#138 of 197 Destin Restaurants

Skippers Seafood

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Skippers Seafood Market in Miramar Beach: Fresh Gulf Seafood & Awesome Key Lime Pie
Local Expert's Rating:
4.5 / 5
The Bottom Line:

A Destin-area landmark for more than 20 years, Skippers Seafood Market sells fresh-caught Gulf fish and shellfish as well as crabmeat, sauces, dips, and a few quite tasty prepared foods. For the best experience here, know what you want to order and come prepared with cash (or a check), as Skippers aims for speedy service and doesn’t accept credit cards. It’s a good place to buy some local seafood for a home-cooked dinner—or take advantage of the steamed shrimp!

- The FloridaPanhandle.com Local Expert Team

Skippers Seafood Market has been one of the top sources for fresh-catch goodness in the Destin area for more than two decades. Here you can buy Gulf of Mexico fish and shellfish to cook at home or have some shrimp steamed up on the spot for a no-hassle meal. 

Besides its array of red snapper, grouper, Gulf shrimp, scallops, oysters, lump crabmeat, and other locally harvested bounty, Skippers sells some prepared foods such as home-made corn and crab bisque and seafood gumbo—plus a much-loved tuna dip—as well as sauces, seasonings, and other seafood essentials. You’ll also find a variety of Skippers’ merchandise on offer here, including t-shirts and caps so you can represent your devotion to the place far and wide.

A couple of things to note about Skippers Seafood Market: For one, the place only takes cash or checks, so your plastic won’t do any good here. Given the relative priciness of the seafood, you’ll want to come prepared with paper money (or take advantage of the ATM available). Also, the service at Skippers can be a bit on the polarizing side: Some find it on the brusque, rushed, while others appreciate the efficient, all-business transactions. Servers here are typically unwilling to accommodate very much in the way of hemming and hawing and having to answer loads of questions, so we recommend making up your mind about what you’re going to order as quickly as you can.

Here are a few recommended prepared-food items at Skippers Seafood Market, good for supplementing whatever filets or shellfish you’re buying:

Smoked Tuna Dip
Perhaps the single most celebrated item on the Skippers menu, the smoked tuna dip is supremely addictive.

Steamed Shrimp
If you’re on the hunt for a readymade, no-hassle takeout seafood meal, Skippers will steam some fresh shrimp directly to order, and provide your requested amount of seasoning. (We recommend “heavy.”) 

Key Lime Pie
Turns out Skippers doesn’t just know its seafood: It also whips up a mean version of Florida’s classic dessert. 
Other Key Lime Pie Options in Destin: click here

From the fresh Gulf catches to the scrumptious tuna dip and Key Lime Pie, Skippers Seafood Market is certainly worth checking out on a Destin-area vacation—just don’t come expecting warm, chatty service. (This is not to say such service isn’t available here—it’s just not necessarily the norm!)

Insider Tip:
Skippers Seafood Market closes down in the fall for the winter off-season and usually reopens in March.