Best Fresh Local Seafood Eateries in San Francisco

when in san francisco the number one cuisine on everybody's list is seafood fresh and live caught from the nearby pacific today we are going to review four of the best seafood spots in the city [Music] every morning local fishermen head out into the bay and by breakfast fresh fresh seafood is available on our plates to enjoy in the spring through fall anchovies halibut ling cod albacore tuna sablefish sandab sea bass petrol soul and squid are plentiful in the winter it's time for dungeness crab california spiny lobster mackerel and herring year-round there's rockfish sardines and farmed trout mussels clams abalones and of course oysters here's four of the top places in the city where you can go to to sample these fruits of the ocean for a relatively reasonable cost we're going to take a little walk now down to the ferry building hog island oyster is the hot seafood spot in the city right now they raise their own oysters and shellfish up on their farm in tomales bay the protected inlet is rich in plankton and is perfect for cultivating shellfish honestly if you have access to a car drive up there and eat on the farm it's an experience not to be missed i've got a video that i've made of my visit up there that i'll attach to the end of this video but if you can't make it up there an acceptable alternative is to eat here at their restaurant in the fairyville they mainly cultivate pacific sweet waters but will occasionally also have atlantics the french bailons japanese kumamotos as well as manila clans and mediterranean mussels in addition this raw oyster bar will also import oysters from other parts of the pacific as well as from the atlantic we start first with a sample plate of today's raw oyster offerings gotta give it a little good squirt of lemon juice and definitely use the tasty vinaigrette with herbs let's start first with the sweet sweetwater pacific this is sort of what uh hog island oyster is known for and this is a pretty prevalent crop up here in northern california super yummy super fresh beautifully sweet no aftertaste whatsoever okay next is the kumamoto and this is also raised seasonally at hog island oysters farm you won't always get this on the menu so it's very special when you do that's beautiful slightly more tart than the sweet waters it's got much stronger oceans to it so next we're going to try the peeled passage which is from washington and it's a tiny little oyster [Music] it's got this great meaty quality to it probably eats a little bit more like the kumamoto this next big boy is from disco hama which is from the discovery bay region of washington delicious very succulent very mild in flavor the meat is very tender and it's got this velvety texture to it that is awesome this next one is called wealthy and it's from the cape cod region of massachusetts that's also really beautiful it's uh slightly salty and it's got sort of a crisp texture to it very very flavorful does not have it all that oyster aftertaste that you normally get from some of the pacific oysters around and finally we've got the widow's hole from greenport new york it's another atlantic oyster that was super unique it's slightly tart in flavor like the cape cod oyster it's slightly crunchy in its texture these barbecue grilled oysters are my personal favorite and their specialty of hog island the most popular flavor is actually the chipotle bourbon but i've decided to branch out a little and try this pepper flavor chin chin so spectacular those are hot off the grill they've got this awesome delicate smoky quality to them and i love the heat from the peppers now the oysters that they typically use for these are the big boys and so they're going to be really fleshy and very juicy keep that in mind when you order this for those who don't like oysters there's a menu of other seafood and salad items there's always a seafood chowder on the menu and today they've got a special halibut and a rock cod that was a great starter next stop nob hill swan oyster depot is an institution in san francisco and has been around for over a hundred years it was started around the turn of the century originally as an open air market which was then later destroyed by the great earthquake and then opened up here in this location in 1912. is now owned and run by the sanchimino brothers whose dad bought out the place in 1946 and it's definitely an extended family affair behind the counter it's so good it's the favorite of foodie greats like anthony bourdain and michael meena this is strictly a no-frills counter bar and it's only open for lunch from 10 30 to 5 30. although the market portion is open at 8 30 if you want to take to go and they only take cash so hit the atm before you come and there's some awesome hooks here hanging up your bag so what to order here the real foodies will recommend a crab bag which is pretty much crab brains and guts that are swimming in a bra or get the uni traditionalists recommend the smoked fish platter or the fresh shocked oysters today we're going to try things off their secret menu let's start with a live car uni which sells out fast you can only purchase an entire animal which is the equivalent of five sushi pieces okay i'm going in [Music] oh my gosh that is so delicious it's very creamy and super firm because it is so fresh that first beautiful taste on the tongue is a little bit like oyster taste of the sea and there's absolutely no aftertaste to it if you want they'll give you a little bit of soy sauce and wasabi with it but i don't really think you need it so i also got the crab stamp on them over here beautiful and these are just cooked crab claws that are laid out in sort of a chrysanthemum pattern they come in two sizes small and large and for dipping i four went the louis sauce and the regular cocktail sauce and i got this it's something special this is the real deal this is a house-made olive oil vinaigrette that also includes dijon mustard and crab fat yep that's the secret ingredient that is really delicious the crab is so fresh and it's not overcooked the meat is still really firm and tender i love this dressing there is a ton of dijon mustard in it so it's definitely got that bite to it there's all sorts of really wonderful chunky pieces of crab fat in it tastes delicious okay now we're gonna head to the mission here we are this gem is a local secret you definitely won't find any tourists here the woodhouse fish company was started in 2006 by the mcnevin brothers who come from a pretty esteemed restaurant family their parents own bucks restaurant in woodside which is known as the hot vc spot in silicon valley where billion dollar deals are made the mcniven brothers worked there as teens and then decided to pull their collective experience together to open up a couple of casual seafood eateries up here in the city the focus of both this location in dubose triangle and a second storefront in japan town is on new england style fair the menu is pretty pared down and while seafood in general is pretty expensive they try to keep the prices here reasonable this joint is best known for dollar oyster tuesdays which was sourced from the farm up in tamales bay at one point the patrons started pounding them they were so cheap and record breakers get their name on the wall the current reigning champ is a guy named steve pratt who ate 204 of them so what else is good patrons recommend the dungeness crab roll it's like a new england style lobster roll with an sf twist to it you get a regular for 23 bucks or double the amount of crab and get a large for 38 given that this is the sf version the roll has to be a sourdough buttered on the outside and on the inside the crab meat is also loaded with a ton of butter yum [Music] that's super delicious the crab on the inside is very fresh and shredded and there's very little seasoning on it sprinkled on the top with a bit of chai and that sourdough goes perfectly it's slightly toasted on the outside so it's soft on the inside and a little bit crispy on the outside and the whole thing comes out nice and tight and hot the thing comes with a side of shoestring fries there's also a side of coleslaw which i love the cabbage is nice and fresh and crispy and it's only very lightly seasoned with a touch of onions protip if the crab isn't buttery enough for you you can ask for a little bit of clarified butter on the side the chipino here for 33 bucks is also excellent [Music] saved the best for last we're going to finish off this list with one of my favorites just around the corner from alamo square park and the famous painted ladies is bar crudo the bar itself was opened in 2005 by twin brothers mike and tim silvera who specialize in crudo which is italian for raw there's an impressive list of oysters plus shellfish and the crudo plates cover seasonal fish dressed in inventive ways there's also a small menu of hot offerings that include sifu chowder and whole branzino that are equally as delicious here's an insider tip come during happy hour straight when they open at five o'clock for discounts on some of their more popular items oysters and mussels are a dollar fifty each and seafood chowder is eight plus i'm going to start with a crudo sampler plate there's a butter fish with fennel blood orange black garlic and mint a scallop with persimmon pomegranate and citrus fan a tombow tuna with parsnip pear aleppo prosciutto and hazelnuts and an arctic char with horseradish creme fresh tobiko wasabi and dill we'll start first with a butter fish that's so delicious the fish literally melts in your mouth and it's accented with these beautiful flavors fresh fennel and orange really highlights the mellow flavor of the butter fish next let's try the scallops [Music] scallops are my absolute favorite thing to eat raw these ones are really special the coconut flavoring gives it a sort of a tropical vibe but it's not so much that it's overpowering and i love that little crunchiness that you get from the pomegranate seeds let's try the tuna tombow now [Music] super yummy the tuna is definitely a firmer fish and the pear gives it this slightly sweet flavor that i just love then you got this great crunchy hazelnut to follow it up finally the arctic jar this is almost too beautiful to eat but i'm gonna do it anyway awesome that was the firmest fish out of all of them and has that sort of traditional japanese taste with the wasabi and the tobiko but i love the addition of the creme fraiche which really makes it very creamy and smooth and finally i'm going to finish off with the rock cod tacos which are on the happy hour menu for 11 bucks there's a bit of pickled red onion some arugula some queso fresco and salsa under the fried fish i'm gonna dig in fantastic the rock cod is very flaky very light the salsa adds a really nice bite to it and then you get sort of this contrast from the crunchiness of the arugula this is really close to an authentic mexican taco and taste now not all the fish here today is local it's winter time but if that's important to you just ask and they can point you in the right direction a couple of years ago the silveras opened up a guern bell outpost called seaside metal so if you're ever up in sonoma be sure to go and check it out now if you guys do get stuck at fisherman's wharf and want a really good seafood house try fog harbor fish house it's not the cheapest but it is locally sourced and sustainably fished plus they have the dungeness crab rolls here and there you have it some of san francisco's freshest and tastiest seafood offerings whether it's raw or grilled you really can't go wrong thanks for watching and until next time peace [Music]

Channel: Zeene InRealLife

Views: 49,171

Keywords: San Francisco seafood, San Francisco seafood restaurants, San Francisco seafood market, seafood San Francisco, San Francisco oysters, Hog Island, Hog Island Oyster, Swan Oyster Depot, Woodhouse Fish Co, dungeness crab rolls, dungeness crab, San Francisco sea urchin, BBQ oysters, raw oyster bar, Bar Crudo, crudo, baja fish tacos, San Francisco fish tacos, Zeene In Real Life

Id: K6EHxhHFom4

Length: 13min 18sec (798 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 17 2018