Where to buy seafood?

[sirinatsai]

Where are the best places to buy seafood in the Seattle area? I mean raw ingredients.
And as a follow-up, if the best seafood purveyors overall are not near Bellevue, what are the best places in or near Bellevue?

[Cheesehugger]

For a small, but excellent selection of very fine, very fresh catch and prepared and frozen items at good prices, I go to Gemini Fish on Gilman Blvd. in Issaquah. Bought some fresh very lovely (and tasty) Alaskan Sockeye Salmon for last Saturday night dinner. They always try to have BFCs (Big Fat Crabs) - yum.

Also like to buy at Uwajimaya Bellevue. I never buy in regular supermarkets.

[firecracker]

Tim's in Kirkland Parkplace (across from the QFC). Impeccably fresh seafood daily.

[FoodDee]

Tim's didn't have fresh sardines on Monday - said it was too early.

[firecracker]

What time were you there? Hit at opening and take your chances. Did you call to determine availability? Tim's is doggone great - not infallible but neither is any place else in town!

[FoodDee]

Did call - by too early, I think he was talking about season since I called in the afternoon.

[firecracker]

Could be too early in the season, FoodD. Did you find fresh ones anywhere else?

[FoodDee]

They had them at Uwajimaya in the ID

[PAO]

The gold standard is University Seafood in North Seattle (a quick but costly run over the 520 bridge into the U District--free parking about a block away) or Mutual Fish in the South (head on over I-90 and go down Rainier Ave South). I bought prawns recently from Met Market because I didn't want to make a separate trip up to the Ave. I regretted it. They tasted of iodine, meaning they were old. You can find some of Seattle's best chefs in either place, buying for their restaurants.

[latindancer]

Mutual Fish.

[eatsshootsandleaves]

Anyone know which of all the above might have some nice fresh sardines? I have a hankering and haven't been able to find in the north-of-seattle dead zone.

[acgold7]

North of Seattle, I'd give Shoreline Central Market a call.

[FoodDee]

The only place we could find them last weekend was Uwajimaya in the ID

[soypower]

I've been meaning to stop by the new store on Bellevue Way called Fish For Dinner. Anyone been there yet?

http://www.fishfordinner.com/retail_l...

[ethereal]

I haven't been, but I don't think that place is new. I remember it was going in when there was a Sprint store next door. I guess it says something if it's still around.

[FoodDee]

Its not new though not sure how long its been there. I first went there at least 2 years ago. They have a very large selection of smoked fish - I find their flavor a bit sweeter than what I've bought at the Market. I don't remember the fresh fish selection being very large and not sure if they had any shellfish.

[terrier]

Can't help with the hierarchy of purveyors on the East side, but another vote for Mutual Fish.

Except... Taylor Shellfish has a retail store in the Melrose Market that's really worth a visit if you're specifically looking for local bivalves (i.e. oysters, clams, mussels, geoduck). (They'll also shuck for you there - and serve beer. No shucking fee during happy hour!) I really like that place.

[peppermint_sky]

Now --that is a happy hour. I want to try Taylor now that I have this info... seems like a fun stop to start a night out, then head home with a few friends to cook some fabulous seafood?!

[gmm]

Uwajimaya has decent prices, but my favorite high-end seafood market is Tim's Seafood in Kirkland Parkplace. Everything is impeccably fresh, and they have the biggest diver scallops I've ever seen.

http://www.timsseafood.com/indexpc.htm

[kaleokahu]

My vote's for Fresh Fish Co. in Ballard.

[mrnelso]

Fresh Fish Co. is our favorite. Fresh fish, indeed.
Take home a crab-cake and some pickled herring.

[kaleokahu]

Yes. Walk in there with your eyes closed and you would not even know it is a fishmonger. That's amazing.

[forkit]

I can't help with Bellevue but in Seattle I like Mutual Fish on Rainier, Uwajimaya (I haven't been to the one on the East side in a while and the last time was there it wasn't as good as the Seattle one.) University Seafood and Poultry in the U District, and the Fresh Fish Company in North Ballard.

[knowspicker]

I usually buy seafood at Uwajimaya. I shop the Seattle store but they have one in Bellevue. I find that they are very good for freshness and also pretty good for price. It's one of the few grocery stores where I really trust them to have good seafood.

Metropolitan Market is also a good place to buy seafood. They have a store in Kirkland. I've had good luck with fin fish and shellfish.

[Lauren]

I buy my seafood, except smoked salmon, at University Seafood and Poultry. I buy my smoked salmon at Pure Fish.

[cburnsi]

I buy seafood at Mutual, Uwajimaya, Fresh Fish in Ballard and even occasionally at Met Market but I couldn't agree more about the smoked salmon at Pure Fish. Wow! Absolutely the best in town (any town I've ever been in).

[RandyB]

I've bought my smoked wild King salmon at Flying Fish in the Pike Market for years. It's my regular "bring to friends in Paris" item. Very lightly salted, which I prefer. It's my favorite commercially smoked salmon.

In fairness, I don't remember if I've ever tried Pure Fish. They say on their website their wild smoked is lightly salted, too.

Incidentally, I try to avoid the word "best." It's way overused, and suggests there is some objective scale in taste. For example, anyone who likes more heavily salted smoked salmon probably would not make Flying Fish or (apparently) Pure Food Fish a ' "best" choice.

[Lauren]

You should try the smoked salmon at Pure Fish and then report back. Although I'm not the one who said it originally, I feel confident in calling it the best - based on the comments I've received from the people I've introduced it to over the years.