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| VOLUME 9 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2023 A Publication of Local Umbrella Media
All Ashore for National Seafood Month
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
Ah, the virtues of seafood. Where do we even begin in listing off the myriad flavor sensations and health benefits given to us by the sea? The possibilities for enjoying the ocean’s bounty are endless as we celebrate National Seafood Month every October. Local fish mongers and national distributors abound in supplying San Diego restaurants and grocers with a wide array of sustainable choices. We’ve fished out some our favorites to get you started on seafood-eating expedition not only for this month, but for year round as well.
mousse also offers smoked seafood medleys, Pacific oysters, porcini-dusted brazino and a whole lot more on their land-and-sea menu.
Crab cake perfection in Coronado (Blue Water Grill)
dish is accented with piquillo peppers and petite peas. From the “fish of the day” section, you can potentially encounter species such as Norwegian salmon, Pacific mahi mahi, and rainbow trout from Idaho. Blue Water Grill also has a location in Carlsbad at 417 Carlsbad Village Drive. Fresh oysters at Ironside in Little Italy (Facebook)
Ironside Fish & Oyster Pete DeCoste jumps into the busy scene at his North Park eatery (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)
Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich 3382 30th St., North Park 619-255-8940; bostonpetes.com Boston native Peter DeCoste brings to San Diego a taste of New England with his authentic lobster rolls made with claw meat imported from Maine. He sources the rolls from a backEast bakery, grills them with butter, and allows only a tad of mayo to cloak the chunked meat. This well-established casual eatery slings other back-East favorites such as fried shrimp, fish and chips using fresh Atlantic cod, and coveted Ipswich clams.
1654 India St., Little Italy 619-269-3033; ironsidefishandoyster.com No roundup of places to score good seafood in San Diego would be fair without the inclusion of Ironside Fish & Oyster, a hip and fiercely popular destination where $1 oysters during happy hour is only part of the draw. The nautical theme restaurant is also known for its seafood platters featuring enough crab legs, grilled shrimp, ceviche and assorted oysters to share among four people. Hearty clam chowder and buttery lobster rolls are also among our go-to items.
Seafood boils rule the day at Shrimp Heads (Courtesy photo)
Shrimp Heads 2832 El Cajon Blvd., North Park 619-738-8184; shrimpheadssd.com Restaurateur Shirley Ng brings her love of Cajun seafood to these North Park digs, which greets with a casual, friendly atmosphere and a variety of “boils” featuring lobster tails, clams, crawfish, whole dungeness crab and more. Assorted fried seafood baskets can also be found. No matter what you order, the essence of Cajun cooking comes to the fore.
Crawfish galore shows up at a smorgasbord in Mission Valley (Seafood Buffet)
100s Seafood Grill Buffet 2828 Camino del Rio South, Mission Valley 619-314-6398; 100sbuffet.com
Lobster cargot at Pamplemousse (By Jodi Strauss)
Pamplemousse Grille 514 Via De La Valle, #100, Solana Beach 858-792-9090; pgrille.com
Scads of fresh seafood mingle with grilled meats at this giant buffet reminiscent of those in Las Vegas. Looking for snow crab? The place has you covered. Same goes for mussels, tuna, large shrimp, salmon, crawfish and more. On Thursdays, the dinner buffet features all-you-can eat lobster, which naturally comes with its fair share of competitiveness among eager customers. But whenever you visit, be ready to indulge more than you would at a sit-down restaurant.
All the flavor supporters of escargot are present in chef Jeffrey Strauss’ “lobster cargot,” which honors the exact same recipe used by chef Miguel Biaz from the former Truluck’s in La Jolla. Offered only as a special for now, the recipe replaces escargot with lobster, but keeps all the buttery, garlicky elements of the dish, which is the perfect come-on to crostini for mopping up the sumptuous sauce. The long-running upscale Pample-
Blue Water Grill
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1701 Strand Way, Coronado 619-435-0155; bluewatergrill.com If you’re on the hunt for commendable oysters Rockefeller, you’ve come to right place. We’re also fans of the Valencia-style paella brimming with shrimp, clams, mussels, chorizo and chicken. The @LocalUmbrellaMedia
Water Grill’s sensational oyster bar (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)
Water Grill 615 J St., Gaslamp Quarter 619-717-6992; watergrill.com/sandiego Consider Water Grill in downtown San Diego among the Cadillac of seafood restaurants. It’s where seafood towers and a large variety of oysters feed into the upscale elan of the place, which was launched some years ago by King’s Seafood Company. Open for lunch and dinner, expect to find everything from wild Spanish octopus and smoked hamachi nachos to red sea urchin, New Zealand pink bream and Maryland softshell crabs. ADVERTISE | Press@LocalUmbrella.com
