Mutual Fish Co.
Categories: Seafood, Seafood Markets [Edit]
Neighborhood: Beacon Hill2335 Rainier Ave. S
(between S 25th Ave & College St)
Seattle, WA 98144 (206) 322-4368
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
11 reviews
Issaquah, WA
"This place is great. Family-owned style seafood that's not the same as other places. Service is always up to par. The wait to be seated is…" read more »
27 Reviews for Mutual Fish Co.
Erica Asahan on Mutual Fish Co.:
I thought I would only find "ALIVE" cray fish, craw daddies or little lobster down south!!!? Well, to my suprise, they have plenty here! Yes, I did buy the whole thing, all 15 lbs of it and I pretty much ate the whole thing. I love this place!
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Hands down to this place dammit! One of THEE best Seafood joints in the West Side!
I'm usually not big with the whole seafood thing; cause I'm too damn picky. But Jesus H. Christ....
I was recommended to try the lobster, so I did.
Then I was recommended to try the shrimp, so I did.
I was then recommended to try the kasu black cod, so I did.
Finally, I was recommended to stop cause I looked like I was going to blow up.
For all you seafood fanatics; this place is a must!
Bring your girlfriend, your mistress, your wife; hell bring them all at once; cause after the meal they'll forget about your cheating ass for a good moment cause they'll have food on their mind.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.......
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We have a saying at the restaurant i work at, a small unpretentious Japanese restaurant way up north that i haven't reviewed for obvious conflict of interest reasons:
"Buy it at the terminal...if you can't, go to Mutual."
So very true. Also, the staff is as nice as they get and they won't sell you bad fish. You know why they run out of stuff? Wasn't good enough for them to sell that day.
I can't help but to glow endlessly about Mutual because it's not far from my "day job" (which doesn't involve food) and i have no excuse to not eat better. Sure, you can get slightly cheaper seafood elsewhere but it's far inferior in quality, and Mutual can still often be as cheap or cheaper. Plus, where else can i call over before leaving work and they have my fish ready to go and deboned? BRILLIANT.
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People will claim to live on Beacon Hill or in Rainier Valley or in Mount Baker or Leschi or Columbia City because they're cool or multi-cultural or broke or like sailing or light rail or being close to Lowe's or lots of great Vietnamese food or close to downtown or great views of Rainier driving home down Rainier or Bicycle Sunday, BUT that's all smokescreen for living near Mutual Fish. Just have Mutual Fish crack some Dungeness crab for a dinner for some out-of-town guests, and watch your guests move to Seattle, to live in Seattle on maybe Beacon Hill or Mount Baker, to buy seafood at Mutual Fish, etc.
[quote: What makes them better than Whole Foods? I bought some fish seasoning and it sucked] Like comparing apples and oranges [wtf?] Mutual Rocks. Want seasoning, but some Lawry's at Safeway! [LMFAO]
Few places I know that you can get Sashimi grade tuna, yellow fin, and octopus. Great selection of fish and shellfish, they've got stuff in there I've never seen before.
Kasu Black Cod is great, bake it in the oven and then broil the top uncovered for a crisp topping, serve with rice and salad...must be in heaven. They sometimes have recipes on their display by the door, which I like because you can try a different type of fish and know how to cook it.
Should go earlier in the day, because the knowledgable staff sells the best first and then what is left over, its never bad, just not as great.
Felt a bit intimidated the first time I went there, but the staff is friendly and very helpful.
The fish here is so good, it intimidates me as a cook...I literally question if I am worthy to prepare it. Once I needed shrimp for a recipe and I was not sold ordinary shrimp, oh no...what they had was amazingly fresh shrimp packed to the gills with glorious, buttery roe. I've never had such a treat before or since. Go in open to possibilities, and listen carefully to the recommendations of the staff, they will not steer you wrong.
Additionally they also carry a wide variety of fish accessories, such as all kinds of crackers, sauces, and odd surprises. Fun and delicious.
I don't get it. They sell fish. What makes them better than Whole Foods? I bought some fish seasoning and it sucked.
Good place to get crab and certain commercial fish choices, however the day I went there was slim pickings on mussels and prawns and no skate or halibut cheeks to be found. The mussels were underwhelming, but the fact that I saw the fishmonger chopping and prepping live crabs upped this to a four star review.
I would recommend going early and I am sure the selection is much more rewarding. I am also assuming they would be more than happy to satisfy requests, however I was just too tired to wait the day I went and headed to my favorite spot in Pike Market (and no its not the fish throwing stand)!
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As other reviewers have noted, Mutual Fish offers some of the freshest fish in Seattle along with live crab, lobster, and a wide assortment of mussels and oysters. The fish are very reasonably priced, and the staff is extremely helpful (they will hand-fillet a whole trout for you and remove damn near every bone - even those tiny ones) and very knowledgeable. Molly Malone would have definitely approved.
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Ahhh, Mutual Fish...the seafood Mecca of the west-coast. I've lived in several coastal towns: Charleston, New London, Washington, San Diego...nothing else compares. There is a reason that Tom Douglas shops here: there is no better fish in the city. You want oysters? What kind; there are usually five or six different varieties in stock. Salmon? Three or four that were swimming around with their families only a day earlier. The only complaint is that the storefront is in a shady part of town; do not go there after dark! Other than that, this is the best place on the planet to purchase fish.
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I haven't bought any fish from here yet, but I did stop by to take a look.
It's true, they do have fresh fish. I was eyeing their fish heads for possibly making fish head soup and those were some of the freshest fish heads I've ever seen -- fresher than the ones still attached to fishes at other places. I normally don't buy fish heads anywhere because they look so bad, but I would buy from here.
Laziness got the best of me and I left without getting any fish :(
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What a great fish store.! Fantastic quality - I'm always far happier with what I get here than the market. Actual sashimi quality fish. Phenomenal oysters. Good staff, knowledgeable, debone for you, filet, the works. They even have vegetables! and beer! When possible, I try to buy the whole meal here! Love it!
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This is hands down the best place to go for seafood. It's very fresh and has been in business for years. I've not had any questionable fish from Mutual.
Not only do they have great fish, but I remember summer months where we'd go and get oysters in the shell. We'd buy them to bbq on the grill, but they were so fresh I could never wait. I'd sneak a couple out and microwave them in the shell.
Of course, not having the best math skills in the world and I'd pop them in too long. Boom! I'd explode one every now and then, announcing to the world that I'd snuck off with dinner. Not only that, but I'd spend quite a bit of time cleaning the inside of the microwave after one of these episodes. Day old oyster goo does have a tendency to taint the smell of anything else in the microwave.
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Hands down the BEST place to buy the freshest fish in Seattle. The service is efficient, especially if you need to get in and out. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The kazu sake marinated black cod is my current favorite.
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Best fresh seafood in Seattle. Awesome shrimp, live dungeness crab and sushi grade tuna. Sparkling clean and in business for a long time. Check it out, you'll agree you can't find better fish, crab or shrimp for the price. 5 kung fu stars, and this is the first 5 star rating i've given out..except for GR.. I'm a sucker for robots... Friendly service too, the guys here know their stuff about what they sell they've been in business for like 60 years or something.... same family too.
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A dreary Friday afternoon, I'm done with all meetings today, early even, so I feel inspired to cook tonight for myself and my baby. Driving by Mutual every day on my way to work, I think to myself today is the day to finally stop in and shop in the renowned fish store of the Rainier Valley.
Well, imagine my disappointment. It's small, fishy and wet (don't wear your good shoes). Of course it smells of fish! But let's be honest, if it smells like fish then something's not going right. The prices could be better. The live crabs and lobsters were cool -- I felt like an 8 year-old boy visiting Sea World for the first time.
Save yourself the trip (unless you live around there) and go to Whole Foods.
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So I have never actually been to the store itself, but the last restaurant I worked at had our seafood delivered from Mutual. Our driver Gene by the way is a great guy. Back to the seafood....
Fresh. That's what you get when you get anything from Mutual. Never had a bad batch. The way you can tell is if you stick your nose deep into the cavities of the fish and don't smell anything bad(duh). Look in the eyes too, if they're cloudy that means they've been out and are old. Also feel the skin, it should have that slimy stuff. If the skin is dried out, it's old too. You are paying a premium on fish and seafood due to the highly perisible nature of the product and you should always get and demand freshness! Seriously, if you buy some nice tuna steaks, my ritual anyways is to sear up a few but always leave one where i slice it up and dab with a lemon juice/garlic/cilantro/salt/pepper mixture and eat up sashimi style.
If you are not confident enough to eat your fish raw, why not spend a few bucks more and get quality. If you really do want quality go to mutual fish co. They supply some of the better restaurants in the city. Get the same quality w/o the restaurant prices.
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Forget those flying fish guys at Pike Place Market. This is the *only* place in Seattle to buy the absolute freshest fish and seafood in the city. They also pack for plane trips and shipping and are worth every penny.
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They have premarinated kasu zuke black cod...and its goooood! Bring that home, drop it in a pan and there you go.
They have friendly fishmongers and awesome prices.
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This is the place to get seafood in Seattle. Period.
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This is THE place to go for excellent fish. Even my friend who tests fish products for the FDA thinks so!
What can I say. I am lucky to live in a neighborhood with an excellent fish market. The scallops here are the best in town. You can sometimes get fresh (not previously frozen) prawns as well.
The fish is always fresh and good.
They have live clams that are always in great condition.
The crab is excellent 95% of the time and just like every where else 5% of the time.
It can get VERY busy, especially around holidays. So, if you are going then, be up for a wait.
And yes, it smells fishy. But, duh, they sell fish!
So, if you want awesome seafood, come here!
http://www.mutualfish....
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This is the place to buy your fish.
Excellent quality, superb selection.
Lots of fish heads, and fish smells galore, but this is THE place to go.
Small selection of bread (Macrina bakery), produce (Spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms) and various staples (rice), so you really can stop in and put together a meal. Check out their frozen foods as well -- crab cakes, mochi, edamame...interesting Asian items.
great selection..and the man we worked with was very knowledgeable, Even took our name and number for when certain fish we are always looking for comes in. Very happy with the fresh prawns we grilled last night from here and the Dover sole we sauteed for lunch this afternoon.
Great alternative to the touristy Pike Place Fish Market!
I don't get here very often, but when I'm going to be within a few miles of this place I always stop (like when I'm dropping off my doggie nephew at Central Bark). You won't fight the crowds like you do at all of the Pike Place Market fish vendors and the seafood is just as good, if not better here. For example, you don't often find sushi grade tuna at the Market, but you will find it here and it's perfection. You can get scallops live here, and trust me, they're better that way. The things I usually pick up are catfish fillets (after living in the South and attending dozens of backyard fish fries I can't live without catfish) and sea bass fillets. The halibut cheeks are great and this is one of the few places around to get smelt. Every once in awhile I get a craving for fried smelt with rice and pickled vegetables for breakfast. Yes, breakfast. Don't wrinkle your nose. Try it. The people here are so friendly and helpful and the small selection of groceries perfectly complement any seafood you pick up. Great place.
I love the fish monger. The kids hate the smell but are intrigued by the sights. May have to take a number but they'll quickly take care of you, offer suggestions for preparation, etc. Lots of condiments and some other groceries available. Reader board out front always advertises what's fresh. Save a trip to the Pike Place Market and support your local guys. May be able to call ahead so your order is ready when you get there. Easy access.
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