14 Seafood Restaurant Red Flags That You Should Never Ignore

Of all the proteins out there, seafood is probably the hardest to get right. When it's prepared incorrectly, fish, shellfish, and other types of seafood can not only taste terrible but may pose a risk to your health. That's why picking the right seafood restaurant is crucial: You want to make sure that the food you're getting is made by skilled hands well-versed in hygiene practices, and by people who appreciate how expensive seafood can be.

Sadly, choosing a seafood restaurant can be trickier than it looks, but the signs you're eating in an establishment that's about to serve you a bad meal might be right in front of you. There are a few key red flags specific to seafood restaurants that can subtly reveal a lot about how the business operates, how the kitchen cooks its fish, or how the chefs source their produce. These clues can also show you if the restaurant is trying to shift old stock or if they're slacking on cleanliness. Plus, there are a couple of things that the top seafood chains do that may seem fancy but are actually potentially contaminating your food.

Ah, lobster bisque. It's wildly popular, and for good reason: This creamy soup hits a huge number of flavor notes in one go, and somehow manages to be simultaneously light yet filling. If you want a good lobster bisque, it feels natural that seafood restaurants should be able to nail it — but one red flag that's right on your menu can tell you whether the bowl you're about to eat will hit the spot or not. Before you order your bisque, check whether the menu has any other lobster dishes on it. If it doesn't, there's a high likelihood that the restaurant is buying its lobster meat in pre-shelled and frozen, or even in canned form.

Why is this an issue? Well, to make lobster bisque properly, you need to use the shells. This both gives the bisque a richer flavor and ties into the traditional methods of making it, with lobster bisque broth originally invented as a way for fishermen to use up leftovers. The restaurant may have bought in a bisque broth that was made with shells but, if you're paying all that money, you want it to be fresh, right?

Live seafood tanks can seem like a classy touch and, while some people take issue with restaurants displaying a live version of food they're about to eat, it can often be a marker of quality. The school of thought goes that if a restaurant can afford to keep a live seafood tank, it'll also be able to afford the best produce and staff. Furthermore, if your restaurant is displaying live seafood for customers to choose it can seem like you're getting the freshest food possible, safe in the knowledge that your fish hasn't been sitting in the freezer for weeks.

However, these tanks are way more problematic than you might think. Not only are they arguably pretty inhumane, but any contamination in them can affect the fish you're about to consume. Seafood that's been reared and kept in large aquafarms will likely have better access to clean, fresh water; when fish are kept in tanks, this could be less likely (and you don't know when someone last cleaned the filter). Additionally, keeping fish and seafood in tanks can limit their mobility, which can then make them taste worse than well-sourced, humane produce that's bought in by the restaurant. So, don't be fooled by the tank.

Seafood is a seasonal protein, and while many types of fish and shellfish are served year-round, certain factors can affect the availability, sustainability, and flavor. Factors like fluctuating water temperatures, weather, migration patterns, and spawning habits can cause certain types of fish to be more available at specific times of year. This means that seasonal produce restaurants receive is usually fresher and tastier, and has less of an impact on the sustainability of fish stocks.

In short, serving seafood seasonally is a good thing both for your restaurant and for you — which is why it's always a little suspicious when eateries make no attempt to offer seasonal produce on the menu. If the restaurant is serving sockeye salmon in January, when seasonally it's most available between May and September, this could be a sign that it's shipping it in from thousands of miles away or has kept it frozen for months. While some restaurants naturally have to offer favorites year-round to accommodate peoples' tastes, we'd always recommend choosing a place that puts seasonality at the center of things.

If your seafood restaurant's oysters have suddenly been marked down in price, you might want to be careful. Oysters are one of those foods that really need to be as fresh as possible, both for the sake of taste and for your health. This shellfish is especially susceptible to carrying Vibrio bacteria, which can increase over time or in warm conditions. Although Vibrio bacteria can be killed by thoroughly cooking shellfish, raw oysters could still carry them, and any fluctuation in temperature while they've been stored could increase their levels.

Why is it a problem if oysters are on sale? Well, it could be a sign that the restaurant is trying to hurriedly shift oysters that have been sitting in its fridges for several days and are about to go bad. If they've been taken out of the fridge and kept on the side for that night's service, there's every possibility that any Vibrio bacteria in them have multiplied. Plus, each oyster you eat increases the odds of food poisoning, so if the restaurant's offering a set amount for a certain price, it's both a good way for the kitchen to get rid of produce and for you to raise your risk of getting sick.

Okay, listen. We know that fried fish is delicious and, like everyone else, we're huge fans of breaded seafood. However, if everything in a seafood restaurant is battered and fried, it may be worth thinking about dining somewhere else. Frying fish can be a very convenient way for restaurants to mask its quality, turning a substandard piece of seafood into something that's so loaded with fat and salt that you can't taste the protein itself. If absolutely everything on the restaurant menu is fried, not only will it be a fairly unhealthy meal, but it could also point towards an eatery that isn't proud of the seafood it sources.

Plus, a fully fried menu may show a lack of care about what the restaurant's putting out there. There are some types of fish you should never fry, and yet options like tilapia and sole (which are arguably too delicate to be blasted with high heat) are often flash-fried in a searing pan, ruining their texture and flavor. Seeing chefs fry these types of fish can indicate that they don't really know what they're doing, and that you're about to get a pretty bad meal.

If there's one thing you want from seafood restaurants, it's openness about the origins of its food. It's important to know where all food comes from, but with seafood it's especially vital, both to ensure that it's quality produce and to verify that it hasn't been obtained from unsustainable sources. Seafood that's reared and harvested sustainably helps protect fish stocks and populations, prevents endangering species, and reduces the global environmental footprint of the seafood industry. Despite this, a lot of people (and more unscrupulous restaurants) source fish through unsustainable avenues.

While that may make your meal cheaper, it also means that you're paying into a damaging part of the seafood industry. Instead, try to opt for restaurants that are open and clear about the origins of the seafood. Don't be afraid to ask your server questions, as well. If there's any hesitation to tell you where your food comes from, you may want to head elsewhere.

As you walk into the seafood restaurant you've picked for the evening, take a deep breath through your nose. How does everything smell? Does it have a pleasant scent, or does everything smell just a little bit ... fishy? If it does, and you're assuming that's normal (it is a fish restaurant, after all), you're better off spending your money somewhere else. An overly fishy scent is a surefire sign that there's seafood somewhere that's past its prime, and it could be heading to your table.

When fish is fresh, it should smell clean and unassuming, with a light salinity but with no obvious fish odor. By contrast, older fish develop a fishy smell as they build up and release a compound called trimethylamine, which is created when bacteria intermingle and multiply in the flesh. The stronger the fish smell, the older it is, and the riskier it is to eat. Some fish will naturally smell stronger than others, but if there's an edge of anything unpleasant in the air, avoid that restaurant like the plague. Importantly, you should also use your nose when you're buying fresh fish to cook at home – it's the most reliable way to tell.

We all love a deal, and an affordable seafood restaurant can feel like you've struck gold. However, we'd highly recommend raising an eyebrow at menu prices that seem too cheap. While a lot of seafood isn't overly expensive, cooking it often requires specialized knowledge and techniques on the part of the chef. Restaurant owners therefore need to pay them more for their skill, and then raise the prices on the menu to settle the book.

While this might sound unappealing, wouldn't you rather have a well-cooked meal and pay a bit more for it than a cheap meal that's shoddy and clumsily made? On top of this, it's also important to remember that low prices can be a sign that the restaurant is using unsustainable seafood, which can be significantly cheaper than more sustainable options. It may be kinder on your wallet, but it may not be worth it for your conscience.

We all want to feel like the meal we're eating is a little different — and the specials board promises just that. In seafood restaurants, the special of the day can offer you a treat that's not on the menu, a limited-edition item that seems to be made just for you (and everyone else eating that day). Unfortunately, though, specials can also be the last thing you should order. The specials may seem enticing, but they could be made with ingredients that are a little less than fresh. In a bad restaurant, these dishes may be composed of seafood that the chefs have to throw out in the next few days and contain ingredients that mask any off-putting flavors. Oh, and you often pay more for the privilege of eating them. Not so special, huh?

It's worth mentioning that this is not always the case. Often, specials are an opportunity for the chefs to go off-book and make something that they excel at, instead of having to stick to the menu. Specials may also stem from the restaurant simply having too much of one item — the food may still be totally fresh. If your waiter's being a little too insistent about you trying the specials, though, they may have been asked to sell as many as possible because the food's about to go bad.

For the most part, the appeal of seafood lies in its lightness. The flavor notes of fish and shellfish are delicately briny and salty, and while they can go well with spicier or heavier notes, chefs generally try to allow the protein's tastes to shine through. That's why it's a little bit of a red flag when a seafood restaurant only offers marinated or heavily spiced dishes. If you sense that the restaurant is being way too forceful with its additional flavors, it could be a sign that it doesn't have confidence in the quality of the fish it's serving or the ability of the chefs to prepare it correctly.

Over-marinating or spicing fish and shellfish can also affect its texture. If fish is allowed to bathe in a marinade for too long, it can become mushy and pulpy or may dry out if too much salt is added. Having said this, certain restaurants get the balance of fish marinades just right and know how to contrast the lightness of fish with punchier ingredients. However, you'll also want to check the menu to see if it has some simpler fish dishes, which will demonstrate that the chefs have good kitchen skills.

No one wants to eat in a dirty restaurant, but sometimes the signs can be a little more subtle than you think. In seafood restaurants, looking out for these signs is especially important. 2017 figures published in Foodborne Pathogens and Disease stated that approximately 260,000 people per year get sick from eating contaminated fish, with seafood causing more illness outbreaks than any other food. Seafood is uniquely risky because of its ability to carry multiple bacteria types that can cause food poisoning including salmonella, E. coli, and ciguatoxin contaminants.

Therefore, if you're eating in a restaurant that seems unsanitary, you could be exposing yourself to a higher risk of all of these pathogens and the illnesses they cause. Poor hygiene could be a clear indicator that the restaurant has low standards, and may not be putting much work into keeping its food safe. As well as telltale signs, such as dirty floors and tables or servers and chefs not washing their hands, one key way to tell if the restaurant you're in is clean is by checking out the toilets. If these seem dirty, you can bet that the kitchen isn't much better.

There are certain types of fish that you probably shouldn't be eating — and if you see them on the menu in a seafood restaurant, not only should you avoid ordering them, but you should also probably find another place to eat. Certain types of fish like bluefin tuna and shark may be found in higher-end restaurants, but their exclusivity comes at a price, and not just a financial one. The populations of these fish are under a large amount of stress from years of overfishing, and merely eating in restaurants that serve them feeds into the problem, as you're inadvertently funding the suppliers that the eatery uses.

Other delicacies like European eel and wild-caught caviar should also be avoided, and the restaurants that serve them should be given a wide berth. Even more unassuming choices like wild Atlantic halibut are actually endangered, and its presence on a menu is a bad sign. Instead, give your money to restaurants that clearly put sustainability first.

Oysters, shrimp, or crab legs on a bed of ice are some of the first things we think of when we're imagining a seafood restaurant. It's not just because the visual image is so appealing, either. We tend to imagine shellfish being served on ice because that's exactly how it should be presented. Keeping shellfish on ice helps to prevent it from warming up too much, which can cause bacteria to multiply. While ice is most important when shellfish are being transported and stored, serving it on ice allows it to stay cool as you and your friends eat, ensuring that it remains safe.

On the other hand, no ice with your shellfish may not strictly mean that the food is unsafe to eat, but it indicates a lack of care on the restaurant's part. Ice is also a particularly important feature in seafood buffets, where the food may be kept on display for hours at a time. If the shellfish in these restaurants is being displayed at room temperature, you should run a mile.

When it comes to fish, texture is everything. Fresh, well-cooked fish should have a springy, firm texture that flakes apart in chunks but still retains a proper bite. If the fish you've been served does not meet this description, it may not be wise to put it in your mouth. Mushy fish can be a sign that it's begun to go bad, or that it's been over-marinated. You should also watch out for fish that's too dry or that has a foul smell coming off it, as these can both be signs potentially indicating spoilage.

Importantly, mushiness can also be a sign of fish being kept in the freezer for too long. Frozen fish goes mushy because the longer it sits at subzero temperatures, the more its protein structure breaks down. This fish may not be unsafe to eat, but it's definitely not as fresh as it could be — and don't you want to eat in a seafood restaurant that cooks with freshly-delivered ingredients? We thought so.