With winter over and cherry blossoms in full bloom, the days of stews and heavy comfort foods are done for another year. Halibut season is officially here, and spot prawns will soon be arriving. Several local restaurants that specialize in seafood have plenty on offer to lure in diners seeking a meal that celebrates all things aquatic.

The Vancouver Fish Company Restaurant and Bar at the entrance to Granville Island is one of them. With a large patio overlooking so many fishing boats, it’s situated right next door to its suppliers, priding itself on its “hook to plate” menu and partnering with Organic Ocean Seafood.

“Their fishermen are unbelievable,” says Steve Duyzer, managing director and general manager. “You can tell their commitment to quality based on their respect for the fish. They harvest our sockeye from Bowen Island to the Haida Gwaii and our albacore from the Haida Gwaii. We serve [Vancouver Island] Humboldt squid instead of calamari because it is local and tastes amazing. We use B.C. rockfish for our fish and chips; it was recently certified as Ocean Wise and is also caught locally.”

VFC, as it calls itself, is hosting its Ocean Wise Festival until April 30, featuring items like Zen and Glacier oysters, “Haida core” tuna tacos, vongole with smoked sablefish and fresh clams, and a Salish Sea boil with clams, mussels, and Dungeness crab. That menu also includes one of the restaurant’s most popular items, maple-walnut prawns, which come with yuzu mayo and spiced walnuts and which Duyzer says have acquired a “cultlike following”. He says the recipe is based on a traditional Chinese dish and technique.

Another signature number is the VFC seafood platter, a bonanza with seared sashimi-grade sockeye salmon, albacore tuna, scallops, prawns, and king crab, along with Hannah Brook Farm vegetables, roasted potatoes, and grilled lemon. That would go down nicely with one of 12 draft beers, all from B.C., or a glass of wine; the by-the-glass portion of the list features only Okanagan VQA pours.

The Beach Bay Café and Patio, meanwhile, recently welcomed Felix Zhou as executive chef. The Hunan, China, native was raised in Vancouver, starting his culinary career at West Restaurant before moving to the Shangri-La Hotel’s Market by Jean-Georges. After heading to London, England, in 2012 to work, he returned to B.C. in 2014 to take on the various dining options at Whistler’s Nita Lake Lodge. Then it was back to Vancouver to assume the role of chef at the Parker. He stayed with the restaurant during its rebranding as Big Trouble.

At the West End beachside eatery (where Raincity Grill used to be), which has views of English Bay, Zhou focuses on fresh, sustainable seafood (sourced from Albion and 46 South) and approachable dishes that are simply cooked, among them: scallops and sea urchin with Granny Smith apple; prawn ceviche; house-cured wild salmon with avocado, beets, and puffed wild rice; sake-marinated sablefish; and octopus and chorizo with couscous and roasted red peppers.

Crowd-pleasers include lingcod fish and chips and a dense seafood chowder; the latter’s ingredients change regularly, but right now it consists of clams, mussels, lingcod, ham hock, leeks, and potatoes.

Across the water is Supermarine, just a block from Kitsilano Beach, complete with patio. Owned by James Iranzad and Josh Pape, the duo behind Wildebeest and Bufala, it’s in the former location of Abigail’s Party. The octopus chips are a must-try; so is the octopus ceviche, served with plantain chips. With chef de cuisine Austin Ratcliffe at the helm, the menu also feature: fried oysters; Atlantic lobster with Argentine prawns; steamed Salt Spring Island mussels with dark beer, roasted onions, and chilies; and tuna crudo with blood orange, yuzu, fried-chili vinaigrette, and puffed rice.

“We’re not inclined to being dainty with ingredients and feel fish can handle bolder flavours,” Iranzad tells the Straight. “We source from small suppliers bringing us fresh local meats, fish, and produce. We also source some occasional fish from around the world to be able to serve some cool things not commonly found on other menus.”

Although the menu is mainly seafood, Iranzad stresses it has lots of other options, from a “Royale with cheese” to lamb tartare. The cocktail list is bold too: the Abigail, for instance, has Lillet rosé, pear, basil, vanilla, lemon, and sparkling wine. London dry gin, green Chartreuse, lime, celery, egg white, and herbs combine for the Frog.

Like the Vancouver Fish Company and Beach Bay Café and Patio, Supermarine serves brunch on weekends. (Try its mushroom frittata, with crimini, shimeji, portobello, and oyster mushrooms and Manchego cheese.)

“We’re keeping the menus small, ingredient-driven, and big on flavour,” Iranzad says. “We cook food we love to eat.”