There are, famously, a lot of fish in the sea. The saying, generally intended as romantic reassurance, works remarkably well as a philosophy for shopping for fish in San Diego. If the cost of your most loved fish is putting a strain on your relationship, consider this: there are other fish out there, often better ones, if you know where to look. 

Living in San Diego County means having one of the world’s best local seafood selections, the Pacific Ocean, practically in your backyard. Edible has featured many articles about fish worth checking out, from tips on selecting fish to how to catch fish yourself. But if your goal is to navigate the sea of options for where to buy fish and why, here are a few places to check out, depending on what you’re after.

Chula Seafood

4904 North Harbor Dr., #101, San Diego

Back in early 2020, Chula Seafood’s restaurant wholesale business disappeared overnight due to the pandemic. Their answer: start selling fish to walk-in customers at wholesale prices. While their restaurant business has recovered, they have also continued to sell wholesale directly. 

Buying from Chula, located on the other side of the building from TunaVille Market & Grocery, feels like you have been given a “locals only” tip you are not entirely supposed to share. If you want to know what is available that day, you text 619-820-5140 and receive a list, or you can simply stop by. 

When you arrive, you walk into the office. There are no cases of pre-cut fish, no trays to point at because everything is cut to order. Once you place your order, they pull a whole fish or loin and break it down just for you. This preserves freshness and ensures nothing sits longer than it should. It’s pretty cool to see. I can say from personal experience, I have never had a bad cut of fish from Chula. 

Frazier Farms Market

8401 Fletcher Parkway, La Mesa

1820 Oceanside Blvd., Oceanside

225 Vista Village Dr., Vista

I have two young kids and live in La Mesa. As much as I would love to have the time to swing by Driscoll’s Wharf regularly, there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Luckily, there is Frazier Farms Market. This local grocery chain goes out of its way to stock a great selection of local fish, from the in-season classics of yellowtail and bigeye to lesser-known, reasonably priced options like kingklip, sheephead, and local halibut. It is, in other words, convenient without compromise. 

It’s interesting to think about having a fish counter at your local grocery store as a luxury, but here we are. With an actual staffed fish counter, you can ask what just came in, or what to do with something you did not plan on buying, and you will receive an answer that suggests experience rather than guesswork.

You can walk in, shop from a solid selection of locally caught fish, ask a question or two, and leave with something you’re actually excited to cook, which, depending on the day, is a small but meaningful victory. 

TunaVille Market and Grocery

4904 North Harbor Dr., #102, San Diego

You’ve probably heard of TunaVille Market & Grocery, home of one of San Diego’s most famous local seafood advocates, Tommy Gomes. TunaVille uses almost exclusively locally caught fish and goes as far as listing the boats that brought in each fish. In addition to fresh fish, it is also a great place to shop for prepared seafood salads and sides if you’re looking for a quick meal or something to put out to impress guests. 

Setting aside the technically accurate yet unfortunate name, opah abductor is worth a try. It has a richness and texture more reminiscent of beef than fish. One chef even noted, “We made fish tacos with it, and people sent it back thinking it was beef.” At $4.50 per pound, opah abductor is a steal. Get it before it’s rebranded as “opah prime cut” and the price doubles.

EDITOR’S PICK

Catalina Offshore Products

5202 Lovelock St., San Diego

Catalina Offshore Products has long held the reputation of being one of San Diego’s pioneer local seafood shops. The company that was started by retired urchin diver Dave Rudie in 1977 was acquired by Beish Holdings in 2023, and is now run by the Strangman family, all first- and second-generation fishmongers. They specialize in sourcing and selling sustainable, wild-caught, West Coast species cut to order.  

Sonoran cattle rancher Jose Chacon also became a stakeholder in the 2023 sale, making way for an opportunity to introduce a high-quality meat counter that expanded culinary offerings to shoppers. You can get everything needed for a surf and turf dinner in one stop, plus stock up on thick-cut bacon for breakfast the next morning.

A recently announced location change is expected in September, but for now, you can continue to shop at the existing storefront in Bay Park.

This is not a comprehensive listing. Not all retailers feature San Diego seafood exclusively. Availability may vary. If you know of stores prioritizing San Diego-caught seafood, let us know at [email protected].