Places to buy fish?

[AdamMiller]

I am sure there is a thread that addresses this, but I couldn't find it. I was wondering good places to buy decent, relatively cheap fish. I am making a bunch of fish tacos and don't want to pay farmers market/Whole Foods prices. I live around Miracle Mile, but anywhere in Los Angeles would be great. Thanks.

[ebethsdad]

Its the Valley, but Fish in the Village is a wonderful kosher fish market/restaurant in a strip mall on the southeast corner of Burbank and Whitsett. Its gone through several owners, and the quality in the past has been spotty, but its on a roll right now. I have been getting excellent halibut for much cheaper than the Fish King (another good place but you pay for it), and they have hard to find items like whole sea bream. Haven't tried the restaurant part, but it looks really good. No fishy odor at all.

[Fru]

Any major full service Korean market in Korea Town.

[Mateo R]

No need to go further.

[ExtraCheesePlease]

I don't know how you feel about driving down to Orange County but I have found that any of the larger Vietnamese supermarkets on Westminster or Brookhurst like Saigon City at Brookhurst and McFadden have incredible prices not on fresh fish but on most meats, poultry and produce.

[lizziee]

Does anyone know where to buy fresh sardines on the west side?

[budlit]

anjin II at sm farmer's mkt. has them sometimes

[bulavinaka]

"Fresh" would be Nijiya and Mitsuwa. "Live" would be the bait shops and barges.

[wilafur]

safe and save market on sawtelle has very fresh fish...but their selection is limited to less than a dozen varietals.

[maudies5]

Delicious Arctic Char today from Santa Monica Seafood.

[orythedog]

Fish King Glendale...never disappoints

[WSB]

On Saturday from 3:00 am to 6:00am at the end of 22 nd street in San Pedro. Some of the fish wholesalers are open to the public. When I was their on Sat I got fresh sushi grade yellowfin tuna for $2.75 / lb Whole yellowtail for $1.85/ lb and U-20 shrimp for $6.75/ lb this is my secret spot ; know what your are looking for and you can find some good deals.

[willtian2]

WSB, can you provide the specific location in San Pedro ? Which wholefish sellers were you able to purchase from and do they sell fesh fish to the public every Sat ? I would love to get some yellowfin this weekend to make poke. Yumm !

[Hughlipton]

Fish King is always very good. I also was in 99 Ranch Market on Sepulveda and Victory last saturday and they had a wide selection of quite fresh looking fish. The area did not have a fishy smell to it which I detest in so many other places.

-----
99 Ranch
17713 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA

[bulavinaka]

The turnover of most seafood items is very high at most 99s, plus the prices are very competitive. It's a marine conservationist's nightmare seeing all of those kinds of fish, and multiplying those quantities exponentially, but for consumers who want seafood, it's hard to beat.

[RicRios]

"I am sure there is a thread that addresses this"

Voilà:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6000...

[RicRios]

[To minimize carbon footprint & avoid an extra and tiresome click]

Just a few:

American Fish & Seafood - www.americanfish.com - [phone]

Los Angeles Fish Co - http://www.lafishco.com/index.php - [phone]

Pacific Fresh Fish Co. - www.pacificfreshfish.com - [phone]

Taiwan Seafood & Fish Inc - www.taiwanseafood.com - [phone]

Yamasa Fish Cake Co. - www.yamasafishcake.com - [phone]

Ore-Cal Corporation - www.ore-cal.com - [phone]

International Marine Products - www.intmarine.com - [phone]

Unified Seafood Co - www.unifiedseafood.com - [phone]

-----
American Fish & Seafood
625 Kohler St, Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles Fish Co
420 Stanford Ave, Los Angeles, CA

International Marine Products
500 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA

[Vince S]

Everytime I see this list yet no one reply to it.

These are some of the best places to get fresh fish. In fact, most restaurants and seafood resellers source from here.

Pple, please, make an effort and go downtown for fresh fish.

[OC Mutt]

Unless you go down to the docks buy from a fisherman when you can see the boat come in, there is a 95% chance that the fish you purchase "fresh" has at one point been frozen so don't be afraid of the frozen fish that Trader Joe's sells (I use their marinated mahi mahi for grilled fish tacos all the time). What matters the most is how soon after the catch the fish was frozen and how it was handled since that time.

[cls]

My understanding is there is a difference between flash frozen, which is a FDA requirement, and frozen.

[princesspestenstein]

good point, Mutt!

[maggielyn]

As a fussy fish lover from Boston, by far the very best fresh fish I have found is at Hollywood Farmer's Market Sunday mornings at J&P Seafood. Ultra-fresh. Good variety and prices and Marilyn is so accommodating. Unbelievable. (Sort of at the "crossorads" of the market

[Emme]

costco is good.

I get my fish at Elat Market on Pico, and it's always really fresh and reasonably priced.

-----
Elat Market
8730 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

[epop]

I can't stand the fish at Eilat market. That's where some people whose house I go to buy it, and I'm usually disappointed. I don't think piling fish the way they do keeps it as fresh as it would be otherwise.

[Emme]

That's a shame. My halibut, ahi and tilapia have all been good.

[epop]

I haven't tried the halibut there but the ahi and tilapia I had on many occasions
have caused me to start eating before i go to those homes.

[Emme]

Sorry to hear that. Like I said, I've had only good experiences there. I presume you have no reason to distrust the preparation by those in the homes you frequent. I'm curious as to why they continue to purchase dish at Elat, or if you just think they have undiscerning palates.

[epop]

Less discerning regarding seafood than mine.

But if you've luck, then enjoy.

[epop]

IN RESPONSE TO WSB BELOW (my post ended up in the wrong area):

That sounds perfect. I wish I lived close to something like that, or didn't mind the 405's horrid drivers so much.

[WSB]

At 4:30 in the morning no one is on the 405 or the 110.

[epop]

You'd be surprised. I prefer traffic jams to some of the drivers I've braved against.

[budlit]

you can get great fresh fish at the santa monica farmer's markets on wed. and sat.

[epop]

Tried that and was not all that impressed.

[budlit]

what was it that you tried and was unimpressed with?

[Obessed]

Go to the Farmers Market on Melrose on Sunday and talk to Jenn @ Smart Fish. She will hook you up!!!!!

[monku]

Seafood City, a market catering to Filipino community has fresh fish.
134-140 S. Vermont Avenue (just north of 3rd St.)
Los Angeles, CA 90004
[phone]
Store Hours: 8am to 9pm daily

http://www.seafoodcity.com/index.html

[Will Owen]

There's another Seafood City in the Eagle River mall on Colorado. Excellent fish, good prices and scads of interesting groceries as well.

[monku]

I mentioned the one on Vermont because the OP lives around Miracle Mile.

[wienermobile]

Costco

[bulavinaka]

I'd agree. The thing that I've noticed with Costco "fresh" seafood is that as long as you happen upon it when it first arrives, it's fine for cooking. And the seafood kiosks that set up adjacent to the meat department on weekends usually have at least a couple of good (not great) fish cuts for offer. The turnover is typically very good, and the prices are very competitive, so as long as the OP finds the type of fish he wants, it's a good match. I was there today, and the MdR Costco's seafood kiosk had "fresh" cuts of halibut - I think from Alaska.

If the OP is near a Chinese/Asian (non-Japanese) super, e.g., 99 Ranch, then that would work as well.