SK Steak & Oyster, Fortitude Valley: If the name didn’t already give it away, The Calile’s new refined bar and eatery SK Steak & Oyster specialises in two things – meat and seafood. The latter is what is drawing our attention today, as one glimpse of the menu reveals a host of sumptuous seafood options. Various seafood cocktails are available, stuffed with the likes of Mooloolaba king prawns, Moreton Bay bugs and Southern Tasmanian rock lobster, while SK’s seafood platters are heaped with prawns, bugs, mussels, marron and lobster. If your hankering goes further, you can also treat yourself to Moreton Bay bug pasta, Moreton Bay bug salad, or grilled lobster with sides.

King Crab Co, Bulimba: If you’re eager to get crackin’ on some crustacean, King Crab Co in Bulimba has got what you’re after. This Oxford Street restaurant serves the likes of five kinds of crab (Alaskan king and snow, Australian blue swimmer, Fraser Island spanner crab, and Queensland mud crab) as well as redclaw crayfish, Cloudy Bay clams and Jonah crab claws in a bag, doused in your choice of sauce. That’s not all – the menu also boasts crab cakes, a spicy seafood hotpot (filled with prawns, mussels and clams), grilled fresh Moreton Bay bugs, soft-shell crab rolls and lobster and crab sliders.

Gambaro Seafood Restaurant, Brisbane City: This dining institution is one of Queensland’s most awarded seafood restaurants – and for good reason, the fare here is of exceptional quality! Favourites include crayfish (served thermidor or with Mornay sauce), barbecued Moreton Bay bugs, a seafood hot mix with crumbed prawns, scallops, fresh fish, calamari and chips, and live mud crab served with garlic, lemon butter, Singapore chilli ginger or soy and shallots. Holy shrimp!

Roti Place, Brisbane City: This Malaysian eatery is an unheralded resource for crab. If you can tear your attention away from the buttery roti, you’ll spot some enticing crab-based dishes. Here, spanner crabs are served in five styles – Singapore style (rich, creamy and spicy), Malaysia’s kam heong style (where the crab is cooked until golden and fragrant), Cantonese style (imbued with ginger and shallots), butter-herb style, which means doused in an irresistible butter sauce with a dash of chilli, and salted egg yolk crab – made from salted egg yolk grounds boasting a delicious savoury flavour with a gritty texture.

The Lighthouse Restaurant, Cleveland: There are few spots more appropriate for enjoying a seafood feast than at Cleveland’s The Lighthouse Restaurant. Boasting views of Moreton Bay, the restaurant specialises in everything the ocean has to offer, including the likes of garlic and chilli prawns, Hervey Bay scallops, sand-crab lasagne, Moreton Bay bugs simmered in garlic and chilli butter, wild-caught NT lobster tail and seafood platters heaped with lobster, bugs, crab, prawns, mussels and more.

Donna Chang, Brisbane City: The CBD’s luxe Chinese restaurant has live tanks filled with seafood to choose from. Here, you can savour rock lobsters (served wok-fried with garlic-butter sauce or XO sauce), or sink your teeth into Donna Chang’s signature lobster roll with chilli mayonnaise. Other seafood options include roasted jumbo prawns, halved and fried Moreton Bay bugs, Cloudy Bay clams, and kung pao Queensland tiger prawns.

St. James Crabhouse & Kitchen, Hamilton: It’s a no-brainer that this spot makes the list. Did you read the name? St. James Crabhouse & Kitchen in Hamilton does seafood in a way you are unlikely to experience anywhere else in town. Don a bib and some gloves and get cracking on some king crab, snow crab, Australian blue swimmers and Alaska king as well as crab cakes, South Australian mussels and sizzling garlic prawns. Be warned: things will get a little bit messy.

One Fish Two Fish, Kangaroo Point: As you can tell by the name One Fish Two Fish is a dependable place to score some top-notch seafood. This applies to crustaceans, too, with Moreton Bay bug baos, Mooloolaba banana prawns and Moreton Bay bug tagliatelle with garlic, chilli, basil, white wine and shallots.

Phoenix, Brisbane City: Although predominantly a go-to for yum cha cuisine, this Brisbane Quarter restaurant has live-seafood tanks filled with morsels you can sample. Lobster, snow crab and mud crab are available at market price, while the a la carte menu itself also features lobster tail with garlic butter and black pepper, jumbo king prawns in chilli-bean sauce, sauteed scallops and seafood hot-pots.

Creole Soul Kitchen, Spring Hill: Creole cuisine is exceptionally inventive when it comes to incorporating seafood, and Spring Hill’s Creole Soul Kitchen brings the best dishes to Brisbane. Build your own pasta dish with your choice of pasta, sauce and ingredients (including prawns, crab and clams), or order a serve of the Soul Kitchen prawns, soft-shell crab crusted in cornmeal, or seafood gumbo, which is loaded with prawns, clams and scallops.

Blackbird Bar & Grill, Brisbane City: This chic inner-city locale brings it’s A-game when it comes to surf and turf, but it’s the surf that has our tongues wagging. Be selfish and order a shellfish platter to yourself, heaped high with Mooloolaba king prawns, Moreton bay bugs and scallops ceviche.

Yellowfin Seafood & Grill, South Bank: Few restaurants do seafood as well as Yellowfin – it’s a bona fide specialty. Start off your feast with some Moreton Bay bugs, before tackling the sizeable platters on offer. The seafood platter boasts stacks of Moreton Bay bugs, Hervey Bay scallops, Pacific plate oysters, chilled king prawns, New Zealand clams and prawn skewers, while the lobster platter adds half a grilled lobster to the mix.

The Golden Palace, Fortitude Valley: This landmark Asian eatery pulls out all the stops when it comes to its seafood offering, which is nearly unrivalled in Fortitude Valley. If morsels of fried crab claw stuffed with prawn meat, salt and pepper king prawns, deep fried Moreton Bay Bugs, live King Island jumbo lobsters and Queensland mud crabs sound like your kind of meal, then you’ve found your next dinner destination.

Kickin’Inn, Spring Hill: For those who don’t mind getting their hands a little dirty will love to tuck into a sizeable seafood boil from Kickin’Inn. With a mouth-watering menu filled with all sorts of seafood cooked in a selection of sauces and spices – we’re talking the venue’s signature ‘Kajun’ sauce, garlic butter, lemon pepper or a mixture of all – before being dumped out of a bag onto the table in front of you. From there, diners don a pair of gloves and go to town on the spread, which can include everything from whole fresh prawns, mussels, bugs, blue swimmer crab, lobster and baby octopus, as well as slices of beef chorizo, potatoes and corn.

Tillerman, Brisbane City: This 120-seat seafood restaurant located along Eagle Street’s riverside stretch slings seafood standouts including Moreton Bay Bug vou-la-vent with polanco oscietra caviar, Fraser Island spanner crab with finger lime, chilli and warm brioche and battered Balmain bug with garlic and prickly ash.

Manly Boathouse, Manly: When it comes to waterfront locales, Manly Boathouse boasts a primo perch. Here, a lunch and dinner menu features a spectacular selection of seafood of the crustacean kind including Moreton Bay bug sliders, rock lobster, sand crab linguine and Mooloolaba prawns.

Rothwell’s Bar & Grill, Brisbane City:  This inner-city bistro boasts a menu of sumptuous European-tinged bistro fare. Crab and crustacean enthusiasts will can enjoy starters such as crab with potato, saffron rouille and black pepper and prawn with avocado, cucumber, lettuce and cocktail sauce and mains such as orecchiette with spanner crab and chilli and campanelle with lobster and caviar. Or for $85 you can indulge in a sizeable seafood platter filled with oysters, prawns, scallops, crab and tuna.

The Prawnster, Kangaroo Point: Moored down at Kangaroo Point’s Dockside Marina, The Prawnster is a floating restaurant specialising in wild-caught seafood sourced from along Queensland’s coast. Hauls are delivered daily and include scores of Moreton Bay bugs, Coffin Bay oysters, Tasmanian salmon and, of course, Mooloolaba king prawns (lots of them). Guests can sit down to a seafarer’s bounty of varying sizes, opting for a simple prawn platter or going all in on a mixed feast, which boasts natural oysters, salmon sashimi, bugs and serves of large and medium prawns (served with lemon wedges and a selection of sauces). Those eager to take the sea home with them can order batches of prawns to takeaway, including endeavour prawns, king prawns and jumbo tiger prawns.