Photo by Kevin H.

DCist Reader Nicole writes in:

I wanted to ask you if you had any great recommendations for relatively cheap, hands on seafood restaurants around DC. My sister is coming to town for her 16th birthday, and since she lived in Salt Lake City, there is really no delicious seafood there to speak of (besides brine shrimp). Anyways, any help you or your readers could offer would be lovely.

Delicious seafood is a tricky business in any town. If you’re going for the finest, it has a tendency to get expensive very quickly.

The most obvious answer to Nicole’s question would be to go to Phillip’s on the SE Waterfront, for their all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s not necessarily the best seafood in town, but will give eaters an easy and relatively affordable hands-on experience.

For a unique taste of D.C., you can head to the Maine Avenue Seafood Market. There you will meet folks from all walks of life and the price is right, but spots like Captain White’s Seafood City are pretty much standing room only. If you’re okay with eating at home, you can swing by and pick up some freshly cooked crabs, shrimp, and fish.

If fried seafood is your game, you can head over to TackleBox for some sustainable fried mollusks and fish. The atmosphere is stripped down, and you can’t go wrong with one of their fried plates followed up by pastry chef Heather Chittum’s delicious pie.

Slightly further afield is Sea Side Crab House in Eden Center. You’ll find a huge array of seafood that you can attack with your hands, and find yourself in the area’s major Vietnamese enclave.

Add your suggestions in the comments.