a.bar,18th and Walnut
Pair your a.bar Old Fashioned with small plates of fried shrimp diavolo or scallop ceviche. If you’re hungrier, try the Arctic char with grilled romaine and creamy Parmesan.
Jake’s Sandwich Board, 112 S. 12th St.; 125 S. 40th St.
On Fridays during Lent, Jake’s is doing a fish and chips sandwich: lightly breaded flounder, baby spinach, red peppers, Sriracha and Old Bay.
Barclay Prime, 237 S. 18th St.
We usually head straight for the kobe beef sliders, but the Stephen Starr steakhouse knows its fish, too. Go for the Scottish salmon.
Aldine, 1901 Chestnut St.
There are plenty of seafood options at George and Jennifer Sabatino’s new restaurant. Start with the crudo with citrus salt. For your entree, go for the skate with clams, brown butter and capers. Pennsylvania 6, 114 S. 12th St.
Bask in the retro vibe at Pennsylvania 6 while you start with the charred Spanish octopus as an appetizer to share, followed by the wild striped bass with du puy lentils, mustard greens, curry broth and a black cardamom honey glaze. SliCE,1740 Sansom St.; 1180 S. 10th St.
This thin-crust pizza place does a shrimp scampi pie for Lent. You have until Easter to try it.
Oyster House, 1516 Sansom St.
At a place named Oyster House, you should probably get the oysters. But you can’t go wrong with the sauteed mussels with tamarind coconut broth, lime and cilantro or the lobster roll, prepared New England style (chilled) or Connecticut style (warmed). Morimoto, 723 Chestnut St.
It’s hard to choose one seafood dish at this upscale Japanese eatery, but we have our eye on the Seafood Toban Yaki. It’s sweet prawns, scallops, king crab, Manila clams, bok choy and oyster mushrooms with citrus butter, cooked in a traditional style on a ceramic plate. Palladino’s,1934 E. Passyunk Ave.
At Luke Palladino’s new spot, order the conchiglie con polopo – pasta with octopus, garlic, chilies, tomato and Ligurian olives – or the whole roasted fish, prepared in what he calls ”crazy water” with Ligurian olives, grape tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, Calabrese chilies, garlic, parsley and marjoram. Me N Mo Meatballs and More, 214 South St.
A meatball shop doesn’t sound like the place to head on a No Meat Friday. But Me N Mo has a veggie variation, with mushroom and cream sauce or pesto and roasted vegetables. (OK, this one isn’t fish — but it’s not meat, either.)