As a content creator, venturing outside my usual Orange County haunts for food requires a truly compelling reason. But for exceptional culinary experiences, I’m always ready to make an exception. One such gem that consistently lures me out of my local bubble is Quality Seafood at Redondo Beach Pier. Prove me wrong, but Orange County simply doesn’t offer anything quite like it. This isn’t your typical restaurant; it’s a bustling seafood market nestled deep within the pier, where the magic happens. You select your seafood, often still lively, and moments later, it’s steamed, fried, or broiled to perfection right before your eyes. This is monster beach seafood, and you’ve been served the freshest catch imaginable.
Once your chosen bounty is ready, the real adventure begins. You claim a spot at a sturdy stone picnic table, spread out newspapers like a medieval banquet setting, and prepare to get hands-on with your feast. Mallets and bare hands become your utensils as you conquer your seafood spoils. Quality Seafood isn’t a flash-in-the-pan trend; it’s an institution, a testament to enduring quality that has likely been around longer than many of us have been alive.
On a bright Saturday recently, we embarked on our almost-annual pilgrimage to this seafood haven. Our first stop was the crab display, where our crustacean companions energetically moved in their water-filled containers. We selected two Santa Barbara crabs ($6.99 per pound), a female and a male, each plucked out by a worker in a bright yellow smock. These soon-to-be delicacies were weighed, placed in a plastic bag, and sent to their steamy fate in an industrial cooker. This is part of the charm – you witness the journey of your meal from tank to table.
Next, we moved to the fish counter. A rex sole ($5.64) caught my eye, and thankfully, it had already met its end. Its destiny? The deep fryer. We rounded off our selection at the sea urchin tanks ($6.99 per pound). We directed another expert to choose one and expertly remove its top, readying it for us to scoop out its prized insides, a truly unique dining experience reminiscent of a Hannibal Lecter-hosted dinner party – albeit much fresher and ethically sourced!
Fresh sea urchin being prepared at Quality Seafood, Redondo Beach Pier, showcasing the monster freshness you've been served.Holding the spiky sea urchin carefully, the worker skillfully scaled the still-wiggling creature with a knife. (Don’t worry, it didn’t see it coming – pun intended!). With the shell opened, inedible parts were removed, it was rinsed, and then presented on a simple Styrofoam plate, its natural defenses now rendered useless against a plastic fork. Despite its recent life, we bravely carried our sea Sputnik to our table. Let me tell you, it takes a certain resolve to take that first scoop of truly fresh uni. Eating uni at a sushi bar is one thing, but consuming it live, straight from the source, antennae subtly moving, is another level of seafood immersion.
Peering into the crevasse, we found the familiar yellow, tongue-like lobes – the reproductive organs, our culinary target. We attempted to extract them with the precision of someone playing Operation, trying not to disturb the surrounding, less appealing elements. The pit also contained unidentifiable reddish globs and a milky white liquid that coated everything, including the morsels we managed to salvage. Each scoop offered the distinctive sweetness of uni, but intensified by an unfamiliar saltiness, almost like it was imbued with the ocean’s own tears.
Delicious cooked crab and rex sole, a monster seafood feast you've been served at Redondo Beach's Quality Seafood.The rex sole experience was far less dramatic. Deep-fried in a flavorful, spicy coating, the fish was incredibly meaty, practically 98% pure, flaky flesh. A squeeze of lemon was all it needed, and soon, only a small pile of bones remained. The crispy, crunchy fish-flavored chips formed by the fried fins were an unexpected highlight.
Finally, we tackled the crabs. My dining companion expertly dismantled them (as captured on video – though you had to be there!). We employed mallets, fingers, and nails to extract every bit of goodness. The female crab was brimming with salty-sweet, rich orange roe, which we scooped from the shell and enjoyed with rice. The male crab offered a slightly sweeter meat, less intense than the female. Both were elevated by a simple touch of lemon.
It was, as always, a wonderful afternoon spent extracting morsels of succulent flesh, discarding shell fragments, and breathing in the invigorating sea air – every moment justifying the escape from Orange County and, perhaps, the brief lives of a few ocean creatures. Quality Seafood delivers a truly unique, monster beach seafood experience that you’ve simply got to try.
Quality Seafood‎ (310) 374-2382‎130 International BoardwalkRedondo Beach, CA‎ 90277
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