Tuna Poke
I visit the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market nearly every Saturday morning, and after also shopping the Little Italy Mercato Farmers Market I bring home my purchases and make lunch—which is frequently a fa...
San Diego's Fisherman Harbor
Buy right from the boat for the freshest catch ever
San Diego is known for its unfairly gorgeous weather nearly year-round, with temperatures that hover between 55° and 75° on any given day. That is one of the factors that makes “America’s Finest City” a popular destination for tourists. According to the San Diego Tourism Authority, 35 million tourists spent over $10 billion there in 2017.
The sad thing, though, is most visitors will totally miss out on San Diego’s burgeoning culinary scene. Most end up in the touristy Gaslamp Quarter near the San Diego Convention Center.
Just a short walk from the Gaslamp Quarter is the best evidence of the city’s true culinary wealth: great fish and seafood. Every Saturday from 8am until noon, fishermen, many from families who have been fishing for generations, haul their most recent catches to a long dock at 598 Harbor Dr. It’s called the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market— and even visitors not planning to cook during their San Diego stay ought to at least go take a look.
According to Market Manager Peter Halmay (who’s in his late 70s and one of only 18 licensed sea urchin divers in San Diego) the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market started in August 2014. The idea of fishermen selling their fresh catches directly to the public seems like a simple idea (and something that’s been done since ancient times). However, as with almost all “common sense” food endeavors, it took years to make it lawful. At the time, there was no provision that allowed it.
Photo 1: Fresh-caught spot prawns
Photo 2: cleaning fish at the harbor’s cleaning station
Photo 3: harbor vendor holding up Pacific rock crabs
Photo 4: picking up some fresh mackerel
“We talked to the Port and they said, ‘No problem. Just go to the Health Department’ and the Health Department says, ‘No problem. Just go to the Port.’ They had us on this merry-go-round for three years!” said Halmay. “There was no such thing in the law as a fishermen’s market. We didn’t want a fish market. We wanted a fishermen’s market for those who caught local product. We didn’t want wholesalers or importers.”
Finally, Clare Leschin-Hoar wrote an article for the Voice of San Diego on the problems the fishermen were having getting permission to sell on the dock. That drew enough attention that Halmay starting getting calls from people with enough clout to help. Two weeks later, the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market opened to great fanfare—and immediate popularity.
“On opening day, a crowd of 1,500 people showed up,” said Halmay. “We had three fishermen who kept looking up and saying, ‘We’re going to run out of fish!’ That’s how it started. Of course, we did run out of fish and some people went home unhappy.” The following day, though, Halmay says more fishermen started calling to find out how to participate, so the market and its inventory grew. These days, a rotating cast of about 25 fishermen sell their fresh catches at the market.
Of course, all of this is dependent on Mother Nature. Because only fresh fish and seafood are sold, the only inventory available is what was caught over the preceding two days.
Vendor David Hayworth specializes in catching highly migratory deep-sea fish such as tuna and wahoo. “Through the week, we’re getting ready for Saturday. People think they just show up on Saturday and fishes just jump on the dock. We’ve spent the whole week preparing to have our different kinds of species available for the weekend.”
In fact, there’s always a long line of shoppers waiting for the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market to open at 8am. Many of the early birds are there to ensure they can buy sea urchin—the source of prized uni, known also as the “foie gras of the sea” (which sounds a lot sexier than “sea urchin gonads”). Fresh uni is bright gold or orange, has a light, feathery texture and smells faintly of the sea. Uni that is not fresh is brownish, smelly and overly soft.
The sea urchin nearly always sells out in the first hour. Only a certain number is available as they have to be kept alive. Popular fishes like black cod also sell out quickly—but there are many other prizes still to be had. It’s called “Tuna Harbor” for a reason: There’s always one variety or another of tuna in season.
Thanks to the market, underappreciated specimens have newfound popularity. The shimmering, white polka-dotted, rose-gold fish called opah, (also known as moonfish) is in demand. Mackerel and sardines have long been prized in Italy and parts of Asia; these have only found mainstream popularity in recent years. Others, like skates and monchong (sickle pomfret), are still waiting for their time in the spotlight.
Photo 1: Market manager and licensed sea urchin diver Peter Halmay
Photo 2: how about some fresh-from-the-water sea urchin.
Both whole fishes and filets are available. There’s even a cleaning station. Pay a mere $5 and a team will descale, cut and debone whole fish on demand. (Savvy cooks make sure to ask to keep the head and bones to make stock later.) A big bin of crushed ice is available too, for keeping purchases fresh and cold until shoppers return home.
Travelers who don’t have the luxury of a kitchenette in their hotel can still get a taste of San Diego’s wealth of fresh seafood. Another stand at the market, Loaf & Fish, sells fish tacos and grilled fish sandwiches made with local produce and fresh catches-of-the-day.
After a visit to the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, continue exploring San Diego’s natural culinary wealth and head to 600 Date Street just a mile away and you’ll encounter the stunning, five-block-long Little Italy Mercato Farmers Market. One block is mostly artisan goods and the other four are replete with local produce (the temperate Southern California climate means there’s a ridiculous number of fruits and vegetables in season all year long) and prepared foods from area vendors.
Here are some San Diego restaurants serving fish and seafood from the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market:
Seaport Village
Puesto, West Harbor Drive (located at The Headquarters at Seaport Village)
Downtown/Gaslamp
Lionfish, 435 Fifth Ave.
Little Italy
Ironside, 1654 India St.
Juniper and Ivy, 2228 Kettner
Shelter Island
Fiddler’s Green, 2760 Shelter Island
Old Town
Ceviche House, 2415 San Diego Ave.
Tuna Poke
I visit the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market nearly every Saturday morning, and after also shopping the Little Italy...
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