Sea Harvest Introduces New Fish Market in Moss Landing

December 12, 2013 – Given the fact most grocery store seafood often spends days in transit to arrive from abroad, this qualifies as some (very) fresh news. 

Sea Harvest, the family-owned-and-operated fishing outfit with both the boats on the water and a constellation of Monterey Bay market-restaurants on shore, has a new market that just debuted in Moss Landing. 

The new shop, signage reading “FRESH FISH SOLD HERE WHOLESALE TO THE PUBLIC,” operates on the docks at 7532 Sandholdt Road 8am-3pm weekdays, with some weekend availability to boot. 

Seasonal catch like fall’s crop of black cod and rockfish comes off the family’s boats at the dock, and lands straight onto ice in the market for purchase. 

“It doesn’t get fresher than that,” says Walter Deyerle, captain of the F/V Sea Harvest IV. “Today I put my fish in the bins still flopping.” 

To up the freshness quotient, the new market also maintains a tub of live black cod (aka sablefish and butterfish) for the audience segment who seeks it that much more fresh.

Those serious seafood souls can have butterfish gilled and gutted and fileted on the spot. 

That extreme fresh factor draws home cooks from Salinas to San Jose, often ready to inspect gills and eyeballs for maximum flavor (the bright red gills and clear eyes are indicators). 

“We have a lot of regulars already,” Deyerle says.

While the Carmel and Monterey Sea Harvest locations have fish cases, this spot now works as Sea Harvest’s Moss Landing shop. It also relays catch to the restaurant a click or two away.

The market also offers a number of prepped goods and frozen options, including cioppino, black cod bratwurst and fish cakes. 

Squid too, which is cleaned in town—not sent to China like so much of the calamari catch—and breaded with a family recipe designed to spotlight flavor straight from the sea. 

Meanwhile all fish carcasses and cephalopod scrap go to crab bait, fertilizer and dog treats, all which are available for sale too. Zero waste, for many, makes purchasing more empowering.

The new market lands—cue understatement siren—at a challenging time for local fishers and seafood lovers, and for the Moss Landing “island” itself.

Commercial crab season was delayed again last week. The 2023 West Coast salmon season was completely canceled. Nearshore groundfish harvesting is also on hiatus. The move of Phil’s Fish Market to Castroville left many area seafood fans at a loss.

“We have a good group of locals coming, all word of mouth, because there was a vacuum,” Deyerle says. “They say, ‘We’re going to tell all our friends.’”

Part of the fun involves watching the next boat unload; meanwhile, convenience streamlining is underway as the Sea Harvest team evolves a text tree to inform buyers of the most recent haul. 

One other bonus nugget of good news: When asked how he likes to prepare black cod, Deyerle’s got EMB readers there too.

“At home I cook Cajun sablefish, lightly seasoned with Cajun spices so my kids will eat it,” he texts, “and bake it hot at 450 [degrees] until it flakes apart well done to let some of the oils cook out of the fish then just serve over rice.”

The thing he left out is that it helps if sablefish is catch of the day. In two words, freshness first.

With a family centered around local catch and this new spot to get it, that part is baked into the recipe.

More at seaharvestfishmarketandrestaurant.com