Returning home from the Big Island, I yearned to taste fresh fish. I enjoy the flavor of fresh ahi poke or a well-seared opah. In Tahoe, we are miles from the ocean, but a few places provide fresh fish and seafood.
Overland Meat & Seafood Co.
Victor Gomez and Marimar Perez Banuet own Overland Meat & Seafood Co. in South Lake Tahoe. It is a full-service butcher shop with fresh meat, chicken, fish and seafood.
“We are known for our fresh fish in the community. We get our fish in on Tuesdays and Fridays,” said Gomez, who was born and raised in South Lake.
They source their fish on Tuesdays from the Bay Area and the Northern Pacific coast. Their offerings include halibut, Alaskan salmon, Petrale sole, snapper and sea bass. They also procure fresh Hawaiian fish from Honolulu every Friday.
“We bring in six types of poke, fresh ahi, ono and swordfish,” he said. | overlandmeatco.com
“People come from all over to fish in our ponds. The fish are certified green and sustainable.” –Jim Vallier, Tahoe Trout Farm
Catch your own
If you want fresh fish in South Lake Tahoe, consider catching your own. You can go out with a local guide service on Lake Tahoe or the Truckee River, or head to Tahoe Trout Farm in South Lake Tahoe, which was established in 1946. Proprietors Jacqueline and Jim Vallier stock their ponds with rainbow trout, golden lightning trout and steelhead trout from Mt. Lassen Trout Farm. Jim is a fly fisherman and lifelong aficionado of all things trout.
“People come from all over to fish in our ponds. The fish are certified green and sustainable,” he says.
The fish are fed krill, little shrimp that make the trout red in color. If you truly want freshly caught fish, the Valliers will teach you how to catch them. They provide bait and fishing gear but encourage you to bring your own equipment.
The Vallier’s will also filet, prep and vacuum seal the caught fish to be taken home or cooked or at MacDuff’s Pub on Fremont Avenue in South Lake. They serve the fresh-caught trout battered, blackened or with a creamy dill sauce. If you don’t want to eat the fish you catch, Vallier says, it can be donated to the Baby Bear program at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care or the Christmas Cheer homeless program. According to Vallier, Tahoe Trout Farm is one of the only trout farms left in California. | tahoetroutfarm.com
Shop the farmers’ markets
The Little Fish Company owners Brand and Laura Little catch and sell fresh fish and seafood year-round. Laura Little noted that with the California salmon season closed this year, The Little Fish Company was catching coonstripe shrimp, black cod, halibut and ling cod. They sell their freshly caught fish at Truckee Certified Farmers Market and South Lake Tahoe Farmers Market on Tuesdays and at Tahoe City Farmers Market on Thursdays. They also deliver to select Tahoe locations during the spring and winter months. Their fish is always fresh and delicious. | wildlittlefish.com
Buoy & Trap Seafood Market
The Buoy & Trap Seafood Market is a new fish market in Truckee. Owner Zack Duksta, originally from Rhode Island, has prepared dishes that are an ode to his New England heritage. On the menu the day I showed up, he had New England Clam Chowder, Maine lobster roll, Connecticut-style lobster roll and numerous types of freshly shucked oysters; they were delicious. While we talked, Duksta was preparing Stuffies, a stuffed Quahog clam. The aroma of diced clams, linguiça sausage, diced vegetables and aromatic was heaven. Duksta said they are delicious and fun to eat.
The shop offers a fantastic array of fresh fish, including sushi-grade ahi, Ora king salmon, halibut, crabcakes, clams and swordfish, which I bought for dinner. Duksta says he grills his swordfish, with a light sear on both sides. He gets in fresh fish daily and the selection changes. He also has a selection of clams, oysters, shrimp and mussels. There is a small oyster bar with limited indoor seating and outdoor seating. Fridays are fish taco days. Get there early, Duksta says it gets busy and who doesn’t love a good fish taco. Beer and wine are forthcoming; Duskta is thinking July. | buoyandtrap.com
