We just returned from researching and exploring some of the Best Seafood in Monterey Country, California and have some amazing recommendations on where to eat for an amazing meal in this region.
Monterey’s historic fisherman created the booming canned fish and sardine industry almost a century ago.
Local fisherman and Cannery Row were a vital part of Monterey and the regional growth in the early 1900s.
The waters were so plentiful, but high demand in WWII eventually led to overfishing in the area. Supplies of abalone and sardines started to disappear, causing a halt and ultimately the demise of the canning industry in the Monterey region.
Today, locals have learned the importance of fishing vs. protecting the waters below.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program now helps to put a focus on sustainable seafood harvesting and fishing practices.
Fresh fish and seafood aren’t the only things that stunning Monterey Country is known for.
It’s also known as the salad bowl of the country with loads of fresh produce.
In fact, 75% of the world’s artichokes come from Monterey. The strong focus on agriculture has also contributed to the country’s vibrant wine scene.
When you mix together fresh vegetables, tasty wine, and local fish and seafood from the coast, you have a trifecta of amazing dining options when it comes to restaurants featuring the best seafood in Monterey County.
Foray Restaurant
Foray is the top restaurant to visit if you’re looking for a fine dining restaurant.
Located in Carmel-By-The-Sea, this restaurant features both a formal tasting menu as well as a la carte options that celebrate the region’s forests and oceans.
Each Monday, chef Michael goes foraging with Falco, his cute truffle dog. We were lucky enough to join him one morning to hunt for natural treasures to complement the dishes.
We pushed through thick areas of poison oak and mossy earth to find our bounty of produce: golden chanterelle and candy cap mushrooms, wind spearmint, bay leaves, three cornered leek, nasturtium and sorrel flowers.
These local foraged finds added another layer of localized cuisine as we explored the flavors of the forest and the seaside through beautifully plated dishes.
In terms of seafood, we loved how we were able to taste Monterey’s famous abalone (farmed in a sustainable and responsible way, of course) as this is a hard to find menu item throughout the country.
The Monterey Bay Red Abalone risotto was one of the creamiest risottos we’ve ever tasted. It was served with a flavorful abalone liver sauce and sliced abalone on top, all expertly plated in a glistening abalone shell.
Another local seafood item from Monterey Bay on the menu was the spot prawn crudo.
It was tender and sweet and served with a tulle-like cup made of wasabi that was harvested just up the coast in Half Moon Bay.
While the seafood dishes were incredible, we also enjoyed the foraged mushrooms that are featured in their signature old fashioned, in the chicken and wagyu beef main dishes, and even in their bread pudding.
Alongside your seafood feast, be sure to order the wagyu short rib, it was the most tender and flavorful short rib dish we have ever had.
Foray is a true celebration of local ingredients and is a perfect dining option for an elevated meal or special occasion.
Foray doesn’t have a Michelin star yet, but without question it is deserved, so get into the restaurant before their reservations are impossible to secure.
Schooners
Overall, Schooners is our favorite seafood restaurant in Monterey County.
It’s the perfect place with outdoor seating and an oceanfront ambiance to enjoy lots of fresh fish and quality seafood across numerous menu items.
Located in Cannery Row, this restaurant’s waterfront tables are nestled over the rocks of the coast.
We watched sea otters playing as the waves crashed into the rocks below, which was such a memorable dining experience.
Schooners was a delicious stop on our chowder crawl. Their clam chowder is served in a fresh and fluffy bread bowl.
If you’re looking for a lot of good seafood, order one of their three seafood tower options.
It provides the opportunity to savor jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce, fresh oysters, mussels, crab claws, and even a bowl of seafood ceviche.
When it comes to seafood sandwiches, the warm dungeness crab BLT on the lunch menu is a standout.
The crab is dressed and the mixture is warm, sweet, and creamy alongside thick bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce.
Other menu items available are a massive seafood tostada, steamed mussels “thai style”, as well as Monterey cioppino.
This is also one of the few places where you can order local Monterey anchovies. The fish that made Cannery Row a seafood boom town decades ago.
Woodward Marina Market
Woodward Marine Market is a terrific seafood destination in Moss Landing.
The docks are busy with fishermen and boats so you know you’re getting the freshest seafood right off of the boat.
You’re greeted by sea lions sunbathing on the docks as you pull into the parking lot.
As we sat on the patio at Woodward marina, a curious but shy seal popped their head up for a peek a few feet from the bar stools we were sitting at.
We ordered local caught dungeness crab which was served with sticky rice and an arugula salad.
Additionally, we warmed up with homemade clam chowder.
It was herbaceous and unique thanks to the addition of togarashi seasoning and homemade croutons for texture. This was the most unique internationally influenced clam chowder we had on this trip.
Although it’s not seafood, be sure to also try the tempura artichoke and prosciutto sandwich served with Gouda, garlic aioli, arugula and a star anise balsamic reduction.
It’s delicious for a soup-and-sandwich lunch and features local artichokes from nearby Castroville, California.
Old Fisherman’s Grotto
Old Fisherman’s Grotto is a Monterey staple with over 75 years of history.
It features world-famous “Monterey style” clam chowder.
Their chowder has won “Best Chowder in Monterey” for over 20 years in a row.
Old Fisherman’s Grotto is a beacon on Fisherman’s wharf, with their sit down dining room, the Old Fisherman’s Grotto Fish Market (a casual patio spot), as well as a chowder stand on the boardwalk that gathers quite the crowd.
We popped by the chowder stand for a quick bowl of clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.
At first we thought this spot might be overhyped as it seemed like a gimmicky shop in a popular tourist area, but it truly was our favorite bowl of clam chowder in Monterey.
The bread bowl was especially sour, which we love, and the soup was oh-so-creamy.
If you dine in the restaurant you can even opt for a garlic butter bread bowl!
Abalonetti Seafood
If you’re looking for casual waterfront dining on Monterey’s fisherman’s wharf, head to Abalonetti Seafood.
Monterey’s squid is served in nearly a dozen different ways at this spot.
You can find Monetery squid prepared in appetizers such as traditional calamari, spicy buffalo-style, as well as baja-style, which is topped with chipotle sauce and salsa fresca.
Continuing into the entrees, you’ll find larger, meatier calamari filets on entrees like the Abalonetti (fried and served with white wine sauce), the Siciliano (sauteed with white wine, garlic, and parsley), char-grilled calamari, Napolitana-style with marinara and linguine, and even “The Marty” which is calamari filets served over fried eggplant with marinara, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese.
You can even get squid in their version of fish tacos, which nestles crispy fried calamari inside a tortilla.
Abalonetti Seafood has won the award for the “Best Calamari in Monterey” and we couldn’t agree more.
The batter around the fresh, local squid was perfectly crisp, seasoned and served with the most irresistible tartar sauce.
We snacked on the dish while savoring a local white wine. Their wine list features a number of local wines from the county, and all are reasonably priced by the bottle.
The outdoor patio overlooked the beach and rocky coast where seals were sunbathing below.
Abalonetti Seafood features Pacific oysters prepared a number of ways: fresh, wood-roasted, and oysters rockefeller, as well as local fish like grilled sand dabs, if calamari is not your thing.
They also offer seafood pasta entrees like clams with linguine, but we highly recommend ordering their specialty, which is local squid!
A.W. Shucks
A.W. Shucks restaurant has a wide range of seafood options as well as an oyster bar.
Located right in the heart of Carmel-By-The-Sea and nestled between art galleries and wine tasting rooms, this restaurant is cozy and welcoming.
There are three types of clam chowder to choose from: New England (white), Manhattan (red), or Rosé (a special blend of both).
We decided to try the rosé chowder which was a nice change from the typical white chowder that you find around town.
This chowder was a bit lighter and not as heavy as other creamy chowders, which meant you had more room to devour their fantastic baked “oysters shuckefeller”.
This specialty features oysters broiled in the half shell after being filled with butter, garlic, wine, seasonings and topped with toasted parmesan cheese.
Estéban Restaurant
Located inside Casa Munras, a two century year old Spanish hacienda-turned hotel, you’ll find Estéban Restaurant.
The restaurant is adorned with cozy fireplaces inside as well as two fireplaces on the twinkle-light lined patio.
The restaurant offers Spanish-influenced tapas, but brings in local influence from local produce and seafood.
The jumbo prawns were large, sweet, and juicy and served head-on in a spicy sauce and with some California sourdough to sop up all the shrimp flavor.
These prawns were honestly better than any Gambas al Ajillo you’d find throughout Spain, so save the cost of tickets on a flight to Spain and get to Estéban if you love this dish like we do.
Other Spanish-inspired tapas that were delicious were local grilled carrots, perfectly seared giant scallops, and pulpo frito, octopus served Spanish-style.
You can even add crab to your eggs benedict if you dine at Casa Munras for brunch!
Maligne
Restaurant Maligne is an award-winning neighborhood restaurant with more of a fine dining ambiance.
They recently won one of the only two Michelin Bib Gourmand awards for the area.
To win this prestigious award you have to produce high quality cooking at a price that is reasonable for the region.
Maligne’s head chef brought his Michelin star experience to this restaurant and is cooking with a focus of contemporary European meets seasonal American cooking.
As they are very seasonal, the seafood menu changes weekly.
Unfortunately they were out of the dungeness crab, so we opted for their dish loaded with all the seafood instead.
We enjoyed their iteration of a cioppino which was loaded with local black cod, sea scallops, clams, mussels, and jumbo shrimp.
Served in a cauldron with broth, herbs, and shaved fennel, it’s bounty of seafood could feed an army.
With all of these different seafood proteins it was amazing that they were still able to cook them all perfectly.
The standout dish that we will dream about though was their local artichoke dip.
It was without question the best artichoke dip we’ve ever had, and it was loaded with artichoke hearts. Sometimes it is even made with crab, based on availability.
To finish the dinner their pastry chef also deserves an award for their modern take on an orange dreamsicle. It had housemade gelato, sorbet, and fresh fruit. We were completely full, but somehow managed to lick this bowl clean.
Stokes Adobe
Stokes Adobe is located in Downtown Monterey at the historic Stokes Adobe building which was built in 1833.
The house and patio are an architectural site to see for Monterey, and if you happen to be there on a cozy night, you can enjoy their outdoor fireplaces.
We started dining during their happy hour, and were able to try their delicious duck liver mousse with cherries, the fresh hamachi crudo, and a drink at a discounted rate.
The hamachi crudo had a sauce of yogurt, chili oil, black lime, and was topped with refreshing satsuma mandarins. It was our favorite seafood option at Stokes Adobe.
For dinner we shared a salmon plate with a saffron soubise, and two of their terrific homemade pastas.
Monterey County Wineries to Pair with Seafood
Monterey County is one of the largest wine producing regions in the country, and yet isn’t even close to as well known as neighboring Napa or Sonoma.
They also have so many diverse growing conditions and microclimates that they can produce almost an endless amount of varietal options all across the county.
Within the region we tried local wines at our seafood-filled meals, and also toured multiple tasting rooms. Of the mix, our top 3 with tasting rooms you can visit when in Monterey County are Scheid Vineyards, Lepe Cellars, Caraccioli Cellars, and Talbott Vineyards.
Wines produced in the region to pair with seafood include sparkling wine produced in the traditional champagne method, chardonnay, rose of pinot noir, Albariño, and other white wine varietals.
We visited Scheid’s winery and main tasting room where we had the pleasure of learning about all of the sustainability measures from wind power to bees they’re bringing to wine making.
Offering a very wide breadth of wine varietals, there is definitely something for everyone at their tasting room. We even tasted the difference between two different clones of pinot noir grapes that were grown right next to each other. The variation was so interesting to taste
If you can’t make it to Greenfield, Schied also has a tasting room in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and then you can go on a wine tasting crawl because Lepe and Talbott have tasting rooms there as well.
Lepe Cellars is located inside an art gallery in downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea which makes it a fun destination to sip a tasting while viewing some local art.
The wines are all organic and made in much smaller quantities compared to the larger winemakers in the region, and you can tell they’re crafted with care.
Caraccioli Cellars is a family-run winery which was started by a local lettuce farmer. His dedication to local agriculture led him to this passion project where he uses top-tier grapes from the Santa Lucia Highlands for incredible pinot noir and chardonnay wines.
Talbott features a beautiful tasting room in Carmel. The tasting started with a delicious sparkling rose wine that was so subtle and light in color it that would pair wonderfully with the local seafood.
Enjoy discovering locals wines as you eat your way through picturesque Monterey county!
The seafood found in Monterey county is world class. From local restaurants’ take on clam chowder to Michelin star level cooking, this is seafood lovers’ dream destination.
For resources planning your trip, be sure to access all of See Monterey’s recommendations.
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