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Fishmongers


sandynva

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My inlaws are visiting and would love to buy good fresh fish, which they can't get in their small town. any reccomendations on where to go for really excellent fresh seafood? bonus points if its near silver spring. also, i was wondering if i should take them to the SW waterfront fish market and if so, which were the best stalls to visit. any thoughts?

thanks!

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OK, Dan, despite the fact that the two places you mention are arguably the best, I will accept your challenge: River Falls Seafood in Potomac and A&H Gourmet Seafood Market in Bethesda. At least, they are both in MoCo (the OP requests Silver Spring...)

Good to know A&H is selling good seafood.  I haven't been there since I lived in Bethesda, 8 years ago now, but at the time I limited myself to their grocery items and a few cheeses.  Do the fresh fish they sell lean more toward Mediterranean varieties?

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HMart on Ga. Ave. in Wheaton, particularly on Saturday mornings, has very fresh fish.

This gentleman in Kensington sells seafood.

Because he's geared for wholesale, in order to buy retail, you have to prearrange the purchase and go to his house to pick it up.  However, I like his sustainable mission.  I haven't purchased anything yet from him owing to my inability to plan properly.

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Any on NoVA?

I only really trust the vendor next to Red Apron in Mosaic District.

Other places that looked alright but haven't tried are the Organic Butcher in McLean and Springfield Butcher in Springfield near the Trader Joe's.

I really miss the sweet old couple at the farmers markets. They had really good seafood. :-(

Not fish, but I've had good lobster from Salt River, I think, which at the Kensington FM? Finally, the little Japanese carry out/market in Glen Echo sells some fish, I think....

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Good to know A&H is selling good seafood.  I haven't been there since I lived in Bethesda, 8 years ago now, but at the time I limited myself to their grocery items and a few cheeses.  Do the fresh fish they sell lean more toward Mediterranean varieties?

It's a very different store since Santi Zabaleta took it over. He has cleaned it up and replaced all of the shelving, as well as added lots of new, interesting products. He recently expanded the space and now sells some prepared foods (he used to be the executive chef at Taberna al Alabordero). The varieties he sells aren't exotic (monkfish, rockfish, farmed salmon, cod, haddock, yellowfin tuna, swordfish...) but he always has mussels and clams, shrimp, scallops. And fish stock, lobster stock. All priced very reasonably, especially compared to BlackSalt.

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My inlaws are visiting and would love to buy good fresh fish, which they can't get in their small town. any reccomendations on where to go for really excellent fresh seafood? bonus points if its near silver spring. also, i was wondering if i should take them to the SW waterfront fish market and if so, which were the best stalls to visit. any thoughts?

thanks!

Black Salt, District Fishwife, MediterraFish, and Organic Butcher of McLean are all my regular places for fish these days other than quick trips to Whole Foods. Unless your inlaws like fried fish or crabs, I would skip SW waterfront fish market.

Have you consider just going to Fiola Mare to wow the in-laws? Even though we still haven't made it there, from the reviews here and other places, it seems a safe bet as a recommendation for a special dinner venue.

Fish market in jessup is open from 6am to 10am, I think it's 2 bucks to enter. The fish there is always pretty good

Can you enter as a non commercial buyer? I've been interested in going there for a few years since learning of it as a mid-Atlantic distribution point.

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thank you all! so far they've been to the district fishwife and liked the fish (though they were unimpressed by the service). i think their plan is to try each of the other places you all mentioned, in turn! also, i looked up the market in jessup--it seems they have at least one retail store, franks, so hopefully even if the market is business-only, they can get fish from there. and thanks for the tip on the waterfront not being great, you saved them a trip.

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Any on NoVA?

America Seafood in the same Lee Heights strip mall as Arrowine. AS's owners are from Key West and seem to have personal relationships with fisherman from the eastern shore down to the Keys. They buy whole fish and break them down in the store. They also make excellent fish platters, sandwiches and chowders that they sell to eat on their back deck  - - and the best key lime pie I've tasted since I lived in Miami.  BTW, they do not have an ABC license but they do not mind if you go next door to Arrowine for wine or beer to consume with your meal

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