1. The Riverside
Bridport, Dorset

This West Dorset institution does simply cooked oysters, squid and mackerel, pulling off the genuine feat of being a family restaurant, and yet also perfectly sophisticated for a meal à deux in the evening.The thing most people remember is crossing the little wooden bridge over the river to get in, because the restaurant is surrounded by water. You pause to look at the seabirds, sniff the sea air and you're immediately in the mood for a big plate of garlic prawns.There's nothing tricksy about the cooking or the bare wooden floorboards. Great fish deserves to be cooked simply.

2. Lyme Bay Whelk Stall
Lyme Bay, Dorset

On the corner of the harbourmaster's office in Lyme Bay Mr and Mrs Wayson sell whelks that he gathers in the bay, along with other seafood goodies like dressed crab. They have a secret way of cooking whelks which makes them particularly tender.

3. The Crab House Cafe
Wyke Regis, Dorset

Visitors to West Dorset may recall Abbotsbury Oysters as a tatty boatyard with a concrete filtration shed where you could, nevertheless, eat sparklingly fresh seafood. Since last year, a tasteful refurb means the shed is clad in wood and you can sit in the tank room looking at the oysters and crabs. The oysters are raised in the tidal Chesil fleet, and the menu changes twice a day.

4. Harbour Inn
Lyme Regis, Dorset

Lyme Regis is best known for the Cobb, an artificial harbour built of Portland stone in the 19th century. It is terribly romantic - associated with Jane Austen's Persuasion, which was filmed here a few years ago. This family beach pub is a nice place to loll around overlooking the Cobb and the beach. They do good whitebait and chips and cod in beer batter, but also splendid fish dishes like seared marlin with chorizo and butterbean salad. It's also handy for the nearby fishmongers, where you can grab something flappingly fresh.

5. The Whitehouse
Lochaline, Argyll

The Whitehouse is a tiny restaurant overlooking the water towards the Isle of Mull. Owned by Jane Stewart Smith and Sarah Jones, it is a five-minute walk uphill from the Mull ferry. The young chef, Paul Burton, cooks fantastic langoustines, harvested nightly from the loch. Everything is local, down to the salads, herbs and vegetables grown in Lesley Jones's garden next door.

The Riverside Restaurant, West Bay, Bridport, Dorset, 01308 422011

The Crab House Café, Ferrymans Way, Wyke Regis, Dorset, 01305 788867

Harbour Inn, 23 Marine Parade, Lyme Regis, Dorset, 01297 442299

The Whitehouse Restaurant, Locahline, Argyll, 01967 421777