Fly Away Cafe - Where travel is a way of life

Washington DC: DC Fish Market

by Mary Jo Manzanares on August 11th, 2006

When I can combine travel with food, it’s always good.  And, add to that, spending time with a good friend, well — life is pretty much perfect!

This past weekend a friend took me to the DC Fish Market.  Well, I’m from Seattle, a seafood mecca in its own right, but it was amazing to see all the stuff that the west coast just doesn’t have.  It was so much the same:  the smells, the fishmongers, and the people.  Yet, it was so much different:  what’s that, and that, and that?

I had never seen crab sold by the bushel.  I’m used to the Dungeness or Alaska King crab varieties, and you just buy a couple and are done with it.  But these little guys take a lot more than that to make a meal!  I’ve not tried them yet, but there’s another thing on my to-do list.

On the west coast we mostly see lots of salmon (various types), halibut, trout, and a few others in our fish markets.  At the DC Fish Market, I saw flounder, and grouper, and other fish that I had never heard of, and can’t remember.  There was also lots of shrimp, in various sizes, lobster, octopus, and other stuff that you’d expect to see at a fish market.

The market is not a pretty place.  It has that briny smell of fish guts, and salt water, and things that I’d prefer not to think about.  It’s the real deal, though, and you know that what you’re buying was swimming free not all that long before your purchase. On a sunny Sunday, I’d guess that most of the people there were locals, rather than tourists, and most likely picking up goods for dinner.

The DC Fish Market is located on Washington’s waterfront at the Maine Avenue Wharf, nestled under a big highway overpass.  It is accessible by Metro via the Waterfront (Green line) or L’Enfant (Orange, Blue, Yellow or Green line) stops, and then walking to the market.

Photo Credit:  flickr

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