Contributed by Info Guru Paul Seaburn

With so many grocery stores installing fresh fish counters offering a wide variety of catches from around the world, life for seafood lovers is good.

Making fish dishes at home is easy when you have the right tools for preparation, cooking and eating. These seafood lovers kitchen tools won’t get you your own restaurant, but they will help serve great fish dishes to your family and friends.

10. Shrimp deveiner

When you buy fresh shrimp for grilling or frying, you need to peel it and remove the vein. A shrimp deveiner does both quickly and easily.

9. Lobster bibs

Just because you boil your Maine lobster at home doesn’t mean you should eat it over the sink to avoid a mess. Disposable plastic lobster bibs protect your shirt from butter and lobster juice and remind you how much you’ve saved by cooking it at home.

8. Shellfish Opener

If you plan to shuck oysters or clams, you need a knife designed for this process. These shucking knives are shorter and thicker than regular knives so they don’t break. Wear an oyster glove and watch a video or a professional to learn how to protect your fingers.

7. Butter Warmers

For many people, the main reason to eat lobster or scallops is the melted butter, so make them feel special by keeping it melted and warm in individual butter warmers. Whether silver or ceramic, they add a nice touch to your table.

Keep extras filled and ready for when the first batch is licked clean. It’s amazing how much butter a lobster seems to need!

6. Crab Mallet

Half the fun of eating crabs is cracking them open, so make sure you have plenty of crab mallets on hand for both preparation and eating. Wooden ones will do the job at a reasonable price while pewter adds a touch of class to an otherwise messy activity.

5. Vinegar

This isn’t for cooking – it’s for the fish smell. Place a bowl of white vinegar in a bowl on a counter in the kitchen and leave it out overnight. The fish smell will be gone in the morning.

Not a fan of vinegar? Put about a tablespoon of lemon juice in a pot and put it in a pot with about 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down. Simmer for a minute or two then turn it off. Leave it out overnight for the same fish-free scent, but without the vinegary smell.

4. Fish Turner

Regular spatulas are too narrow for most pieces of fish and holding two at a time is just asking for broken fish, so invest in an extra wide fish turner. Many come with a non-stick surface to make flipping your filets even easier.

3. Fish Scaler

If you enjoy cooking walleye, perch, trout and other fresh caught fish, you’ll want a good easy-to-use fish scaler for cleaning them. There are many styles to choose from, starting with a simple peeler and moving up to electric scalers or scalers that fit in the handles of electric knives.

2. Deep Fryer

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Yes, we all know that baked or grilled fish is healthier, but shrimp. catfish, cod and breaded seafood just taste better fried. With a cool touch deep fryers, you can get restaurant-quality fried fish using healthier oils, giving you the flavor without the guilt.

1. Filet Knife

With a curve designed for the shape of a fish, a sharp point for piercing the skin and a flexible blade for maneuvering around bones, a quality filet knife is the most valuable tool in any seafood lovers kitchen.