Food Lovers' Guide: Fish

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Lobster comes in all sizes at Free Range Fish and Lobster. Photo by Susan Laughlin.

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Fish Tales: From the Docks to You

At Free Range Fish & Lobster sustainability is almost as important as freshness.

"We try to sell only seafood that is sustainable, though something might slip by. We don't study everything with a magnifying glass," says Joe Ray, who founded the fishmonger 18 years ago. The company is based in Portland, Maine, but delivers to retail locations in Manchester and Sanbornville every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

"Ninety percent of our product is fresh, and if it's previously frozen it is prominently marked," says Ray. "We buy the fish fresh off the docks and process it ourselves, which allows us to regulate what we sell." He buys fish off the docks in Portland, New Bedford, Gloucester and Boston every morning at 6 a.m. "We employ nine fish cutters in our processing plant and 20 lobster boats report daily to our dock."

Ray says if you dropped by a store today you might expect to find fresh shrimp from Casco Bay, Damariscotta Snowy Creek oysters from Maine, sushi-grade tuna as well as live lobster, haddock, cod and whatever else the fleet might have landed. Free Range was a wholesale dealer before opening a store in Portland.

Free Range Fish & Lobster
885 Second St.
Manchester

2076 Wakefield Rd.
Sanbornville
freerangefish.com

Fish Co-op: The Yankee Fishermen's Cooperative in Seabrook was founded in 1990. It now has 60 members , among them ground fishermen who haul in cod, flounder and haddock as well as lobstermen, tuna fishermen and shrimpers. Like community-supported agriculture the fishermen sell advance shares in their catch. The shrimp season is currently under way.

Fish Markets

Yankee Fisherman’s Co-Op
Wholesale/distributor and retailer of fresh fish, land shellfish.
Seabrook
(603) 474-9850
yankeefish.com

Sanders Fish Market
Homemade chowders and lobster rolls as well as a wide selection of seafood. They also have a fish truck that goes to the Everett Arena Market year-round. (Concord, Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
367 Marcy St.
Portsmouth
(603) 436-4568
sandersfish.com

Donahue’s Fish and Meat Market
Provides fresh quality seafood, brings in whole fish from Gloucester, Mass., which then is cut in-house.
20 Plaistow Rd.
Plaistow
(603) 382-6181
donahuesfishmarket.com

Good Tail Lobster Pound
Offers lobster and other seafood from Maine.
Rte. 302
Glen
(603) 383-0190
goodtaillobster.com

Milford Fish Market and Restaurant
Fresh seafood and fried fish.
251 Elm St.
Milford
(603) 673-4200
Visit them on Facebook.

Fresh Fish Daley
The oldest fish market in the region. Check out the fish cakes — they’re to die for. Check the website for daily specials.
146 Front St.
Exeter
freshfishdaley.com

Tinker’s Seafood
Fresh and cooked fish.
545 Hooksett Rd.
Manchester
(603) 622-4272
tinkersseafoodrestaurant.com

Seaport Fish
Serves fresh seafood.
13 Sagamore Rd.
Rye
(603) 436-7286
seaportfish.com

The Lobster Tail
Serves fresh seafood seven days a week.
Windham
(603) 890-5555
lobstertail.net