Looking for different seafood? Here are 24 answers for peak season in New Orleans - NOLA.com

It's a matter of seasonal clockwork. As soon as Mardi Gras ends and Lent begins, New Orleans doubles down on seafood. There are important cultural influences at play, and the local catch keeps growing more abundant as spring progresses.

But that doesn't mean we always have to have the same old classics.

This year, I've been on the hunt for dishes that are a little outside the fish fry takeout box, dishes that showcase the local harvest (and a few delicious varieties from farther afield) in memorable ways.

Here are two dozen to try out.

At Carmo in New Orleans, the Vietnamese style ceviche, or ca tai chanh, sings with salty, briny, citrus-washed juice, red onion, cool mint and cilantro and peanuts. This version was made with porgy. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Vietnamese ceviche at Carmo, 527 Julia St., (504) 875-4132

Carmo serves a range of ceviche styles, and this one, ca tai chanh, is singing with salty, briny, citrus-washed juice, red onion, cool mint and cilantro and peanuts. Recently, the fish was porgy — meaty, mild, nicely textured and an example of the different local catch Carmo is committed to serving.

Squid ink chitarra with crab, jalapeno and urchin at San Lorenzo, the upscale Italian restaurant at the Saint Vincent Hotel. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

 

Squid ink chitarra at San Lorenzo, 1507 Magazine St., (504) 350-2430

This is a decadent umami flavor-bomb disguised as an elegant pasta at the upscale Italian restaurant inside the Saint Vincent hotel. Long, tender squid ink noodles (chitarra in this case) set the stage, sweet crab and sharp jalapeño are next, and then the maritime intensity of sea urchin lights the wick.

Tuna meatballs are made with chunks of fresh tuna and complement the raw seafood dishes at Luvi in Uptown New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Tuna meatballs at Luvi, 5236 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 605-3340

Chef Hao Gong's individualistic Chinese restaurant can feel like a hybrid sushi bar. Between the raw dishes, I always want at least one more substantial course, and these dense, bouncy, juicy-fresh tuna croquettes are just the thing.

The coco bread sandwich pairs fried catfish with pineapple, fried plantain, cucumber and tomato at Queen Trini Lisa, the Mid-City restaurant for flavors from Trinidad and Tobago. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)

Coco bread fish sandwich at Queen Trini Lisa, 4200 D'Hemecourt St., (504) 345-2058

Lisa Nelson blends elements of different cultures and her own flavors from Trinidad and Tobago. This sandwich starts with catfish in crunchy fish fry, Jamaican-style coco bread (milky sweet within) and adds sliced pineapple, sweet fried plantains, cucumber and tomato. Try it with the fiery mango habanero sauce.

BBQ crabs a la Louie Lipps is a buttery, boldly spicy dish at Seafood Sally's on Oak Street in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

BBQ crabs a la Louie Lipps at Seafood Sally's, 8400 Oak St., (504) 766-8736

The dish is named for a fisherman and seafood boiler who once had a restaurant in Frenier Point (near LaPlace) and who had a way with BBQ shrimp sauce. But to me, picking apart these quartered, in-shell blue crabs with such a lushly garlicky, nicely spicy butter sauce brought back the salt baked crabs from Kim Son, a restaurant that sadly closed in 2018. Roll up your sleeves for a dish worth all the mess.

Staff photo by Ian McNulty - Smoked herring, pepper jelly and cheese make an island-style charcuterie board at 14 Parishes, a Jamaican restaurant in New Orleans.

Herring board at 14 Parishes, 8227 Oak St., (504) 264-7457

Smoked herring, a traditional island flavor, is the centerpiece for this version of a charcuterie board, replacing the cured meats with the rich, smoky fish dip and pairing it on a platter with different cheeses, spicy pepper jelly, olives and crackers.

Kung fu tuna with shrimp, crab and avocado at Seither's Seafood in Harahan. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Kung fu tuna at Seither's Seafood, 279 Hickory Ave., Harahan, (504) 738-1116.

Seared tuna, boiled shrimp, crabstick, avocado, dueling sweet and spicy sauces — this is basically a sushi bar salad prepared with the same gusto Jason Seither puts into the crawfish boils (and everything else) at his Louisiana seafood joint.

Whole fried snapper with mitmita seasoning at the Ethiopian restaurant Addis NOLA in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Whole fried snapper at Addis NOLA, 422 S. Broad St., (504) 218-5321

The Ethiopian spices and robust preparation make this a fantastic way to get a different take on a local fish. Give scored flanks a big squeeze of lemon and then dab chunks into the smoky, spicy mitmita seasoning, with rice and the lentils to tame the heat.

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