Where can I buy affordable fresh local fish?

[strouDAWG]

Hey there, haven't been in the bay area for long and would love to know more about the fresh fish scene :)

Where does the local catch land / come from?

What is the local catch / how do I find out about this and what's in season and what's sustainable here?

Where is the best and cheapest place to buy fresh, local fish in San Francisco?

I have not had any success in finding wet fish shops that are not incredibly expensive (like the Ferry Building, or Whole Foods fish counter). I have bought fresh fish on the market in Filmore and Civic Center, but packed in ice for too long, doesn't taste fresh when you get it home...

I'm missing good fish! Especially whole fresh mackerel....

Look forward to finding out more from the Chow Hound experts!

[alfairfax]

North Bay heads up: Marin Farmers Market on Sun & Thur has a fish vendor called Mission Fish (I am quite sure no relation to fish market of same name in city). They have fresh and lovely local salmon. I got a roast at $11.95 per lb; noticed price of fillets at $16.95. Steaks would be between those, whole fish lower. Loved it and so pleased to once again be eating the local Chinook. This is the small stand in front of market, not larger one toward rear of market (on Sunday). The larger vendor is called Santa Rosa Fish I believe. They offer a much wider variety of seafood including some that is not local and some farmed and some whose sustainability is questionable. Agricultural Institute of Marin which runs this and other Marin farmer's markets as well as some other places is rumored to be on the verge of initiating some tighter regs for seafood vendors which would favor sustainable, local (200 mi limit) wild and only CA raised farmed fish. But main point here: great local salmon is here at prices not too exorbitant altho certainly higher than 3 yrs ago before moratorium. Cold poached salmon leftovers for dinner tonight. Yum.

[baron45]

The Pillar Pt Harbor hotline mentioned salmon being sold off the boats on Saturday 5/5. Don't know the prices though.

[Leanne Haney]

How about sources on the Peninsula on a daily basis? H&H looks great, but is only in certain cities certain days. http://www.hhfreshfish.com/ I live in Redwood City. Does anyone know a place that sells daily nearby? Sounds like I may have to drive a bit but I am in a rush for a party Saturday and want to do a 4 pound Salmon filet...Any suggestions of where to get it in my neighborhood?? How is Cook Menlo Park? Their website doesn't work right now, server problem...
Thanks in advance.

[aupif]

The best place for fresh fish on the Peninsula is Cook's Seafood in Menlo Park. They get fish shipments daily and get some local fish that's as fresh as what I've tried that came from fishermen. No markets (Whole Foods, Draeger's, etc.) come anywhere close. Right now, they've got local salmon that comes from the coast daily and they sell local salmon cheeks (a delicious, hard-to-find item) when requested -- they're very busy and it takes some work to extract the cheeks.

For fish intended for Japanese-style sushi/sashimi (hamachi, etc.), go to Nak's in Menlo Park, a small Oriental market run by a charming Japanese couple that gets a small amount of very expensive but excellent fish from Japan twice weekly. For hamachi, it's wise to call in advance because it goes quickly. This is the only place I've found where hamachi kama (the divine collars that are traditionally salt roasted) can be purchased, but I haven't tried the Asian markets. Actually, Cooks' fish is plenty fresh enough for any raw treatment but for ahi tuna intended for a raw treatment, Nak's sells ready-to-go cuts without the membrane, although it's very pricey.

There's a fish vendor on Sundays at the South Palo Alto farmers market that has some good fish, including, sometimes, "hamachi," which is probably some variety of amberjack similar to the Japanese version sold at Nak's but works just fine.

Now, if I could only find a local source for Hog Island oysters.....

[Leanne Haney]

THANKS aupif! I was wondering about Cook's, I will try them!

[madoka]

Good to know about Cook's in Menlo Park. How about the South Bay? Any thoughts on Race Street Seafood?

[aupif]

I don't shop down there, so can't comment on Race Street. Maybe someone else reading this thread might have info. Or you can try Yelp, but with a grain of salt. Lots of grains, actually.

[dappa]

As a fourth-generation member of a San Francisco Italian fishing family, I know my fish, which is not necessarily a good thing, because good fish is hard to come by these days. Sad but true, the best fish houses are no where near Fisherman's wharf. One of the best fish markets in the north bay is Whole Foods in Mill Valley. A touch on the expensive side, but always good. In San Francisco, I head straight for Chinatown. There's a market directly across from Portsmouth Square (on Clay) that is excellent. Buy them whole. Have them cut. Again, reasonable. If you make friends and become a regular, the price will drop. Surprisingly, the best seafood selection in Nor Cal is in Santa Cruz, at Staff of Life, not on the wharf, but a mile from the harbor. They buy from local fishermen and the fish is fresh and reasonably priced. Phil's in Moss Landing is excellent, too. As for fish dinners, yes, Taditch is excellent, the Rose Pistola lovely, but the best ciopino by far is also in Santa Cruz, at Gilda's, on the wharf, sold only on Fridays. Best during crab season (not now) and when rock cod is fresh. I will drive 100 miles for good ciopino, so I know. I agree, Duarte's is okay, not great. Nothing in Monterey is decent at all on the Wharf. The one good ciopino I had on the San Francisco waterfront was at Fisherman's Grotto. But when I want some decent seafood at a restaurant, I usually head to a good Cambodian restaurant, because they are buying fresh fish from local dealers. My favorite was Phnom Penh on Willow and Larkin in the City, but I'm not sure if it's there any more or how good it is. And then there is Le Cheval in Oakland, Vietnamese; their claypot fish is superb. Very reasonable prices.

-----
Rose Pistola
532 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133-2802

Phnom Penh Restaurant
3912 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619

Le Cheval
1375 N Broadway, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

[BernalKC]

Sadly both Phnom Penh and Le Cheval are gone. But the advice to head to SE Asian restaurants for the good fresh fish still holds. I always get one of the whole fish dishes when I go to Lers Ros, close to where Phnom Penh was, though I have no idea if they use local catch or not.

[Robert Lauriston]

Le Cheval's not gone, they just moved down the block and changed their name.

Angkor-Borei's my favorite Cambodian place.

-----
Angkor-Borei Restaurant
3471 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Le Cheval
2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704

Le Cheval
1375 N Broadway, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

LCX by Le Cheval
1019 Clay St, Oakland, CA 94607

[Windy]

I love Angkor Borei, but aside from the amok, I wouldn't order fish there.

[Robert Lauriston]

Have you tried the pan-fried fish fillet?

[Windy]

No, but sounds like I should. What kind of fish is it?

[Robert Lauriston]

I don't know. Maybe halibut.

[vulber]

at $11, i'd be surprised if it were halibut

[BernalKC]

Not %100 sure, but I think its tilapia. One of my favorite dishes there.

[Robert Lauriston]

Seemed thicker and meatier than tilapia to me, though they may vary the fish depending on what's good and cheap.

[majordanby]

maybe red snapper? was it a white fleshed fish?

[Robert Lauriston]

Definitely not red snapper at that price. White, meaty. Maybe rock cod or one of those other mystery fish they have at Chinese fishmongers.

[peterme]

H&H Fresh Fish travel to farmers markets around the South and East Bay (we see them at Temescal in Oakland on Sundays). They have both local and sustainably caught stuff not too far. Always happy with the selection:
http://www.hhfreshfish.com/

[Leanne Haney]

Thanks for the source Peterme.

[vulber]

yup; sun fat has marin oysters for 85 cents/each

http://sunfatseafood.com/HamaHamaOyst...

[vulber]

i believe some of the oysters at Sun Fat are local (and fresh and affordable)

[rccola]

Try Tokyo Fish Market if you are near Berkeley.

Tokyo Fish Market
1220 San Pablo Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94706-2218
[phone]

-----
Tokyo Fish Market
1220 San Pablo Ave, Albany, CA 94706

[ML8000]

Salmon use to be the big local fish but over-fishing, dams and the like have nearly killed it. The good news is salmon is making a come back due to fish and game management.

Re: where to buy cheap local fish...I was trying to google a SFGate article about the fish mongers in Oakland Chinatown (about 5 y.o.) and a local seafood wholesaler that delivers there. The article was about the freshness, the good relationship between the market and wholesaler...and the old Chinese ladies who know when the truck is coming and they line up.

Don't know the break down of local vs. imported but the article touched on the fast turn and freshness.

[Robert Lauriston]

Lots of consumers in Oakland Chinatown are very knowledgeable about judging the quality and freshness of fish, while caring little or not at all about whether it's local or sustainable.

[lrealml]

It is surprising, but Costco has the seafood stand on the weekends (Fri-Sun)... and if you go on Friday the fish is really fresh (and normally from the west coast). For example, this Friday, I got wild caught pacific Halibut for $10.99/lb. It was brought in that day and was very fresh (the blood was still red in the spine). It made a great Ceviche.
I also love to go to Pillar Point, but even living in RWC it is just not feasible to go out there as often as I want to eat seafood, so I make due with Ranch 99, Costco, and Whole Foods

[Robert Lauriston]

Wild-caught Pacific halibut is sustainable, but not local.

[lrealml]

Not true...
I bought a Halibut right off a boat at pillar point once; however, I do not know if the one I bought at Costco on Friday was local (however it was US caught from the Pacific).

[Robert Lauriston]

That would have been California halibut, a local species often marketed as Pacific halibut, which ranges from Oregon to Alaska. "Wild caught" is enough information to judge whether a particular California halibut is sustainable.

[lrealml]

Ok... I wasn't aware that they were different.
I don't know if the halibut I got at Costco was "pacific halibut" or California halibut that was caught in the Pacific (unfortunately they sell it with the head off, so I still am not sure after reading about it). However, it was smallish and looks identical in color, taste, and texture to the one I bought at pillar point a year or so ago, so I'm betting that it is a CA halibut.

[majordanby]

in my opinion, the bay area is known for its dungeness crab, but it's available (cheaply and more abundantly) during the winter.

i also buy anchovies, sardines and squid...relatively cheap and abundant.

occasionally buy halibut and cod, only when cheap.

typically buy these at monterey fish market in berkeley (gilman), tokyo fish market in berkeley (san pablo) or asian markets.

[bbulkow]

It's been a few years since we've had a good salmon run, but the years when salmon was 2.99 a pound at safeway and beautiful - that was sweet. I always had to brush off the refrigerator gravlox recipe (involving maple sugar granules). It's been a few years.

[majordanby]

i was going to mention salmon, but it's been fairly scarce (or really expensive) in the last few years.

i forgot to mention oysters...tomales bay...a hidden gem

[bbulkow]

Sort of hidden. Take a drive up on the weekend and marshal house is fairly packed with tourists and locals out on a day trip.

[majordanby]

i only go there during weekdays, so my perspective is rather biased...always have the area to myself. maybe once i get a real job, ill realize how busy markets, parks, trails and restaurants in the bay area really are.

[wolfe]

Tokyo Fish, Berkeley. Fish tagged as to origin. Prices reasonable.
http://www.tokyofish.net/fish.php

[rccola]

A wonderful place. where those in the know go.

The fish counter at Berkeley Bowl may have wonderful fresh fish but the odor at that counter turns me off. I have never bought there because of it.

Tokyo Fish Market
1220 San Pablo Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94706-2218
[phone]

-----
Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St, Berkeley, CA 94703

[BernalKC]

We buy most of our fish from either Mission Market Fish of Sun Fat Seafood. Prices are both stores are reasonable. Both will carry local catch and be more than happy to tell you what is local, farmed, wild, and what is not. As others have said, most fish on the market here is not local.

[SFDude]

I agree that if you are in the Mission, either Mission Market Fish or Sun Fat are the places to go. They both have good quality and reasonable prices, plus they do enough volume that the fish is nicely fresh. Sun Fat also has live crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters etc.

[strouDAWG]

fantastic - Mission Market FIsh is ear to me too! will definitely head over there and ask Bob about the best local catch, what's in season etc.... thanks!

[Robert Lauriston]

If you want to know what's local, sustainable, and currently available, get on the Monterey Fish mailing list.

http://www.montereyfish.com/seafood.htm

It's a complicated issue. SF Magazine published a long piece a few months ago:

http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/the-new-school-of-fish%20

But they got a lot of stuff wrong:

http://www.sfweekly.com/content/print...

[strouDAWG]

Thanks Robert - it is a complex issue indeed. Thanks for Montereyfish link, their sustainability advisory list includes mackerel, and it is local and sustainable.... just got to find where to buy it!

[Robert Lauriston]

Call them and ask, though it comes and goes.

[Alan408]

Local seafood: rock cod/sebastes often called pacific red snapper, ling cod, black cod, anchovies, sardines, mackeral, squid, salmon (starting May 1), crab, oysters, sand dabs petrale sole, white seabass, halibut, occasionally albacore in the summer/fall.

South of SF, there is a harbor at Pillar Point, there are commercial fishing boats berthed there. Some of the boats have retail permits and sell off the boat. There is a list of boats outside of the harbormaster's office. Google Pillar Point Harbor master for a phone number. There is also a fish market at the harbor. There used to be commercial fish landings in Sausalito, closed about 5 years ago. San Francisco Pier 45, closed this year. I don't know of any ther landings in SF. Pillar Point, Moss Landing and Monterey still have commercial fish landings. Moss and Monterey try Sea Harvest, Moss try Phil's.

Bottom line: there is not a lot of local fish, and "cheapest" isn't the best.

[ROCKLES]

Princeton Harbor in Half Moon Bay and
All Shores Seafood in San Bruno--they get shipments daily and they deliver all over San Francisco to the grocery stores and seafood suppliers, even to Princeton Harbor in in Half Moon Bay

[artemis]

Yes, Pillar Point is where we get our local seafood too. Last time we were there, the fisherman said they'd be selling salmon off the docks starting around May 4th or 5th.

[Windy]

How much were you paying for salmon last season? I've always meant to do this.

[Alan408]

I don't remember any boats selling salmon last year from Pillar Point. I would not be surprised to see $10/lb.

Commercial salmon season opens today, but it is currently rough (windy) on the ocean.

Last year, a commercial salmon fisherman out of Pillar Point claimed, "300 years of commercial salmon fishing experience could not catch one fish." 7 or 8 anglers each with 30-40 years of experience could not catch a salmon. I hope this year is more productive.

[Bunson]

The boats at PIllar Point are definitely one of the best. Be careful about Princeton Seafood though, their prices can run high and may not be local (i.e. in the middle of dungeness crab season I went to the docks and no boats were selling crab - I went to Princeton and their crab was from Washington/Alaska which really bothered me since local dungeness could be sourced 200 feet away.)

[Robert Lauriston]

If no boats were selling crab, in what sense could local Dungeness be sourced 200 feet away?

[pilinut]

It seems like ages since we've had local salmon! I've been hoping to get over there to try to get a whole one for Mothers' Day. Would you know what time the boats start selling? Is there a particular seller anyone can recommend?

[majordanby]

i saw some for sale by hudson fish co....they usually attend the berkeley farmers market on sat and thurs. i also see them at the el cerrito market on sat and the JLS market in oakland on sunday.

[artemis]

The fisherman I spoke to in my post above was the Cricket. We got wonderful crab several times from the Cricket during the season. Forgive my landlubber nomenclature, but the Cricket seems to typically dock in the second set of docks on the left hand side of the pier, typically in the berth closest to the pier in that second row. He has business cards - I'll take a look at ours this weekend and post the number.

When we spoke a month ago, the Cricket man said he expected to start having salmon the first weekend of May. We'd love to buy a local salmon, but of course the fishermen sell them whole, which is too much for my household. Would anyone care to meet at the dock one weekend and split a salmon? Perhaps Memorial Day weekend? The Cricket guy said that the fish should run 9-15 lbs, and that people typically take it straight to the fish monger at the pier to be filleted, deboned, and/or split with someone they met at the dock ($5-8 fee at the shop, depending on fish size).

[lrealml]

Have you considered making gravlax? There are only two of us, but we manage to go through a whole salmon with no trouble, and we are small people. I take one half and make gravlax (this is super easy to make). I keep the other half on ice the fridge and then over two days we eat it (either as tartar, baked, red curry, etc). On the third day the gravlax is ready, so we have that with rye and cream fraiche for the next few days. (I also make a stock with the head and bones). Btw, don't try this unless you love Salmon and can't get sick of it...

I definitely plan on going to Pillar point and getting a Salmon or two this season if possible... I will start calling the fishfone this weekend to see if they have any.

[bbulkow]

++ on gravlax! That's been my goto when there's cheap , local salmon to be had.

[pilinut]

We were at Pillar Point around noon today, and there was only one boat left selling salmon, but it wasn't the Cricket. The smallest one left was around 7.8 lbs, and the biggest ones were over 21 lbs. I settled for an 8.5 lb fish. Price was $12/lb; $11/lb for seniors.

The harbormaster suggests calling at around 9 a.m. to check on what's coming in that morning, and catches arrive everyday, weather permitting. Fishfone 650-726-8724.

One of these weeks, if I can find the time to make some gravlax, I'll post a query on the board to see if anyone wants to go down and share a salmon.

[artychokeasana]

We bought a 10 pound salmon on Saturday from Captain Dan on the Seabird-E dock. Grilled it for Mother's day and it was out of this world delicious. $10 per pound for locals, repeat customers or multiple fish-$11 per pound for everyone else. Our BIL slipped down to the docks after lunch to pick one up to take home.

Pilinut, we'd share one with you in a week or so...need to work through the leftovers of the Mother's day fish first.

[pilinut]

Thanks, artychokeasana! I'll ask around and see if any of my friends are interested so that maybe we can get more than one fish.

We enjoyed out salt-baked salmon tremendously, but it was a bit too much of an adventure trying to get a whole 29-inch fish into a 22-inch oven. Won't be attempting that again in the near future. (Unless there is some way of keeping a fish in a "curled" position.)

[little big al]

Yesterday (Sunday) We scored a 9 pound salmon from FV MAGGIE on E dock for $9 lb. There are also some crab at $6 lb.( and not bad for so late in the season) from a boat flying a flag for "Jimbo's Jumbos" just cattywompous from MAGGIE. We are enjoying the salmon every which way and I swear I'll never take it for granted ever again.

[artemis]

Aw, I love the Maggie. The fisherman is friendly with a pelican he named Nigel who flies down and does tricks for fish when we were there last for crab. They seemed very simpatico.

[hill food]

cattywompous (sp?!) golly haven't heard that word in well, a long time. it needs to be reintroduced.

[escargot3]

Hey Pilinut,

I"ve had uneven experiences cooking gravlax. Once was fantastic. And the next time, it was a dud. Unfortunately, I don't recall the recipe I used for the first one.

Perhaps you could post your recipe over on the chowhound home cooking board...

[pilinut]

Hi, escargot, unlike you, I'm presently a purely "aspirational" gravlax maker. I've read about it--it sounded so easy that I've been dreaming of making gravlax for years. Now you are giving me pause. . . What went wrong? Perhaps we should go on the Home Cooking Board and research or ask for pointers: the hounds there are a singularly generous and helpful pack.

[wally]

You "cooked" gravlax?

[escargot3]

lrealml: the recipe question was for you.

pilinut; okee dokee -- i'll see ya over there.

wally: to be precise: i prepared gravlax.

[lrealml]

Here you go:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783872

[lrealml]

Anyone get a salmon lately? and if so how much are they now?
Thinking of going tomorrow (Friday) and buying one...

Also, have you been eating it raw/rare? I was reading that this is bad because of parasites.... is there a huge risk to this?
Although I have bought salmon quite a few times, only one time was it not previously frozen... We didn't get sick (that I know of), but maybe we were just lucky...
If I can't eat it rare or raw, I don't see the point to buying fresh salmon (fully cooked salmon is not for me).

[Robert Lauriston]

There is a risk of parasites in raw wild salmon that has not been frozen.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/551162

[artychokeasana]

We bought a salmon from the docks last weekend. Delicious. Salmon season is over now but will resume a couple more times this summer. Best to call the fish fone to see what's on offer. We heard talk of black cod being up next.

[lrealml]

They've had them everyday this week according to the fishfone... I wish they'd put the message on earlier. We would have went yesterday, but the message did appear until late afternoon.

How is everyone preparing their fresh salmon?

Salmon cooked through to me is not tasty.

[artychokeasana]

Whole roasted on the BBQ-avoids the fish smell in the house and my husband and his brothers love to cook it that way. This equals more backyard/sunshine/wine sipping time for me ;-)

[lrealml]

Yum, sounds lovely... no sunshine this weekend unfortunately.

Since the weather sucks, I didn't feel like driving to Half Moon bay, but I still wanted some salmon. Costco has a ton fresh wild copper river salmon today; whole minus the head for 7.99 and filleted already for 8.99.. I normally prefer to by it whole (to check the gills etc..), but for only a dollar more per lb. I couldn't pass up the fillets. So now I have to figure out how long I need to freeze it for or find a way to cook it so that it is not dry...
I still hope to make it out to half moon bay and get a salmon there sometime this season.

[artychokeasana]

Yum! Copper River Salmon-that's worth a trip to Costco....
I wouldn't try freezing it unless you have a flash freezer-which I am guessing you don't. I think you'll be safe if you just cook to about 135...and then let it sit until it gets to 140. One of my favorote indoor ways of cookin salmon is to slow roast it in the oven at aboyt 225 degrees --I genrally put a dollop of herbed mayo, or saffron mayo or ojai lemon mayo on the top before putting it in the oven-it adds flavor and and creates a sauce plus it masks all the collogen that comes to the surface as it cooks. It's easy and delicious.

[lrealml]

hmm... I just happen to have some homemade pesto mayo leftover from the other day...
I think I might try that tonight... Thanks for the idea!

[osho]

Which branch of Costco did you buy the Copper River Salmon from?

[CyndiN]

They had a ton of it at the Rohnert Park branch yesterday. I always freeze salmon. I cut into individual portions then marinate in EVOO, vinegar and/or lemon juice, salt and some herbs. Then freeze on a cookie sheet and transfer to bags. Is there something about this variety that makes it not come out well frozen?

[openhelix]

In general I would recommend against salting for storage. During the freezing and thawing process it leeches extra liquid out of the fish and makes it drier than the freezing/thawing process already does.

[CyndiN]

Thanks for the tip. I haven't had any trouble but I use a very small amount. I can leave it out for sure and just add salt when cooking.

[lrealml]

The Mountain View Costco.

[baron45]

The Costco near SFO had fresh wild Copper River salmon today; whole minus the head for $5.99/lb and fillets for $13.99/lb. Today was the first day for the whole fish stand along with the jumbo Tiger prawns from Vietnam.

Bought a couple of whole salmon and each weighed ~6.5 lbs.

[Windy]

Yes, salmon has to be cured for several days to be safe and even then.

A friend who's a sushi chef said it's the highest health risk at a sushi bar, because of the prevalence of worms. I would only order raw salmon at a restaurant I knew very well.

[Windy]

First, local fish is expensive, unless you count whole squid and whole sardines. I don't think mackerel is from around here. Sand dabs are.

The Monterey Aquarium list will tell you what's sustainable and local. It's on their website, and updated regularly.

Berkeley Bowl has very fair prices on fish. I'm not up for the buckets in Chinatown myself, although Sunset Super is a pretty good option. Asian grocers like Ranch 99 tend to have very inexpensive fish, but much of it is from China and Thailand.

If you're near Fillmore, several of the markets at Japantown (Miruwa, Super Mira, the one next to Soko Hardware) have fresh fish including sushi grade; not cheap, but high quality and they won't balk at small portions.

-----
Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St, Berkeley, CA 94703

Super Mira
1790 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA

99 Ranch
4299 Rosewood Dr, Pleasanton, CA 94588

[hill food]

that was one thing that always astounded me in SF and was hard to explain to visitors - the rarity of cheapish local seafood (with some exceptions of course). I LOVE the Japanese markets, yes, not cheap, but perfect.

[boris_qd]

I'll second that. For a city on the sea alongside one of the best harbors in the world SF has shockingly bad local seafood (it's not that it doesn't it exist - it's that it's hard to find and very limited selection).

[chemchef]

I've been on several local (Bay, Farallon Islands, etc) fishing trips, and caught mackerel, so its definitely local (or at least it can be).

-----
Farallon
450 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

[strouDAWG]

thanks chemchef - that's good to know! hopefully someone out there is selling mackerel too...

[Glencora]

I saw mackerel at Monterey fish last week. I was surprised by how small they were. But then then I've only had canned. (yuck) Anyhow, I think everything they sell is local.

[hill food]

dive into (so to speak) the stretch of Stockton around Clay to Pacific and on the part of Grant just below Broadway. they will be whole critters. sometimes still flopping live (if you wear contacts bring re-wet drops).

[Robert Lauriston]

Live fish in Chinaown can come from all over the place: Alaska, Mexico, wherever.

[hill food]

true, I only addressed the fresh, affordable and preferably whole criteria on the list.