How to Shop at a Fish Market (it’s not that scary)
PHOTO: The fish counter at Sea Harvest in Monterey, CA
Fish Markets specialize in seafood. Shopping at one near you is a great way to develop a relationship with your local food purveyors and support the local economy. Buy how do you know which seafood to choose? Here are our recommendations for asking the right questions.
Fish markets usually offer more fresh, local seafood than larger, big-box stores and supermarkets, and often label their offerings with more transparency. Most fish markets are small businesses, run by their owners, so you can ask direct questions about where they get their seafood from. And, if you live in a coastal area like the Monterey Bay, fish markets maintain direct relationships with fishermen and local wholesalers.
But - fish markets often carry farmed and non-local seafood too, like Atlantic farmed salmon, farmed shrimp from Vietnam, and other species, so that they can offer a wide variety of products to their customers. In California, the most sustainable options are usually locally-caught seafood that is in season. If other seafood your fish market is selling looks good, you can consult the Seafood Watch Guide from Monterey Bay Aquarium to decide what the best non-local or farmed options are, and ask questions about it from the counter person.
PHOTO: Seafood that isn’t labeled with origin or species. This is a good time to ask questions!
The best way to engage with your fish market is to be open-minded, and to have a conversation. If you visit a fish market you haven’t been to before, don’t go in with a pre-planned recipe - base your recipe off what’s local and in-season. Spend a few minutes checking out the seafood case, and then speak with the owner, manager or an employee who is knowledgeable about their buying practices.
When you get to know your seafood provider and ask them questions, it lets them know that you care about buying local, sustainable seafood. When customers demonstrate a strong demand for local seafood, fish markets are more likely to source more seafood from local fishermen, and label it accordingly.
We recommend asking the following questions when you visit a fish market:
Are you offering any seafood that is locally-caught this week?
Which fish is in season this week? When did it come in?
Great! Do you have the name of the fisherman that caught it? I love to know the name of who caught what I’m eating and their story.
Where does your seafood come from? Who do you buy from?
