Buying Seafood in Seattle (the not-for-tv version)

let’s talk about seafood.  after all, the Pacific Northwest is famous for it and Seattle is full of famous fish markets. who hasn’t seen the salmon flying at Pike Place Market - at least on TV if not in person?  boozhie supermarkets in the suburbs have fish counters that can compete with specialty seafood stores.   trendy restaurants and the foodie crowds all have their preferred sources.

when i was a kid in the Central Area, we bought our fish at Mutual Fish on 14th Avenue. When they moved to Rainier, i followed them, because back then there weren’t that many places to buy really good seafood.

but nowadays, i buy my fresh seafood at Asian markets. and i’m not talking Uwajimaya. I’m talking SOUTH END. you know. i remember telling one of my daughters that i was going to buy live dungeness crabs at Viet Wah (a local Vietnamese-owned chain of supermarkets) and she asked if i was confident they were fresh. i make no recommendations about the stuff on ice -- you have to be careful and know how to judge if something is fresh enough. but when it comes to the live selections, my answer is: “they’re alive. you really can’t get any fresher than that.”

besides live crab, Viet Wah always has live shrimp, manila clams, oysters, lobsters and tilapia. depending on the season, you might also find live mussels, cockles, snails frogs, turtles, geoducks and blue crabs. and one time there was this enormous grouper-like creature that filled a whole tank -- must’ve been a special order.

then there is Ranch 99 market in the Great Wall shopping mall in Kent -- it’s part of a West Coast chain. they have an even bigger live selection, with dozens of different kinds of fish swimming in separate tanks.

and, justifying its name, Seafood City (which attracts a lot of Filipinos) in Southcenter has a huge seafood section -- both fresh and frozen. And don’t forget H-Mart in Federal Way. Their primary focus is Korean food but they have a pan-Asian clientele

Not only do the large Asian markets offer a selection of live seafood, but they can prepare it for you in many different ways -- from simple cleaning to fileting to deep frying on the spot. the prices are usually posted for each level of service. sometimes the signs aren’t in English, but don’t let that stop you. Most store employees speak at least enough English to communicate with customers and there are always gestures. and, if you are having language problems, you can always find another customer who will be willing to help. just ask . . .