Best spots to buy fresh retail seafood in St. Louis - St. Louis Magazine

Starrs

Perhaps no other outlet has filled the void left by Bob's Seafood better than Starrs, the Richmond Heights gourmet market founded by Bud Starr more than four decades ago. Prior to Bob's closure, Starrs was better known for its outstanding wine, beer, and cheese selections, but over the past year, it's shown just how seriously it takes its seafood offerings, thanks to a selection that is as comprehensive as it is high-quality. This is the area's new king of retail seafood. 1135 S. Big Bend.

Smokehouse Market

For nearly nine decades, this iconic Chesterfield market next to Annie Gunn's has been a must-visit for food lovers, thanks to its curated selection of the best meat, cheese, seafood, coffee, chocolates, and any other gourmet grocery you can imagine. Its seafood counter matches its stellar reputation with the freshest fish that you can find, handpicked daily by the market's fishmonger. 16806 Chesterfield Airport Road.

Olive Supermarket

Located in the heart of University City's unofficial Chinatown, Olive Supermarket boasts an impressive variety of fresh finfish, shellfish, octopus, and other seafood, some of it lived that can be cleaned and cooked for you as you peruse its wonderful selection of international groceries and produce. 8041 Olive.

Fortune Fish & Gourmet

Although Fortune Fish & Gourmet is best known around town as the go-to wholesaler to grocery stores and restaurants, it also sells its fresh wares to the public. While there's no retail storefront, customers can call Fortune to place an order and then make arrangements to pick it up. There's no minimum order size, but the store requests that customers allow a minimum of an hour to process orders. 10725 Baur.

Pan-Asia Supermarket

One of the bi-state area's most cherished international markets, Pan-Asia Supermarket has everything you need for a seafood feast. The seafood department offers more than 100 varieties of fresh seafood, including live crawfish, crab, lobster, striped bass, snails, and more that can be cleaned and cooked. Add to this bounty of seafood riches the fact that you can grab some of the area's best Chinese food at the market's food counter, China Bistro, and you'll see why Pan-Asia is such a treasure. 14246 Manchester.

Fabulous Fish Company

Fabulous Fish Company started out as one of the main suppliers of high-quality fresh seafood to area restaurants, and it remains so today. In 2020, the company also began letting consumers in on the fun, offering the same delicious fish to retail customers as it does for the professionals. Choose from more than 40 fresh seafood selections, as well as additional frozen offerings. If you don't see what you want, then the company can special order for you. Pickup and delivery are both available. 13564 NW Industrial Drive, Bridgeton, 314-770-2025.

Wheelhouse Fish Co.

Fourth-generation fisherman Shalie Dahl Moore grew up on her family's commercial fishing boats in tiny Petersburg, Alaska, and has parlayed that experience into Wheelhouse Fish Co., which brings wild Alaskan delicacies such as spot prawns, salmon, and halibut to St. Louis. Today, Dahl Moore divides her time between St. Louis and Alaska, still going out on the boats with her family, so she can personally vouch for the quality and care that's taken with Wheelhouse's fish. You can find the company online (it offers free local delivery) or at the University City, Tower Grove, and The Boulevard's farmers' markets, as well as a soon-to-open stall inside Urban Eats, Dutchtown's culinary incubator, where she will serve both fresh fish to cook at home and prepared delicacies, such as the excellent teriyaki salmon bowls.

Dan the Seafood Man

Short of catching it yourself, the most grassroots way to get seafood in St. Louis is through Dan Mitchell, one of the owners of family business The Summit All Seasons Market, located at the Kirkwood Farmers' Market. Mitchell runs an informal "fish list." Anyone interested in sharing in the bounty of his regular excursions to the Gulf of Mexico can text 314-749-7693 to be added to the list. (At this point, he notes there are around 1,000 people on the list, though he's happy if it grows.) Although it's informal and you won't know what you'll be able to get or when you'll be able to get it until it's caught, he's been known to bring home delectable swordfish, blackfin tuna, and more.

Grocery Stores

Whole Foods Market is one of the area's best options for area seafood, thanks to its fresh, Marine Stewardship Council Certified selections, and its knowledgeable fishmongers. Local favorite Straub's also impresses with its fresh selection of such offerings as Hawaiian tuna, Alaskan halibut, lobster, and crab. Dierbergs and Schnucks also offer noteworthy options, with staff who take the time to cut the seafood to the desired specifications.