Astoria Fishery

I’m sorry Astoria Fishery… but it has to be said.
It wasn’t so bad when I asked what was wild versus farm raised, and your guys had no idea. And I can even forgive selling one type of fish as something else — more than once I’ve brought home «halibut» or «striped bass» only for my fiancé to tell me it was actually haddock or something else (he worked in a fish store for years).
But the other day I picked up two pieces of red snapper, cooked them, and couldn’t even eat my filet. I kept swearing they were bad, but my boyfriend thought it was delicious. Turns out, mine was the bad one, complete with a funky taste and a lingering stank. That seriously left a poor taste in my mouth (pun intended).
Fish is fish I guess, but keep it on ice and keep it fresh. I won’t be going back again.

I’m pretty careful about where I buy my fish (similar to my meat, which I only buy if antibiotic/​growth-​hormone/​cage-​free). I typically only get fish at Whole Foods, which of course can be pricey. But then it occurred to me… maybe I don’t need to be QUITE as careful with fish, since it’s not like most of it has been ‘raised’ by humans and purposefully mistreated. That said though, I still want a fish market where freshness and cleanliness are important.
I’d seen a few other fish markets in Astoria, but none that I was really ‘convinced’ about at first glance. But then I noticed this place, and thought ‘hmmm…I’m gonna have to remember to check this place out one day’.
Today was that day, and before heading out I decided to check the reviews for this place on Unilocal,which pretty much confirmed my quick analysis of the place.
I bought a piece of salmon, cooked it up tonight and… it was excellent! Looks like this will be my new go-​to fish market in the nabe.

Excellent place for fresh fish. Way better than the spots on 30^th Ave. which smell fishy all the way on the sidewalk.

Friendly staff, clean, organized, and a huge selection. I bought wild salmon, cod, and porgies for my family. You could tell the fish was fresh as there wasn’t a «fishy» smell and nothing was slimy.
The fish was great! My little brother isn’t a fan of fish, but let me tell you… he DEVOURED that Porgie like it was going out of style AND he wanted more.
If you eat fish and are looking for a clean, fresh fish, I highly recommend this fish market over others in the Ditmars area.

This feels like a fresh market where local restaurants get their fish yet it is retail to the public. I like that they offer to clean out your fish or even fillet it. It is also spotlessly clean every night. They sometimes know more about some fish origins than others depending on who is working. My suggestion would be to learn about sustainable labeling such as by Marine Stewardship Council. For the record, I looked up several fish on Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sustainable list and was happy to find several of the ones I bought at this place listed as good choices.

I bought some tuna steak after asking the guys what I can eat almost raw. It was great. Usually salmon sold here can be simply seared, ask them when you are buying. A great place to get fresh seafood and honest info about what’s super fresh.
I’ve also bought delicious lobster, crabs, salmon and scallops in the past. Great with white wine.

I came from a meeting which I was not convinced turned out my way. I was turning in my head how the meeting went and was sort of seeking something to comfort me. Coffee? Sugar? Perhaps a drink? Some shopping? As I walked rather aimlessly, I saw this shop. Now, at a certain level, I’m a bit alarmed that it was neither a shoe store nor a dress shop but a fish store. I guess my retail therapy has unconsciously shifted to a new oddness.
Before you judge me with your reading eyes, think of branzino, that Mediterranean sea bass which if you’ve already tried (especially at Kick Lades), you“ll know how addictive it is, it should be a regulated substance.
At any rate, I was curious if this store was shilling this drug, I mean fish and of course they did, for after all, I’m in Astoria, the home of most things Mediterranean! I told Victor (the whor, I mean fishmonger) that I was just looking and asked him where they get their fish. He replied that it’s delivered every Thursday and Monday by _​_​_​at which point I couldn’t hear him anymore as all I heard was Thursday which was that particular day and that means that branzino is super fresh it’s practically swimming! Ka-​ching!
I bought two branzinos at about $ 15 (which they already cleaned and gutted) and schlepped it home. I was so excited to cook it ladolemono (how Kick Lades does it) — olive oil, oregano, lemon, salt and pepper, a sprig of thyme, then broiling it at 450 degrees in the oven. Voila! It was fantastic! Totally fresh, not a hint of fishiness. Needless to say, my husband was a happy man. :)
Please, if you have any rudimentary skill at turning the oven on to 450 degrees, squeezing lemons, sprinkling pepper, salt and oregano at a fish and putting some olive oil on it, head out to this fish market on a Monday or on a Thursday and you’ll be eating healthy while making your taste buds happy!

Clean, quick, friendly service, and a fairly wide selection… cooked up great, I’ll definitely try them again.