Fish Market Near You

One of the most frequently asked questions in my Fish class is "Do you have a recommendation for a fish market near X?" Most often X = Cambridge, Boston, and Metro West and the answer is "Of course, I do." New Deal in Cambridge and Captain Marden's in Wellesley are fabulous. But sometimes X = some suburb I am completely unfamiliar with. On occasion, it's not even in Massachusetts. I've had students come from as far as New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. We do go over all the signs of a good fish market, and good questions to ask the fishmonger, but it helps to know where one can find such a fish market to try. Everyone knows their closest supermarket, but Mom and Pop fish markets are often small and not easy to find unless you at least know their name.

That's when a friend of mine who works for the seafood business came to the rescue. He sent me a list of markets located in suburban Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut that get their fish from reputable vendors. That's not a guarantee that the fish you'll buy from them will be excellent (they do need to store it properly and sell it quickly), but that's a good start.

This is not an exhaustive list. If your favorite fish market is not on it, leave me a comment and I'll add it to the list. Also, if you've tried any of these places, please let me know how was your experience. I'd love to compile a list of good fish markets that goes beyond Cambridge and ubiquitous Whole Foods.

What do you do when you go into one of these markets? What are good questions to ask the fishmonger? Is it a bad sign if the fish market smells fishy? What about Fresh vs. Frozen fish? What about Farm-Raised vs. Wild fish? Is prepackaged fish any good? How much fish should I buy per person? Here is a post that addresses these issues.

For location, phone numbers, and hours, try googling for the name of the fish market and its town.

Massachusetts

Cambridge / Boston
New Deal Fish Market - Cambridge
Courthouse Seafood - Cambridge
Wulf's Fish Market - Brookline
Mercato del Mare - Boston (North End )

North Shore
Cherry Street Fish Market – Danvers
David’s Fish Market – Salisbury
Andy’s Seafood – Saugus

South Shore
Rocky Neck – Hingham / Milton
Mullaney’s Seafood – Scituate / Cohasset
Burke’s- Quincy

West Suburbs
Captain Marden’s – Wellesley
Quarterdeck Seafood - Maynard

Way West
West Boylston Seafood – West Boylston
Masse’s Seafood – Chicopee
Foster’s Supermarket – Greenfield

Cape Cod & Islands
Cape Fish & Lobster – Hyannis
Nauset Fish – Orleans
Net Result – Vineyard Haven
Sayle & Henry - Nantucket
Glidden’s – Nantucket
Falmouth Fish – Falmouth
Lobster Trap – Bourne
Chatham Fish – Chatham
Hatch's Fish Market - Wellfleet

Outside of Massachusetts

Vermont
Stowe Seafood - Stowe
Earth & Sea – Manchester Center

Rhode Island
Dave’s Marketplace – 5 locations
Wilfred's Seafood - Woonsocket

New Hampshire
Mark’s Seafood – Salem
Seaport Fish - Portsmouth
Sanders Fish Market - Portsmouth

Connecticut
City Fish Market – Wethersfield
The Fish Market – Willimantic

Maine
Brown Trading Company - Portland
Harbor Fish - Portland
Free Range Fish - Portland