When it comes to seafood I have very simple tastes, but can sometimes be encouraged to try something different. For instance, a while back I went to Red Lobster with my family and my mom was talking about gumbo and what was in it. And when we got to the restaurant, I tried some gumbo as an appetizer. And while I like spicy food but I'm getting to the age where it wreaks havoc on my system, I held off on applying any tobasco sauce because 1) my wife wanted to try gumbo too, but she doesn't like anything spicy at all, and 2) I wanted to try gumbo and get a feel for it before I started doing anything to start spicing it up. I used to be a saltaholic, but have taught myself to at least try the food before I reach for the salt shaker, and maybe consider the idea that hey, maybe what I'm eating doesn't have to have salt. So after going boldly in that culinary exercise what do I order for the main course? Fish and fries. Yes, I like Long John Silver's, but prefer Captain D's. But I think local bars and restaurants have the best kind of fish if for no other reason that the pieces are bigger.
One way I could be more adventurous in trying seafood would be to go to the Great American Seafood Cook off. With all the dishes available I could easily expand my tastes in seafood and maybe venture beyond the kid's menu. And there's another part of me that loves the idea that the dishes prepared utilize local sources for the ingredients that are well known and fresh. So you can expand your culinary repretoire and feel good doing it.