The old saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But Emeril Lagasse clearly doesn’t believe in old sayings.

The iconic chef and restaurateur has been a steady presence on the Las Vegas Strip since he opened Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand 19 years ago. Through the years, Lagasse has expanded his Vegas footprint with three other restaurants while countless other celebrity chefs have joined the furious dining competition on the Strip, and yet the Fish House has remained one of the city’s top seafood spots and fan favorites.

But Emeril decided to “kick it up a notch” and fix it anyway. The Fish House closed out 2014 with a bright new redesign, adding all new interiors and finishes, additional seating throughout the dining room, an oyster shell sculpture installation in the private dining room, and an expanded raw bar to expedite service of a variety of freshly shucked shellfish, seafood cocktails and ceviches. In short, the space is more open and relaxed than ever before, the perfect complement to Lagasse’s New Orleans-inspired menu.

And there are so many classic items on this menu, it’s difficult to choose what to eat. The starting dishes alone are a cavalcade of greatest hits: oysters on the half shell with cocktail and champagne mignonette sauces, Creole-boiled shrimp cocktail with spicy horseradish, zesty seafood and andouille pork sausage gumbo, Maryland blue crab cakes with lemon aioli, and of course, Emeril’s New Orleans barbecued shrimp—which are not barbecued at all, but simmered with rich, spicy herbs and seasonings and served with a rosemary biscuit. The one perfect, peerless bite that cannot be missed is the king crab rémoulade, a sublime combination of sweet crabmeat with a slightly spicy, decadently creamy sauce.

If you haven’t completely filled up on appetizers, the favorites continue in the entrée section via pecan-crusted Texas redfish baked with pepper jack cheese and potato rösti, the saffron-tinged fishermen’s stew containing treasures like Prince Edward Island mussels, and the sweet barbecued salmon with a Crystal hot sauce and fried onion crust.

But wait ... there are new dishes. You didn’t think Lagasse would redo his restaurant without adding some tantalizing new menu items, did you? Impossible to skip is a new handmade fresh basil-spinach fettuccine pasta tossed with snow crab, clams and mussels plus crisp sugar snap peas in a white wine and lemon sauce.

Charred Spanish octopus incorporates flavors you wouldn’t expect from this mostly Southern restaurant, beautifully delicate meat with cucumber salad in sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. The same surprise comes with Thai-style mussels steamed with coconut-peanut curry, ginger and chilies. And for fresh new fun, there’s a tempura-fried salmon roll with avocado and wasabi, Florida frog legs fried with hot sauce and served with buttermilk ranch dressing, and alligator meatballs on a pool of Creole mustard.

For two decades this year, Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House has been one of the most consistent and beloved restaurants in Las Vegas. It’s time to celebrate this destination’s longevity with a return visit. Just be prepared to be dazzled once again.

MGM Grand, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. 702.891.7374