11 outstanding seafood restaurants from Matlacha to Fort Myers and Naples — JLB Picks

Lent is almost here.

The time of year when good Catholics abstain from chicken and red meat on this coming Ash Wednesday and the next several Fridays through Easter. 

Maybe you're also a good Catholic. Maybe you simply love seafood. Maybe you're a pseudonymous restaurant critic thrilled to while away the hours over a basket of peel-and-eat Gulf shrimp and as many meaty-sweet stone crab claws as a writer's budget will allow. 

That last one, it's me. And these are some of my favorite seafood-focused restaurants from Matlacha to Naples.

A very merry seafood season to all.

The Bay House & Claw Bar

Situated on the mangrove-trimmed banks of the Cocohatchee in North Naples, this restaurant exudes an almost magical Southern charm. It's in the gray shingles and shiny tin of the roof, the shiplap and exposed beams of the dining room, and it's all throughout this seafood-driven menu. Gulf shrimp and Pine Island crab may be teamed with cold-water oysters and buttery king crab legs. There are steamed mussels, charred octopus and roasted black cod paired with crispy rice and shiitake mushrooms. It's hard to go wrong at The Bay House, but it's so very easy to come back. 

(799 Walkerbilt Road, Naples; 239-591-3837; bayhousenaples.com or theclawbar.com)

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Blue Dog Bar & Grill

The folks in white-rubber boots at Blue Dog's bar are the best sign there is. They're local fishermen and women, fresh off the water, here to sip cold beer and see their catches put to delicious use. There are other good signs: mullet tacos, creamy smoked fish dip, conch pounded thin and lightly fried. Blue Dog buys its shrimp fresh from the Fort Myers Beach docks. Its crabs come from nearby Pine Island, as does much of its produce during the current growing season. It adds up to a wonderful restaurant, where all signs point to a delectably good time. 

(4597 Pine Island Road, Matlacha; 239-558-4970; bluedogmatlacha.com)

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Cape Cod Fish Co. 

The freshness and consistency of this humble, order-at-the-counter joint never ceases to amaze me. Cape Cod's "chowdahs" are among the best around, rich and soulful and jam-packed with seafood. Its lobster rolls are delightful. Its seafood baskets overflowing. Cape Cod has grown its offerings in recent years, to include "lobstah pie" finished with Ritz crackers, and buttery, almond-baked cod. 

(15501 Old McGregor Blvd. No. 12, south Fort Myers; 239-313-6462; capecodfishco.com)

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Deep Lagoon Seafood

From the same family behind the more casual local Pinchers chain, Deep Lagoon shares Pinchers' same fleet of fishing and crabbing boats, putting their catches to use in unique and slightly more upscale ways. This kitchen crafts a take on crab rangoon filled with hunks of local blue crab and cream cheese. It makes a seriously spice-riddled seafood gumbo and a grouper Oscar ladled with Hollandaise and more local crab meat. Save room for the Key lime pie. Cool, dense and tangy, it's one of the best in town. 

(locations in Naples and south Fort Myers; deeplagoon.com)

JLB review:Deep Lagoon or fancy Pinchers? With great seafood, does it matter? 

Dixie Fish Co. 

What can I say that I haven't already said about Dixie Fish? What new praise can I heap on this open-air, over-water charmer that I've not heaped before? Not much. Set in an almost century-old former fish market, Dixie captivates from the get-go. It lures you in with the cotton-candy sunsets that play out across Matanzas Pass. It sticks you in place with outstanding ceviche, hogfish sandwiches, buttermilk-battered whole fried snapper and an array of Southern-infused sides ranging from red beans and rice to some of the best collard greens this side of Atlanta. The live music and cold beer don't hurt, either. It's hard to leave this place, but I'm always smiling when I finally do. 

(714 Fishermans Wharf, Fort Myers Beach; 239-233-8837; dixiefishfmb.com)

Fish Tale Grill

When you go to a restaurant owned by one of Cape Coral's oldest seafood markets, you expect certain things, namely uber-fresh fish and more uber-fresh fish. Fish Tale delivers. From Key West-caught peel-and-eat shrimp to Pine Island clams, red grouper and Gulf swordfish, Fish Tale takes some of the most interesting catches it can find and turns them into delicious plates. It's seafood as you don't see it everywhere else. But, more importantly, it's delicious. 

(1229 SE 47th Terrace, Cape Coral; 239-257-3167; fishtalegrill.com)

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Lobster Lady Seafood Market

Don't let the Lobster Lady name fool you. This kitchen does it all, from sushi to lobster rolls to Hawaiian-style poke. That the smoked fish is as good as the tuna tataki, which is as good as the coconut-crusted lobster bites and baked clams is a testament to the breadth of talent in this kitchen. Lobster Lady doesn't just do it all, it does it all well. 

(1715 Cape Coral Parkway W., Cape Coral; 239-471-0136; lobsterladyseafood.com)

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Olde Fish House Marina

I love this colorful, canal-front cottage. It's the snow-white egrets that perch on the pastel-painted ledges. It's the picnic tables you must squish into and out of to soak in the water views of Matlacha Pass properly. It's the live music, the crab traps dangling overhead, the cold beers and good seafood. But really: It's the hush puppies. Roughly the size of baseballs, they're crunchy outside and soft as velvet within. I could eat a basket of them on my own, then snack on a second one on the drive home, maybe grab a third to reheat for breakfast in the morning or as a midnight snack. I love Olde Fish House. I love its hush puppies more. 

(4530 Pine Island Road, Matlacha; 239-282-9577; facebook.com/oldefish.house)

Salty Papa's Shrimp House

If you happen into Salty Papa's at just the right time, you'll catch anglers dropping off their catches in the open kitchen. You may see them sidle up to the colorful bar for a drink and maybe some house-smoked fish dip before heading home. As I've said, this is the most ringing of endorsements. Salty Papa's blackens, fries and broils those catches. It serves them on po' boys and in simple sandwiches. It teams its namesake Gulf shrimp with andouille in a low-country style shrimp and grits, and in a jambalaya thickened with dark roux. If you miss the fishermen, fear not, you will still eat oh-so well. 

(15271 McGregor Blvd. No. 1, south Fort Myers; 239-482-7272; saltypapasshrimphouse.com)

Truluck's

This high-end regional chain has its own fleet of fishing boats hauling in stone crab claws and all the finest catches of the Gulf of Mexico. This isn't some seafood shack with ketchup and rolls of paper towels on the tables. Truluck's feels more like a country club, one where you've been a member for years — even if it's your first time through its doors. Plush and intimate, Truluck's is an experience where the glorious seafood is almost secondary to the gracious, personable service. It's local seafood, dignified. And it's hard to complain about that. 

(698 Fourth Ave. S., Naples; 239-530-3131; trulucks.com)

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USS Nemo

The name has a sci-fi, Disney-ish ring to it, but this place is the real deal. It has been for two decades. USS Nemo is one of the rare places I can send Fort Myers people to Naples for, knowing they'll come back raving. It's one of the rare places that features a dozen or more types of fish — grouper, hogfish, pompano, snapper, wahoo, branzino, tuna, salmon — on its everyday menu, definitively nailing each of them. It's creative at times and simple-yet-wonderful at others. It's one of the rare places that's just flat-out great.

(3745 Tamiami Trail N., Naples; 239-261-6366; ussnemorestaurant.com)

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Jean Le Boeuf is the pseudonym used by a local food lover who dines at restaurants anonymously and without warning, with meals paid for by The News-Press and Naples Daily News. Follow the critic at facebook.com/jeanleboeufswfl or @JeanLeBoeuf on Twitter and Instagram.