Where to Find the Best Fish Spread

Trophy Fish, located in downtown St. Pete, is home to an award-winning smoked fish spread that features in-house smoked fish, paired with tangy pickled veggies, a dash of the chef’s signature hot sauce, and a side of crispy crackers. This spread earned a spot on food critic Helen Freund’s of Tampa Bay Times Top 22 dishes in 2022! Click here to jump to the  Savory Smoked Fish Spread recipe. 

Ted Peter’s Restaurant & Smoked Fish earned recognition on the show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", serving its signature fish spread and German potato salad, since 1951. At Ted Peter’s, the fish is slow cooked over a fire of red oak for a span of four to six hours.

Salt Cracker Fish Camp offers their signature Smokin’ Fish Dip with fish smoked to perfection. This marina-side restaurant serves a variety of fresh seafood and sides. Just steps away, you'll find Salt Cracker Charter Boats ready to take you on a fishing expedition, letting you catch your fish and eat it too!

Rusty Bellies is owned by the Russell family—who’s harbored a deep love for fishing for over three generations. It’s known for its Greek salads, steamed clams, and Teeha Marie Fish Spread. This spread is smoked in house, served with veggies and crackers.

Equipped with its own fishing fleet, the Baystar Restaurant Group offers fresh grouper, snapper, and amberjack, along with other seafood varieties, straight from the sea. They take great pride in providing their restaurants with fresh catches every day! The group operates a network of 12 restaurants, including well-known names like Seaweed Steaks, Seafood & Sushi, Salt Rock Grill, Rumba Island Bar and Grill, Bar Tiki, Salt Cracker Fish Camp, and Island Way Grille, to name a few.

In the charming area of South Pasadena in St. Pete's lies Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish, a simple yet renowned spot where fresh fish is carefully smoked over red oak for four to six hours. This unique technique has been a cherished tradition of the Peters family for well over 70 years.

Just a block away from the shoreline in Dunedin, Hog Island Fish Camp stands as a chef-owned and managed seafood restaurant, offering fresh, local seafood from the Gulf. Snappers in St. Pete Beach is known for its generous servings of fresh seafood, also sourced directly from the Gulf waters.

Many other local dining spots also offer fresh seafood supplied by local captains. If it's not on the menu, don't hesitate to respectfully ask your server about the source of their seafood!

An award-winning recipe courtesy of Trophy Fish in St. Pete 

Yield: 6 cups

• 1/4 lb cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup mayonnaise 
• ¼ cup sweet relish
• 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 Tb fresh garlic, chopped
• 1 Tb blackened seasoning
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp worcestershire
• 1 tsp hot sauce

Puree ingredients in food processor.

• 1 lb smoked fish, hand shredded
• ½ bunch green onion, finely sliced
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 1 rib celery, fine dice
• ½ red bell pepper, finely dice

Mix together the pureéd mixture with the smoked fish and diced veg thoroughly by hand.  Enjoy with your favorite crackers, hot sauce and fresh veggies!