Boston Retail Fish & Seafood Markets

[woodburner]

I'll be in the area of the Trade Center in Boston in a few weeks and have the opportunity to procure fresh seafood for transport back to New York. Can anyone provide the names and addresses of a few retail fish markets?

woodburner

[gini]

Will you have a car?

If not, I recommend Sea to You on Northern Ave.

If you do, there's a fish market in Alewife - Cambridge area.

[galleygirl]

Sea to You is good, but only open for retail saturday 12-3, maybe also Friday now...

For very good options near the World trade Center,I would suggest Yankee Lobster, further down Northern Ave, great for fin fish, despite the name, and James Hook and Co, at the Northern Ave bridge, the BEST for packing lobster to go, as well as other seafood. Make sure you get an $8 lobster roll for the trip home! With these two, I really don't see the need to treck across the city to go to Fresh Pond Seafood, it's not any better, and there's NO quick way to get there, car or not...

Yankee Lobster Fish Market

(617) 345-9799

300 Northern Ave

Boston, MA 02210

Edited January 31, 2006 by galleygirl (log)

[mikeycook]

I would DEFINITELY recommend James Hook and Co. I did a similar thing a few years ago, picking up lobster and steamers, driving back to New York, and cooking them that night. I am sure there are other good places, but James Hook has the freshest lobsters I have personally bought (so fiesty that they snap their tails hard against their bodies when picked up.) This is from someone who was born in Maine and considers lobster a birthright. I was the only time I considered building a lobster tank in my trunk.

Edited January 31, 2006 by mikeycook (log)

[robinlhunter]

Sea to You is good, but only open for retail saturday 12-3, maybe also Friday now...

For very good options near the World trade Center,I would suggest Yankee Lobster, further down Northern Ave, great for fin fish, despite the name, and James Hook and Co, at the Northern Ave bridge, the BEST for packing lobster to go, as well as other seafood. Make sure you get an $8 lobster roll for the trip home! With these two, I really don't see the need to treck across the city to go to Fresh Pond Seafood, it's not any better, and there's NO quick way to get there, car or not...

Yankee Lobster Fish Market

(617) 345-9799

300 Northern Ave

Boston, MA 02210

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Sea to You is open Fridays now noon-2p (still Sat am as well -- no other days for the public -- check their website and confirm before trekking over -- it's also a great option for fresh, if not expertly cut and assembled sushi lunch (avoid the maki specials) -- went there last week and was rewarded with possibly the nicest, freshest piece of tuna EVER (at $14 per lb -- $5 less than at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago) for dinner that night -- quickly seared it and served with a lime/cilantro viniagrette over baby arugula salad - WOW!

They also had a number of other inviting Japanese-oriented items (monkfish liver, cod roe, seaweed salad, salmon roe, etc.) I'll return to check out on future Fridays.

It's actually on Fish Pier next to No Name Seafood -- the entrance looks like a loading dock. It's definitely worth a stop for tuna and salmon alone.

Edited February 2, 2006 by robinlhunter (log)

[rwsweet]

I've been in Boston now for a couple of months, and I'm in the search for the best seafood market. I live near Wulf's in Brookline, but I'm really on the lookout for something more comprehensive. Any suggestions?

[glauer]

It is not exactly in your neighborhood, but New Deal Fish Market on Cambridge Street in Cambridge is first rate. The many japanese customers are there for a reason. Always super fresh, and most fish come whole, so you can decide how you want them. This store is one of the few places in Boston that make me always really really happy.

[rwsweet]

Looks great, thanks for the tip. It's not exactly right down the block like Wulf's, but it seems pretty convenient to get to. I've come across Savenor's, which is one of the coolest markets I've ever been in. Do you know of any other nice specialty foods stores around?

[Nishla]

Looks great, thanks for the tip.  It's not exactly right down the block like Wulf's, but it seems pretty convenient to get to.  I've come across Savenor's, which is one of the coolest markets I've ever been in.  Do you know of any other nice specialty foods stores around?

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I love the wild boar bacon from Savenor's. Not at all a seafood market, but I also love Russo's out in Watertown. If you have a car, it's well worth the 15 minute drive for awesome produce, cheese and deli meats. The only seafood markets I'm familiar with are Courthouse seafood (also on Cambridge St. in Cambridge) and Sea to You (at the Fish Pier, for sushi grade fish). I'd love to find some other seafood markets around the Boston/Cambridge area!

[IlCuoco]

I'll second the New Deal and Russo's recommendations, both excellent.

If you don't mind paying through the nose, Formaggio's Kitchen on Huron Ave can be your source for some hard to find cheeses, salami's etc.

I also recommend Capone Foods in Union Square in Somerville. Excellent house-made pasta, sausages, etc and a nice selections of oils, vinegars, etc

A friend of mine has had excellent luck at Fresh Pond Seafood but I can't vouch for it personally.

The retail counter at Legal Seafood in Newton is a good place to get very fresh shellfish (again, pricey) but the selection tends to be small.

For the record, Somerville and East Cambridge both have a bunch of good, small Portuguese and Brazilian markets as well.

[glauer]

Looks like we are all in surprising agreement.

If I plan a big dinner on the weekend, I usually do New Deal, Russos and Formaggio Kitchen for the shopping. The latter I actually do not find that overpriced, at least if once choses wisely. They just have the very best of everyhthing, and I rather pay 30% more for the best than still high prices for mediocre "gourmet" stuff at many other stores. For example the cheeses....yes, you can buy cheese for 25 a pound, but these are then always super rare specialties that are costly everywhere, even in europe. But buy a nice brie or other more "common" cheese and you will end up paying little more than at the supermarket (sometimes even less) for far superior quality of what is the same only in name. And the bread they sell(that from R&B ? being my favorite) is in my opinion easlily the best in Boston.

Oh, and Hi-Rise bakery around the corner is also worth a stop.

[Elizabeth Clauser]

I've been in Boston now for a couple of months, and I'm in the search for the best seafood market.  I live near Wulf's in Brookline, but I'm really on the lookout for something more comprehensive.  Any suggestions?

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James Hook on the waterfront near the Boston hotel is very good for lobster, crab, and shellfish.

[rwsweet]

Unfortunately I don't have a car, so it looks like Russo's probably isn't going to happen for me very often. However, all the other places sound great. I think I'm going to be headed to New Deal and Savenor's tomorrow. Not sure what I'm going to be making, but from what I hear I won't be short on options.