The other thread was strictly limited to birds and mammals. This thread is for fish and shellfish. But the OP did say “… ‘creatures of the sea’ isn’t hard and fast …”. What about alligators? And frogs? Do they belong in this thread or do we need to start a new thread?
Lobster is one of those I haven’t really warmed up to. I haven’t had it caught fresh in Maine, though, but I have had it at higher end restaurants, and I’ve never been impressed by the flesh. Just seemed to be a delivery system for butter. I prefer shrimp/prawns and even langoustines to lobster. That said, a lobster roll is tasty enough but, as you note, not $20+ tasty.
I’ll allow it, but watch yourself, counselor.
I like pretty much all seafood except pickled herring, but steamed blue crabs with plenty of Old Bay are the best. Mmm…
Also, I had a grilled whole lionfish once, and THAT was amazing. They are a pain in the ass to catch and clean, so pretty much impossible to find, but really really good (and guilt-free to eat, as they are an invasive species).
Unless they’re farmed I wouldn’t expect to find them locally. I’m sure shipment of fresh caught walleyes from someplace where they are found can be arranged at a price.
I know this might be a controversial question but has anyone here tried whale or seal meat?
I live near the waters where Maine lobster lives. Fresh and carefully cooked (not overcooked) it is significantly better than “the animal has been stressed, living in a tank for a long time”, and that’s enormously better than previously frozen. I also think it tastes far better than the lobster i tried in South Africa, although i only had it once, and it’s possible that was previously frozen, despite the species being local to the area.
Note that cooked fresh and then frozen is better than frozen raw and then cooked, fwiw.
I prefer it plain, without butter, which i find dampens and can overwhelm the somewhat delicate flavor. (Not that butter isn’t delicious, but i don’t need to pay lobster prices to eat butter.)
You may not like it as much as i do, but i don’t think it’s gotten a fair trial unless you’ve had it near where it lives.
(There’s a reason i listed lobster as my favorite on the east coast, and crab on the west coast.)
I have not. I saw cubes of whale meat for sale in Norway. It looked like a cube of beef, (10cm on each side) except it was so dark red as to be nearly black. I considered trying it, but decided i don’t want to eat whale.
What’s it like? My favorite mom’n’pop chicken shack fries everything to perfection - seriously, the only non-fried thing on the menu are the rolls, which are little pillows of heaven - and they have smelt on their menu.
But it’s a big portion, and I don’t wanna pay for a whole dinner of something it turns out I don’t like.
That being said, I like canned sardines and - like you, having been raised by Polish folks - I have a fondness for herring in oil with onions.
Would smelt be in a similar flavor category? Are they usually served whole with bones?
Shoe’s favorite stoopit-simple tilapia recipe:
Season with Old Bay or whatever. Make sure there’s at least a bit of salt.
Lightly coat with mayonnaise. (You will NOT taste it in the final dish, but it keeps the fish unbelievably moist.) Press crushed almonds (or whatever nut you like, I did hazelnut once and nearly swooned it was so good) into the top, and bottom if you really like yr nuts.
Toaster oven, 350 for about 10 minutes - once the nut coating is golden brown and toasty, the fish is done.
Looks fancy, tastes great; takes nearly no effort and, as noted, tilapia is cheap. The almonds may out-cost the fish in this case!
I remember the great smelt runs of the 60’s, right by my house on Lake Michigan. Big party time. I’ll eat 'em with heads on, but aesthetically prefer the headless option when available.
I’ll have to try it. My recipe was even simpler. Melt a little butter in frying pan. Heat to medium and cook one side. Flip and reduce heat to low. Cook until done.
I may have added a little lemon juice at the end.
How about if I push a cow into the water before slaughtering it? I think marine T-bone should be allowed. 
I’ve lived on both the East and West coasts and I like both lobster and Dungeness crab, but prefer lobster. Louisiana crawfish done in a crawfish boil - like in Richards in Abbeville, Louisiana. Sushi grade tuna is also excellent.
But perhaps #1 through rarity is soft-shelled crab. There was a Thai place down the street from the Sheraton then Marriott Hotel on Conn. Ave in DC (near the zoo) where I had soft-shelled crab at least once while I was at a conference. Amazing.
I can’t really think of any seafood I don’t like.
Salmon, catfish, shrimp, lobster, scallops, crawfish, speckled trout, lake perch, freshwater bass, sea bass, grouper, tuna…
I love it all!
I’ve had lobster a few times and thought it exquisite, but the one time I had freshly caught Chesapeake Bay blue crabs it was phenomenal.
However the most delicious aquatic creature I’ve eaten was a few years back, visiting some grandparents-in-law in Louisiana. On our last day there I got to eat catfish. For some reason I had always assumed catfish would be rather bland; I had no idea how flavorful they actually are. Wow!
Farm-raised catfish has a bit of an earthy flavor (some say, “muddy”), which turns some people off. But, I love good, sweet fried catfish, with hush-puppies and slaw.
I like catfish too. A local Thai place we frequent has a lightly fried catfish dish in red curry sauce on the menu I often order.
Catfish in red curry sauce sounds good.
Another sweet, flavorful fish is triggerfish, though it’s generally a bit more expensive than catfish. If you have the opportunity to try it at a restaurant, I recommend doing so.
Oysters, raw.
But I also enjoy some sardines on toast. And it’s been a while, but crabs are always good.
I bread and fry tilapia filets to make sandwiches. I usually season the filets with Old Bay or something similar, and then serve with remoulade sauce (the Cajun type).