wholesale fish monger like the meat placaes on randolph

I love the baby grilled octopus at greek islands. Where can one find a fish place to buy this and other specialty items? I've found baby octopus at a korean place but they were too small (maybe 4 inches in diameter). So, are there fish places in Chicago like the Randolph Street meat places?

2 blocks north on Randolph, on Fulton Market..........

They have a ton of stuff.........


Isaacson & Stein
800 W. Fulton Market
Chicago

312-421-2444
Fax: (312) 421- 4324

Business Hours
Monday: 9 am - 4:15 pm
Tuesday to Friday: 8 am - 4:15 pm
Sat: 8 am- 1 pm
Sunday: Closed

http://www.isaacsonandsteinfishcompany.com/

If you find out how to make this dish (my absolutely fave!) please share. I LOVE their grilled octupus.

Here is a recipe that turns out very good....

simmer octopus in water until tender (1-2 hours depending on size)
add warm octopus to a marinade of garlic,white wine, lemon juice, oregano, red pepper, olive oil.
Marinade at least 4 hours
When ready to eat, broil it until crispy on all sides
Finish with more lemon, oregano, and olive oil

I have always been quite disappointed in the retail offerings at Issacson and Stein. IMO, they are primarily an institutional provider that puts second level quality items out for retail sale. I am interested to know if there are other places that might be worth checking in to for whosesale priced seafood.

Will,

I have to disagree with you a bit here. While what you say about second level quality is correct about certain items (many ???) at I&S, I will go on the record and say that I'm almost always able to find excellent quality seafood when I visit. Cherrystone clams, catfish, calamari, swordfish and skate are usually flawless. Tuna and salmon almost always as you mention, and I rarely get any. Cod fillet is iffy, but it is often times wonderful quality. I think that if you "shop around" at I&S like you would do anywhere else, that you can do very well.

We were in the Fresh Farms on Touhy a few nights ago, and similarly, while I would never purchase 20-40 % of the offerings, if you are careful, you can come away with really good fish.

I, for one am glad that I&S so close.

I'm with Evil Ronnie, and will go further to say that even the tuna and salmon are sometimes just as good as what you can get anywhere else in town. Sometimes.

My usual go-to at I&S is the whole Idaho lake trout, which I have always found to be very fresh and a terrific value.

YourPalWill wrote:I have always been quite disappointed in the retail offerings at Issacson and Stein. IMO, they are primarily an institutional provider that puts second level quality items out for retail sale. I am interested to know if there are other places that might be worth checking in to for whosesale priced seafood.

I think the mix and match quality of I&S is what you get for wholesale prices.

I purchase a lot of fish from various vendors and have been to I&S a few times over the years.
I would never purchase anything from them as the quality and quantity of the poor seafood gives question to how they source and control all the stock.
Fresh Farms is a step up and the fish on the center counter that is usually filleted is usually very good quality but the whole fish on the back counter is usually substandard.
But as Posted you must judge each lot of fish on its own merits.
H-Mart has good live fish and shellfish but I believe that much of the filleted and whole fish have been treated with preservatives and don't purchase it.
My source in Milwaukee has excellent quality, sells no thawed previously frozen fish but that comes at a significantly higher price but is sometimes the only source for superior fish other than Mitsuwa which has a limited supply of fish from Japan (non-sashimi quality).
Yesterday in Milwaukee at Grash's 'dry pack' sea scallops were $20.99/# and dry packed bay scallops from Mexico were even higher but the quality is excellent.
I travel with two large coolers in my wagon on my purchasing forays to Chicago and environs and have been doing this for a couple of decades. If it looks good, i purchase a quantity and we wrap and freeze ourselves.
My experience comes from growing up in Massachusetts and spending summers in Maine where truly fresh fish could be caught or obtained and has formed my purchasing body of knowledge.
My favorite source of fish and shellfish is Browne Trading but the shipping costs have made that source all but prohibited.-Dick

Evil Ronnie wrote:While what you say about second level quality is correct about certain items (many ???) at I&S, I will go on the record and say that I'm almost always able to find excellent quality seafood when I visit...I think that if you "shop around" at I&S like you would do anywhere else, that you can do very well.

The problem with this advice, for someone like me, is that I am very able to tell the difference between great fish and not-great fish when I eat it--but not so able to tell the difference when I'm buying it.

The solution to this problem, for someone like me, is to go to a place where I can trust that everything I buy, no matter what it is, will be great when I get it home and eat it. There may not be such a place--but there may be places that come closer to matching this ideal than others.

riddlemay wrote:

Evil Ronnie wrote:While what you say about second level quality is correct about certain items (many ???) at I&S, I will go on the record and say that I'm almost always able to find excellent quality seafood when I visit...I think that if you "shop around" at I&S like you would do anywhere else, that you can do very well.

The problem with this advice, for someone like me, is that I am very able to tell the difference between great fish and not-great fish when I eat it--but not so able to tell the difference when I'm buying it.

The solution to this problem, for someone like me, is to go to a place where I can trust that everything I buy, no matter what it is, will be great when I get it home and eat it. There may not be such a place--but there may be places that come closer to matching this ideal than others.

This is a very sensible. For what its worth, here are three tips:

The number one test is to smell the fish. It should smell fresh, pleasant, and of the sea, so to speak. If it smells fishy or off, it probably isn't fresh (I'm sure there are specific types of fish that have a smell that might be perceived as fishy or foul to some, even when perfectly fresh).

For filets, press down semi-lightly on the flesh. Fresh fish should bounce back; the indentation should not linger. If it does, it probably isn't fresh (though I wonder if there are specific types of fish where this doesn't apply?).

For whole fish, the eyes should be clear. Cloudy eyes are symptom of fish that isn't as fresh.

Finally, I try to steer towards fish that have more turnover. When Whole Foods runs a special on something, for example, the prices tend to be good and they tend to move a lot of it. I usually aim for that.

Naturally, these are general guidelines. They don't guarantee anything, one way or the other. But they are a good place to start.

In my pretty extensive experience at I&S over the last 2 years, when there are quality issues they have nothing to do with freshness. Everything there is as fresh as or fresher than what you're going to find at any retail establishment. The issues are that (1) they carry some cheap, crappy products that places like Whole Foods and Dirk's don't carry. Things like double-frozen fish filets and scallops packed in chemical solutions. If you go looking for big bargains and don;t know what you're doing, you might pick some of this stuff up. It won;t get you sick and will probably taste fine, but it will cook up like watery mush. (2) the mongers often do a lousy job fileting and deboning, so if you buy already-cut fish you have to choose carefully to get pieces that are of an even size and are not loaded with pin bones.

What are "double-frozen fish fillets"? Frozen, then thawed, and then refrozen?

HI,

From Kenny's comments, it is probably best to stick to fresh fish over anything frozen?

I hope to stop there tomorrow to buy some Halibut in the range of 3/4-1 inch thick. Are the counter people patiently willing to sort through their already fileted fish to get these?

I have never been there, I am really looking forward to this.

Regards,

Darren72 wrote:What are "double-frozen fish fillets"? Frozen, then thawed, and then refrozen?

Yes, exactly. Caught in a place like Alaska and frozen whole right there. Then shipped to China where the whole fish are defrosted and processed into whatever cuts they want to package for sale. Then refrozen and shipped back here. A hideous but unfortunately very common practice.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,
I hope to stop there tomorrow to buy some Halibut in the range of 3/4-1 inch thick. Are the counter people patiently willing to sort through their already fileted fish to get these?

The great thing about I&S is that you don't have to worry about counter people. You put on a pair of plastic gloves as soon as you walk in, then you walk over to the bin of halibut filets on ice and choose for yourself, poking and prodding as much as you'd like. Then you place your selection in a bag and bring it to the weigh stand/ cashier. I got some absolutely fantastic halibut there 2 weeks ago.

Hi,

Oh, this is the Peoria Packing House of fish!

Now I am kicking myself for never having stopped in before.

I am so glad this discussion popped up today.

Thanks!

Regards,

A couple of other tips for a first-timer at Isaacson's: (1) after you make your purchase, if you feel like having one of the workers do some further prep work, you can bring it over to them and there is no charge. I had them take the skin off of my halibut filets, and they did a fine job. On occasion when I find the perfect piece of salmon but notice pin pones left in it, I make my purchase then have the workers remove the pinbones. (2) There is a big barrel of ice with a scooper straight ahead of you as you walk in. After you pay, you can fill a second bag with ice out of that barrel, then place your paid-for bag of fish in it for the transport home.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,
I hope to stop there tomorrow to buy some Halibut in the range of 3/4-1 inch thick. Are the counter people patiently willing to sort through their already fileted fish to get these?

It's the Peoria Packing of fish. You'll love it, but examine your "catch" carefully for freshness. As others have said, I&S can be hit or miss.