the colder months. Steamed crabs are clearly the draw, yet the Del. 1 restaurant is also famous for its “Crabby Hours,” which feature $5 appetizers such as crab deviled eggs, quarter pounds of steamed shrimp, jumbo Gulf shrimp and buck-a-shuck oysters (the house’s selection). 19598 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, 227-2019

The Crab House’s older sibling, the flagship Big Fish Grill, helps diners get over hump day with its Wednesdays lobster nights. Specials include a whole Maine lobster, but you can also sample such dishes as lobster pasta, pan-seared shrimp and lobster, an 8-ounce filet with lobster and even lobster pizza. 20298 Coastal Hwy., Rehoboth Beach, 227-3474

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Shrimp is another local favorite on off-season menus.

In downtown Rehoboth, visit the iconic Blue Moon for Tasting Tuesday to get three or four courses with wine pairings for $40 to $47. The restaurant, which will celebrate its 35th-anniversary on Oct. 9, usually includes a seafood element in one or more of the courses. Sometimes there’s a theme. Or chef Lion Gardner and his team might give the tasters a sample of a future menu item. 35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-6515

At Eden Restaurant, the specials start in October. There will be a $35 prix fixe on Wednesdays, along with half-price bottles of wine. On Fridays beginning in November, Eden’s classic dishes will be offered at half the price. (Ahi tuna is one of them.) 23 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-3330

Eden’s sister, Jam Bistro, will hold its bistro night on Thursdays with two courses for $19. On Sundays all entrées will be $15. Selections might include shrimp-and-grits, pan-seared Scottish salmon and Caribbean-jerked mahi-mahi. 21 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 226-5266

Nearby Café Azafran has enough specials to make a seafood aficionado swoon, from surf-and-turf night for $26 on Monday to paella ($30) night on Wednesday and Sunday. Friday? Seafood night, of course. 18 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-8100

On Rehoboth Avenue, The Summer House is celebrated for its half-price burgers, offered all day and evening on Mondays. But this delectable deal isn’t just for meat-eaters. Salmon burgers and tuna burgers are also available. 228 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 227-3895

Up the street, Lupo Italian Kitchen will offer 25 percent off the check on Mondays, so feel free to order the grilled whole branzino, clams and linguini with anchovies, or lobster bucatini. 247 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 226-2240

In Bethany Beach, the tapas menu at Sedona is the ideal way to tuck into delicious dishes without breaking the bank. Consider seared rare tuna on crispy wontons for $10, scallops with arugula and lemon-thyme vinaigrette for $12 and shrimp scampi for $9. 26 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Bethany Beach, 539-1200

Starting in October Off the Hook will offer $2 fish tacos on Monday nights. 769 Garfield Pkwy., Bethany Beach, 829-1424

The restaurant’s newest sister, Hooked Up Ale House & Raw Bar, will feature $5 cheesesteaks on Wednesdays. 38069 Town Center Drive, Millville, 539-4111

Their sibling to the south, Just Hooked, will spotlight $10 cioppino on Tuesdays. 1500 Del. 1, Fenwick Island, 581-0098

All the Hooked restaurants will feature three-course dinners for $18 on Sundays. Given the name, you can expect a seafood dish or two.

At Catch 54 in Fenwick Island, oyster night will fall on Tuesdays. Along with buck-a-shuck raw oysters, you’ll find oyster specials such as po’ boys and oyster stew. 38931 Madison Ave., Selbyville, 436-8600

Next door at Papa Grande’s Coastal Taqueria, fajita nights on Friday will include at least two choices. One is usually seafood or shrimp. 38929 Madison Ave., Selbyville, 436-7272

At Nantucket’s, also in Fenwick Island, take a seat before 5:45 p.m. to get $5 off any regular entrée, such as Nantucket’s bouillabaisse, lobster shepherd’s pie or cod roasted in cast iron. 501 Coastal Hwy., Fenwick Island, 3539-2607

For more off-season deals, check out the Cheap Eats page on the Rehoboth Foodie’s website, rehobothfoodie.com, which will be updated this fall to reflect the seasonal changes.

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