Southern food markets, chef tips, and excursion spots to get you cooking seafood at home like a pro.
Nothing screams summer like a bite of freshly caught, simply prepared fish. But too often, the idea of cooking seafood at home intimidates people. Looking to gain some confidence? We asked eight chefs to share their dead-simple suggestions for making seafood at home, as well as what to ask and look for when shopping for fish and shell-fish. We also take you inside three next-level seafood markets where the fishmongers are ready to share their tips and tricks with anyone who walks through the door.
3 Next-Level Seafood Markets in the South
Aloha Fish Company
Nashville
The distance from Nashville to the nearest coast is around 500 miles. But walk into Aloha Fish Company, and you’ve traveled no distance to be transported to Hawaii. Undulating blue waves spread across the glossy floor, the tunes are cranked, there’s pineapple shaved ice at one counter, and the seafood, pristine and glisten- ing in the case, recently arrived fresh from the West and East coastlines.
The brainchild of Jennifer Cheung Cline and her husband, Jerry, Aloha started as a direct-to-consumer ordering platform during the pandemic. Jennifer is originally from Hawaii and worked in meeting and convention planning in Las Vegas for 20 years; Jerry is a longtime corporate chef who trained under Emeril Lagasse. They moved to Nashville in 2019 for a lifestyle change and quickly found jobs in line with their careers. But something was missing.
“It was sushi,” Jennifer says. “Being close to the West Coast, it was just always available and we would eat it with our kids all the time. But there wasn’t much here.” When she was furloughed during the pandemic, she started a conversation with her cousin, who is in the food business in Hawaii, who sparked the idea—he could ship fresh, Pacific-caught seafood to Nashville and the Clines could distribute it.
With a bootstrapping mindset, the cou- ple started ordering 80-pound shipments of fresh fish from her cousin; moonlight- ing in others’ kitchens, they cut and por- tioned the fish and set up a custom-order business, delivering the fish by hand. As the business grew, they transitioned to a shared space where the offerings grew to poke bowls and more. Jennifer also started teaching private classes.
In 2025, they found a permanent home for the shop on the west side of Nashville, inside a collective of repurposed shipping containers where the vibes are easygoing and all Hawaiian. Glass cases display cuts of super-fresh, sushi-grade fish like Ora King salmon, hamachi, swordfish, oysters, and more, and shelves are lined with grocery items from as far away as Japan and Hawaii. One refrigerator is full of grab-and-go items like DIY sushi-making kits, and at lunch they serve fresh sushi and poke bowls. On weekends, Jennifer (who still freelances as a meeting planner) offers sushi-making classes. It’s become a community hub for the neighborhood and a go-to resource for the city’s personal chefs. —Erin Byers Murray
Fish for Tips:
When it comes to seafood, go for quality over quantity. “Yes, the prices for seafood this fresh are at a premium because it’s coming from excellent purveyors. But I would rather people buy smaller portions and maybe eat less but have higher quality,” Cline says. “It doesn’t have to be an eight-ounce piece of fish; it can be five or six ounces with more vegetables and grains,” she says, adding that trusting the fishmonger is what it’s all about. “We’re here with ideas and sugges- tions to help you get there.”
Porgy’s Seafood Market
New Orleans
Although Porgy’s Seafood Market is locat- ed in a space that has historically been a fish market, co-owner and ladymonger Caitlin Carney has taken quite a different approach. The market sells only wild- caught Gulf seafood, with an emphasis on bycatch—less-familiar species of fish, such as their namesake porgy—that are unavoidably caught while fishers are inten- tionally fishing for more popular species.
“We don’t carry salmon,” Carney says as an example, so “education is a huge part of what we’re doing. Your fishmonger is educated on what they’re selling and how to cook it. They can suggest sub- stitutions based on what you’re wanting to make.” Porgy’s encourages questions and also offers classes.
Carney founded Porgy’s with chef Marcus Jacobs, who taught her how to choose and break down fish, which she now does with chef Camille Staub, who cohelms the kitchen at Porgy’s. Anything sold in the cases can be cooked and served on-site as a menu item. “It is a really important part of our mission to diversify people’s palates,” Carney says. “Also to help our fishers to sell more product, and to help with overfishing.”—Emily Havener
Seas the Opportunity:
First of all, don’t be afraid to ask. “I recommend talking about fish like talking about wine, understanding the vocabulary that’s going to lead you to the fish you want,” Carney says. “Do you want a light flaky fish, or do you want something that’s higher in fat and more flavorful? Also being comfortable talking about what you’re cooking. Being able to ask the right questions and open to being led into the right direction. A monger is supposed to be a steward of their trade, which means that they want to share it with the world.”
Zora’s Market
Wilmington, North Carolina
As the oldest seafood market in North Carolina, Zora’s Market and Kitchen is a special part of Wilmington’s culinary history. Acclaimed chef Dean Neff took over in 2024 with Zora’s family’s blessing, carrying on a legacy that began in 1956.
The market stocks sustainable sea- food options including North Carolina catches like bluefin tuna, stone crab claws, University of North Carolina Wilmington-farmed black sea bass, and blue catfish. And Zora’s fishmongers are happy to walk customers through their offerings and answer questions at the seafood counter. For Neff, these are important conversations.
“It’s more about telling the story of the season, telling the story of the seafood, of the people who are fishing, the people that are out there oystering,” he says. “It also, I think, makes the food taste better because you have this elevated understanding of, or at least apprecia- tion for, the work that went into it.”
Zora’s recently reopened its hot food kitchen, offering fresh dishes daily in limited quantities like clam chowder, a smoked barbecue swordfish sandwich, and a fried shrimp burger with sweet and spicy chili slaw. Customers can also buy steamer bags filled with shrimp, clams, potatoes, and corn (with optional add-ons like blue crab and andouille sausage) or try the you-buy-we-fry option and purchase anything from the market to be breaded and fried. The team also recently launched Zora’s Free Fish Program to address local food insecurity, giving away a limited supply of black sea bass every Thursday and Friday on a first-come, first-served basis for those in need.
“Having this market gives us a lot of interaction face to face with people who love seafood,” says Neff, “and it’s this really fun way to connect with people and food and ingredients.” —Tate Jacaruso
Catch the Moment:
The best way to shop at Zora’s? “Just engaging in any kind of con- versation and asking questions,” says Neff, “because it’s how we learn, too. Every bit of knowledge that I’ve gotten about this, somebody has shared with me, whether it be a person who is bringing us oysters or somebody who’s fishing or a dealer that’s selling us seafood. And if you have a question that I don’t know the answer to, I’m going to do everything I can to find out for you, because it’s a journey, and things are changing all the time.”
Tips for Preparing Seafood at Home From 8 Southern Chefs
North Carolina Shrimp
Ricky Moore, Saltbox Seafood Joint, Durham, North Carolina
Easy Skillet Shrimp:
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat until it’s hot. Add a little oil or butter (just a tablespoon will do). Drop in 1 pound shell-on shrimp in one layer; don’t crowd. Season with a few pinches of salt. Cook until shrimp turn pink and just start to curl. Flip once. Add 1 or 2 cloves minced garlic and a pinch of chile flakes to the pan, as well as juice from half a lemon or a sprinkle of vinegar. Turn off heat before you think they’re done. Serve straight from the skillet. Peel and eat straight away.
Pair It With:
Limerick Lane’s 2024 rosé from the Russian River Valley is a golden hour sipper that’s bright with a silky finish.
Pro Tip:
Look for North Carolina- harvested shrimp. Buy them fresh and leave the shells on. When visiting your neighborhood seafood counter, first observe how the counter is maintained and organized. Next, ask the attendant when the shrimp arrived. To verify freshness and quality, take a close look at the shrimp; they should be shiny and have a fresh aroma. You can tell if shrimp are old if the tail portion of the shell is frayed or missing, which is a sign of poor quality.
Snapper
Bryan Caswell, Latuli, Houston
Roasted Snapper in Champagne Nage:
Peel 4 carrots and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks. Cut 1 leek and 1 celery stalk into 2-inch-long matchsticks. Finely chop 4 shallots. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter and add half the shallots and all matchstick vegetables. Add a pinch of salt and a few drops of water. Cover and cook until vegetables are soft but not mushy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Carefully dry and season 2 (6-ounce) snapper fillets with kosher salt and a little bit of cayenne. Return skillet to medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the snapper fillets, skin side down. Use a spatula to weigh fillets down for about 30 seconds (so that the skin doesn’t curl up), then cook until just starting to turn opaque. Before they’re fully cooked, transfer to a plate. Return skillet to heat and add remain- ing shallots. Sweat until translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze pan with 3⁄4 cup Champagne or white wine and cook until reduced by half. Add 3⁄4 cup fish stock or water. Return snapper, skin side up, to skil- let, cover, and cook until fully opaque and cooked through. Transfer snapper to serving plates. Return vegetables to skillet until warmed through. Add 2 tablespoons butter and a few tablespoons of finely chopped parsley or chive, plus another splash of Champagne. Stir until butter is melted, then pour sauce and vegetables over and around snapper fillets and serve.
Pair It With:
William Chris Wine Company’s latest release is the Rebecca Caroline, a sparkler made from 100-percent Texas grapes to show off that true Hill Country terroir.
Pro Tip:
Nothing beats a smell test. You don’t want it to smell bad, but if it smells too clean you should also be concerned— stay away if you get any hint of cleaning fluid. You should also gently touch the skin. For fillets, dry and sticky is good.
Tuna
Dean Neff, Seabird, Wilmington, North Carolina
Smoky Roasted Tuna:
Make a spice paste by mixing a few tablespoons of olive oil with ground dried chiles, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, and citrus zest. Coat all sides of a 5-inch yellowfin or bluefin tuna loin with paste. Sprinkle all sides with coarse sea salt. Cook tuna directly on a rack in the oven at 225 degrees for about 10 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 100 degrees. Serve sliced with shredded red cabbage tossed with a quick vinaigrette of lime, soy or tamari, plus rice vinegar, fish sauce, and a touch of sorghum or honey. Add slices of fresh avocado for a healthy complement.
Pair It With:
Go rogue and pair this tuna loin with red wine— the Barboursville nebbiolo made in Virginia will bring dark berry notes to offset this recipe’s spiced marinade.
Pro Tip:
Look for tuna loins with a bright red color, firm to the touch, with a clean smell that is nonfishy.
Oysters
Nicole Cabrera Mills, Pêche, New Orleans
Baked Oysters with Kimchi Butter:
In a food processor, combine 2 whole pickled peppers, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon go- chujang, 3 tablespoons kimchi, and
1 tablespoon lemon juice. Puree until there are no more chunks. Add 1 pound (4 sticks) butter and puree until mixture is emulsified. (Or transfer pureed pepper mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and add butter, mixing to combine.) Scrape combined butter into a contain- er or bowl. (Butter can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.) Shuck 3 dozen oysters (or purchase preshucked oysters) and place oyster meat in a cast-iron oyster tray or muffin tin. (For smaller oysters, place 2 oysters in each cup). Spoon 1 teaspoon of kimchi butter over each oyster. Bake at 450 degrees until butter is bubbling, about 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a few pinches of kizami nori (dried seaweed, optional), and a pinch of sesame seeds. Serve with crackers or crusty bread.
Pair It With:
Oregon’s Scenic Valley Farms pinot gris is made with partial skin contact, giving it depth and color while still being fruit forward enough to stand up to a bracing kimchi butter.
Pro Tip:
Many grocery stores sell preshucked oysters in a pint or quart. Another option is a seafood market like Porgy’s Seafood Market (read more on page 62), where they sell both fresh oysters for shucking and preshucked. Ask them to shuck the meat for you. A benefit to going there is you get to have a great lunch like boiled seafood or po’boys, too. Also here in New Orleans, P&J oyster company, which recently celebrated their 150th anniversary, takes walk-ins for sacks and gallons of shucked oysters.
Prawns
Jasmine Norton, The Urban Oyster, Baltimore
Garlicky Grilled Prawns:
Toss 1 pound large, head-on prawns with olive oil, a lot of grated garlic, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and a pinch of chile flakes. Let that sit while the grill heats up. Place prawns on hot grates and grill over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, just until they turn pink, then use tongs to flip them over and cook for 2 more minutes, until they get a little char. Remove from grill to a plate, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over top, and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt. If you have herbs, tear some basil or parsley and scatter on top. Peel and eat them straight up, stuff into warm bread, or pile over a simple salad.
Pair It With:
To go along with the alfresco meal, whip up a Margarita Rosato using 1 part Bittermilk No. 8 with 1 part tequila, or try a Rosato Spritz using 1 part Bittermilk No. 8 with 2 parts sparkling water.
Pro Tip:
Ask for wild-caught Gulf shrimp (U10 or U12 size if possible). They should smell clean like seawater, feel firm, and have tightly attached shells and no ammonia smell or slippery texture.
Clams
Okan Kizilbayir, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Amelia Island, Florida
Little Neck Clams with Chorizo:
In a large pot, sweat 4 sliced shallots and 4 sliced garlic cloves over medium heat until translucent. Add 1 pack sliced mild chorizo and cook until fat renders; you don’t want it to color. Add 3⁄4 cup white wine and let it reduce by half. Reduce heat and add 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add 100 little- neck clams to the pot and cover with lid. Check after 4 to 5 minutes to make sure clams are opening. Reduce heat to low and mix gently with a wooden spoon. Cover and continue cooking until all clams have opened. Remove from heat and stir in 1 stick butter, cubed. Transfer clams and sauce to a bowl, squeeze 1 or 2 lemon halves over top, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Eat with toasted sourdough bread.
Pair It With:
A solid rioja, like the earthy one made by Cune Organic, makes for a light, herbal partner to stand up to the chorizo in this dish.
Pro Tip:
Wash clams thoroughly to get rid of any sand. Smell closely and remove any bad ones if you find them. They should all be closed. Make sure to buy clams from a trusted supplier.
Trout
Julia Sullivan, Henrietta Red, Nashville
Simple Broiled Trout:
Pat 2 butterflied trout fillets dry. Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Line a sheet pan with foil and add trout skin-side down. Place under broiler for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a few pinches of torn, fresh herbs, like parsley. Serve with roasted vegetables and a store-bought sauce, if you’d like.
Pair It With:
An Austin-based boxed wine (yes, we said boxed), Gratsi offers up a surprisingly bright and tangy sip with its blend of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc.
Pro Tip:
If I’m purchasing whole trout, I look for clear eyes, moist scales, and red gills. If I’m purchasing fillets, I still look for a nice sheen on the scales and bright, firm flesh. A good fish counter will be able to cut the fish for you.
Crab
James London, Chubby Fish, Charleston
Donna’s Crabcakes:
Spread 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat on a sheet pan. Pick through for any shell fragments. Crush 1 cup saltines over the top. In a small bowl, mix 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise with 1 egg, 1 tablespoon each dijon mus- tard and Worcestershire, and a few dashes of Crystal hot sauce. Pour mayo mix over crab and let sit for 5 minutes in the refrigerator. Using your hands, grab a fistful of the crab mix and gently form into a thick, rounded patty; it should make about 8. (Do not mix prior to forming into patties because you do not want to break up the crab.) Place crabcakes in the fridge for 1 hour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon each butter and oil. Pan fry crabcakes for about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with lemon wedges and a salad.
Pair It With:
Crabcakes call for something light and refreshing—Alabama Light makes a fizzy lager built for drinking alongside a pile of sturdy crabcakes.
Pro Tip:
Crab should smell clean, like the ocean. The best way to ensure you’re getting a great product is to ask the fishmonger when the crab came into them. Anything over 3 days and you should stay away. Canned blue crab will work in a pinch.
3 Places in the South for a Seafood Excursion
There’s no faster way to appreciate your seafood than by getting out on the water for a seafood excursion.
Shrimping in Biloxi
From spring to fall in Biloxi, Mississippi, passengers aboard the Sail Fish cruise into the brackish waters of the Mississippi Sound on Biloxi Shrimping Trip’s shrimping expeditions. During the 70-minute tour, the captain throws out a 16-foot trawl catching everything from white shrimp to blue crab, and educates guests on the local shrimping industry.
Crabbing in Charleston
Tia Clark left her first career to go crabbing full time in Charleston, and now she teaches groups not only to catch crabs but also to restore habitat through initiatives like rebuilding oyster beds. Participants learn how to cast a net and set bait, and you’re allowed to keep legal-size crabs, so be sure to bring a cooler. You’ll also need an inexpensive fishing license from SCDNR.
Fishing in Virginia Beach
Head out toward the Chesapeake Bay from Virginia Beach for a half-day of angling through Dockside Fishing Center. Made for first timers and families, the four-hour excursion includes rods and reels along with a crew that’s happy to bait your hook. Bring your catch back to their waterfront restaurant and they’ll cook it up for a post-fishing feast.
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