The DC Traveler

If You Love Fish…

by Jon on May 30th, 2007

…Don’t miss the DC’s Maine Avenue Fish Market and stock up for your next blue crab boil or grab a slab of sushi-grade tuna to sear for dinner.

Reminiscent of the way markets were before the supermarket changed the way Americans shop, the Maine Avenue Fish Market is truly part of the old DC that has luckily not been eliminated by waterfront condo developments. Dating back to the late 1700s, the market has flourished as a place of city commerce for over 200 years.

The market is actually a group of floating barges permanently moored; a throwback to the earlier days, when barges would cruise up the Potomac full of fish and crabs to sell while tied along the waterfront. But with the economy and speed of refrigerated trucks, in the 1960s, the barges became permanent fixtures.

Fish mongers sell a huge variety of fresh-water, sea and farm-raised fish, along with a nice variety of seafood, and the most popular item, live Maryland blue crabs. Blue crabs are harvested from the the Chesapeake Bay and are generally sold by the bushel or half bushel, and priced by size and sex.

For those unfamiliar with a Maryland crab dinner, you simply steam a bunch of crabs for about 25 minutes with a generous portion of Old Bay Seasoning and kosher salt between each crab layer and add a bit of apple cider vinegar (and optional beer) to the water. Then sit back and start pickin’.

Traditionally, a good crab feast is served over newspaper spread out over an outdoor table. The crabs are often served with boiled corn, potatoes and a few other optional ingredients. Many people complain of getting tired of picking before getting full. But remember, anything left over can be used for another local favorite, crab cakes.

Most people prefer the larger “jimmies” (males) over the “sooks” (mature females).  A bushel will hold about 60 “jimmies” and will feed about 10 people. Crab vary by size during the year, and during molting season, (April - Sept.) the soft-shell are prized.

There are numerous vendors to choose from but most have the same price and similar selection and quality. But a couple offer a deeper selection. To compare prices, I bought a fresh Red Snapper at my local gourmet market for $16.99 a pound, while same fish at the Maine Avenue Fish Market was selling for for less than half the price. No, not all the seafood offered is deeply discounted, but it is fresh…VERY fresh.

The supply and variety of fish seems endless — butterfish, croaker, groper, snapper, salmon, mahi-mahi, swordfish, catfish and the list goes on. I’d speculate that any given day there’s over a hundred varieties of fresh fish. If you want something a bit more exotic, you can generally find fresh octopus, some of the largest restaurant-sized king crab legs around, lobsters, eels, an assortment of clams and oysters as well as shrimp of all sizes.

Don’t feel like cooking? One side of the market has cooked fish and crab, or seafood platters with all the trimmings. Not in a mood for fish? Then grab a juicy slice of iced watermelon or other fresh fruit from the fruit vendor nestled in between the fish counters.

Maine Avenue Fish Market
1100 Maine Avenue SW
Washington, DC

Dates and Times - Open daily - 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Nearest Metro subway stations - Waterfront - Green line or L’Enfant - Orange, Blue, Yellow and Green lines, then a short walk or take the DC Circulator using the Convention Center – SE Waterfront route.

Parking - Free parking is available at the market and on the street (metered) nearby and turns over quickly, but especially on weekends, finding a spot may require a bit of a wait.

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