Food & drink
Where can I buy fresh seafood to cook myself in Perdido Key?
If your rental has a kitchen, buying fresh Gulf shrimp or fish from a local market and cooking it yourself is the best value on the whole key — a pound of royal red shrimp, boiled with seasoning, beats most restaurant plates for a fraction of the price. Ask the counter what came in that morning and cook it simple.
What to buy
Royal red shrimp are the local prize — deep-water, sweet, almost lobster-like — and stupidly easy to boil. Fresh Gulf snapper, triggerfish, or whatever's in season that day is your other move. Whole shrimp with heads on are freshest; peel at the table.
How to cook it (don't overthink it)
Boil shrimp 2-3 minutes in salted, seasoned water and stop — the number-one mistake is overcooking. Fish: salt, butter or oil, hot pan or grill, a few minutes a side, squeeze of lemon. Beach seafood does not need a recipe.
When to just eat out instead
More questions
Can I catch and cook my own?
Yes — if you fish, many places will clean your catch, or a charter crew will. You'll need a license; see our fishing pages before you drop a line.
Keep reading
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Reviewed July 2026. Conditions change daily — for live numbers see Beach Today.