Southern Seafood is without a doubt the premier seafood market in town. Here you'll find the best and freshest selection of both coastal and pelagic species of fish and shellfish at moderate prices that still shame what you'll encounter say next door at the Fresh Market. On any given day expect to find whole loins from which to designate your specific cut of Atlantic Salmon, Coho/King Salmon, Yellowfin Tuna, Patagonian Toothfish (Chilean Seabass; they're delicious, but heavily threatened), Cobia, Gag/Black/Red/Scamp/Yellowedge Grouper, Redfish, Swordfish, Red Snapper, Halibut, Mahi, Wahoo and Amberjack. In recent months they've also added to the mix whole small fish like Pompano, Sea Trout, Flounder and Hogfish (only place in Tallahassee that I've ever seen them).
If you're in the mood for some anaphylactic action you can get your hands on local Alligator Point clams, Prince Edward Island mussels, live Maine lobsters, Florida lobsters, diver and bay scallops, stone crab claws, five or six varieties of white and pink gulf shrimp, rock shrimp, crawfish, softshell crabs, Apalachicola oysters, squid, conch, frozen Snow/King/Dungeness crab and octopus. There's also frogs legs and a full compliment of caviars (Osetra and Beluga off the top of my head, I believe also some American sturgeon and maybe Sevruga).
The fully stocked freezers on the shop floor overflow with all sorts of additional seafood items like flash-frozen sushi-grade tuna and salmon, assorted flying fish roes (plain, wasabi and yuzu tobiko, etc.), ready-made chowders, salt cod and a huge compliment of locally-produced Cajun items. Think things like tasso, Turducken, cajun-stuffed crab and pork loins, etc.
Browsing the shelves provides an additional compliment of whatever you'll need to prepare and serve your catch: spices, rubs, shellfish tools, crab boil and all that goodness.
If you're bargain shopping and prefer small, whole fish for your dishes (mullet, mackerel, catfish, grunts, snapper) then Mike's Seafood or a handful of the other small markets are going to be your go-to spot. If not, there's no reason to buy something that comes out of the water anywhere other than at Southern. read more