NYC Fish and Seafood

[paulraphael]

Wild Edibles has been my favorite source for many years. Starting a couple of years ago, I've noticed what looks like a pretty dramatic quality decline. Most of the fish looks a full day older than what I remember. The cut fish looks the worst ... often quite dry and ragged on the surface. The whole fish are better, but still only occasionally have the wet gloss and clear, convex eyes that most of the fish used to have. Now when I go in, there's typically only one or two kinds of whole fish, and maybe one kind of fillet that looks good. And it's usually farmed varieties. The wild fish tend to look worse.

 

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

Where are people finding great fish these days?

 

I used to impressed with A Lobster Place as well. I haven't been able to check them out lately, since they're pretty far out of the way for me. I'm potentially interested in anyplace in Manhattan or Brooklyn.

Edited April 14, 2014 by paulraphael (log)

[paulraphael]

Interestingly—shockingly even—I saw some pretty good looking fish at Whole Foods in Uniion Square yesterday. I've always found their East Coast fish departments an embarrassment, but this looked promising. Some whole, farm-raised branzino on sale for around $10 a pound looked the most promising. A lot of the fish looked pretty beat, but the fact that some looked good is an epic improvement.

[weinoo]

Paul - the greenmarkets at Grand Army Plaza, Union Square are generally the only place I'll bother with fish.  Although when I lived on the ues, I was OK with Agata & Valentina, and they now have a store on University & 10th.

 

Whole Foods are very much caveat emptor.  If you can get fish on the day it comes in, it can be fine - if not, don't bother.  What's more interesting to me, though, is that I'll occasionally check out a WF in Washington, DC - the seafood they get there is so much nicer, and it seems much better tended to.

[dcarch]

Asian stores have good fish, especially live swimming fish.

 

dcarch

[weinoo]

Asian stores have good fish, especially live swimming fish.

 

dcarch

But - do you know where those fish are from, how they were raised  (farmed vs. wild) and how they were caught?  That's kind of important to me and should be to anyone who cares at all about the food they consume.

[scamhi]

I like the lobster place in Chelsea Market

[Nucoffe]

But - do you know where those fish are from, how they were raised  (farmed vs. wild) and how they were caught?  That's kind of important to me and should be to anyone who cares at all about the food they consume.

I live in NYC and I am asian, my buddy  used to be one of those truck drivers that deliver the fish from the ports. I can tell you with certainty that the fish is caught in the wild and brought here.  When they are being delivered they are in plastic barrels and it can come from all over and the lobsters are usually from Boston and are pretty fresh as well!  If you go to Canal st. to buy the still swimming fish that would be your best bet since they have high turnover there so nothing really sits too long.

[weinoo]

I can tell you with certainty that the fish is caught in the wild and brought here.  

Sorry, but you can't tell me that with certainty. Most of the stuff is farm raised, and some of it is most likely illegally caught and/or imported illegally.

[SobaAddict70]

Citarella is also another great source BUT they're not local. Something to keep in mind.

[Nucoffe]

I strongly agree with the illegally caught!  Let me rephrase my comment above, most Asian people do not eat much cod or salmon which I believe are farmed most often?  We eat Rock Fish, Flounder and a couple other fishes that I do not know the direct translations of but its something like Black grouper and some type of Sea bass.  Forgive my ignorance though I should not have claimed anything with certainty since I am not the fisherman myself!

[SobaAddict70]

I don't know about most Asian people...but this Asian person eats a lot of cod...

Cod can be farmed or wild. I usually buy the latter.

[dcarch]

Razor Clams in an Asian store are generally 1/2 the price. I would assume the clams are from the same sources.

 

Love live jumping shrimps. I don't know where else you can get them except in Chinese or Korean stores. You do not cook live shrimps any other way except boil or steam them plain. Peel them and dip them. Heavenly!

 

dcarch

[weinoo]

I don't know about most Asian people...but this Asian person eats a lot of cod...

Cod can be farmed or wild. I usually buy the latter.

Farmed cod is fairly rare, I believe. Norway is one of the countries that has done it (minimally) successfully.  As for wild cod, enjoy it while it's still here.

 

I try to stick with fish from (as I 'm sure you do, Soba) the greenmarket, and sellers like Pura Vida, Blue Moon, etc.

 

I think we've (the world) has pretty much screwed the pooch in the worlds' oceans.

[dcarch]

Where do you NYC guys get good soft shell crabs?

 

dcarch

[weinoo]

I don't generally.  But I do eat them sometimes when we go out. Favorite is NY Noodletown's.

 

I've seen nice soft shells at Aqua Best, on Grand St.

[SobaAddict70]

Where do you NYC guys get good soft shell crabs?

 

dcarch

Citarella, mainly.

Eataly had some yesterday but I didn't pick up any, probably because I wasn't thinking...

[Nucoffe]

Ah Soba, I should have generalized more when I said Asian I guess what I should have said is Chinese (Thoisanese) to be exact! I personally do not eat a lot of soft shell crab but when I do buy seafood I go to a seafood wholesaler on the out skirts of Chinatown.  This place is on Madison and Catherine st there is a BIG sign of a Red Lobster you cant miss it!  I was there today to pick up some Snow crab legs at 7.25 a Lb and I had a yummy meal!  As for restaurants for soft shelled crab I go to Hop Kee, personally I find Noodle towns Soft Shelled crab a bit too salty.  If you ever go to Hop Kee they have this seafood dish with crabs in a egg sauce with some pork in it that is great!  They have some good chinese food down there 1 of my friends is a cook there and I always did love his cooking!

Edited May 19, 2014 by Nucoffe (log)

[dcarch]

Thanks guys for the soft shell crabs information. 

 

One thing you don't find here in NYC, unlike in Canada, is live king crabs. I will be going to Canada next month. Look forward to that!

 

dcarch

[SobaAddict70]

Ah Soba, I should have generalized more when I said Asian I guess what I should have said is Chinese (Thoisanese) to be exact! I personally do not eat a lot of soft shell crab but when I do buy seafood I go to a seafood wholesaler on the out skirts of Chinatown.  This place is on Madison and Catherine st there is a BIG sign of a Red Lobster you cant miss it!  I was there today to pick up some Snow crab legs at 7.25 a Lb and I had a yummy meal!  As for restaurants for soft shelled crab I go to Hop Kee, personally I find Noodle towns Soft Shelled crab a bit too salty.  If you ever go to Hop Kee they have this seafood dish with crabs in a egg sauce with some pork in it that is great!  They have some good chinese food down there 1 of my friends is a cook there and I always did love his cooking!

 

That's the thing with generalizations ... sometimes you miss by a mile.  (I'm part Chinese myself, of Fujian ancestry.)

 

Hm...I need to check out Noodletown's stuffs.  Thanks for the reminder...haven't been there in a while.

Edited May 19, 2014 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[scamhi]

Thanks guys for the soft shell crabs information. 

 

One thing you don't find here in NYC, unlike in Canada, is live king crabs. I will be going to Canada next month. Look forward to that!

 

dcarch

in season the Live crab and lobster place on Centre Street and Howard St

has LIVE king crab. they are very expensive. Last year cost was $30.00lb and the beast was about 10 -12 lbs.

[afoodaday]

Sea Breeze in Hell's Kitchen has a pretty decent selection and pretty good price. I also buy fish from the 2 stands at Union Square greenmarket but its sold out fast. For freshness, I definitely recommend Lobster Place and then Whole Foods. I have gotten sick from Wild Edibles so never again.

[paulraphael]

I've been making the rounds over the last couple of months, and Lobster Place at Chelsea Market is the big winner. The quality is as high as Wild Edibles several years ago, but more consistent and a bigger selection. And the prices are great. I'm really impressed. 

 

Usually I buy whole fish when possible. But the steaks and fillets at LP all look extremely fresh and well taken care of. I'll be back a lot. I just wish they used the same sustainability tags that Wild Edibles uses. I try to make an effort to pay attention to that. Maybe there's a phone ap with up to date info.

 

My last couple of trips to Wild Edibles has revealed more of the same. The place is completely down the tubes.

 

Eataly also has some impressivel looking fish. I haven't bought any because the price is very high.

Edited October 2, 2014 by paulraphael (log)

[weinoo]

Do you use this one, Paul?

 

Monterey 

[paulraphael]

Do you use this one, Paul?

 

Monterey 

Yes! I found it a couple of hours after making that post. Haven't put it to the test yet. 

 

I tried another one published by a New Zealand organization, but it seemed mostly relevant to fish available in that corner of the world.

 

The NOAA has probably the most comprehensive site. I wrote to them; they said they're working on an ap.

[paulraphael]

A surprising place to get good fish in Brooklyn: an unassuming looking Korean grocery on Flatbush by the 7th Ave. Q stop, called DNY Natural Land. They have good everything, but be sure to check out the seafood counter. It seems to be a shop-within-a-shop, run by Japanese guys who also make some sushi. Very limited selection. But every piece of fish I've had from here has been amazing.