Despite the fact you can see oyster shells in the mortar of our 200-year-old building, Alexandria’s oyster and fish trade, like tobacco, is indeed a thing of the past. You should read about the fish trade at the foot of Oronoco Street – the area that was once called Fish Town where both free and enslaved African Americans worked in a seasonal but thriving salted fish business.
But local history aside, a certain member of my family managed to survive pretty happily without a local source of superb seafood: the Resident Wine Maniac is somewhere south of neutral in his affection for marine life, and I’m high on the anxiety scale when it comes to cooking it. His mantra remains “Bring on the steak and chicken.”
Covid changed this dynamic, along with so much else. Soon after the lockdown went into effect, we succumbed to the
“We gave our orders to our designated buyer each week, and she called it in to Katy, who packed everything up for pickup from an Igloo cooler in the parking lot of Manolo & Sons,” she says. It was the best seafood ever, so word inevitably got around.”
That was the birth of MAS Seafood, the seafood store Alexandria had needed. It was a bold move for the Ribadullas, who knew lots about fish, but nothing about retail. The turning point came when redevelopment plans for their site in a mini-industrial park on North Richmond Highway got the green light, forcing them to relocate. The day came when they had to move on, and they turned again to word of mouth, asking around to see if anyone knew of a space they might occupy. An empty store on Pendleton street, happily, was just waiting to be spruced up to become MAS Seafood. It was zoned for retail, so with the same “let’s give it a try” approach, they went for it. They’ve moved slowly and steadily, transforming their restaurant clients into retail customers, and bringing along an expanding collection of eager individual buyers.
Having a store has given the couple a chance to create a small grocery selection stocked with items curated to reflect their commitment to local small businesses and to unusual and sustainable ingredients. On shelves are supplementary groceries — pastas, anchovies, spices, canned clams and broth among them — that can be combined with selections from their varied weekly menu of fresh and frozen seafood to create a complete dinner. We’ve had nothing but raves for their salmon,
First-time customers might notice one noteworthy omission — no cold case displaying MAS’s main attraction, its seafood. This is intentional. By keeping their fish under ice, and re-burying it many times a day, it stays at peak freshness, an effect amplified by their insistence upon fileting your fish as you order it. It means a short wait, but avoids the dry, dark edges so much pre-fileted fish suffers. Any wait is minimal, and growing ever-shorter, Katy promises. “Mike and Francisco, our main knife guys, are fast and getting faster. And I’m coming along!”
Victoria Sackett is a speechwriter and editor who uses cooking as an antidote to Washington, DC dysfunction. Nothing counteracts chaos like measuring out ingredients in tiny dishes, arranging them in proper order, blending them together, and watching magic happen. Namaste indeed!
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So excited to read about this. I grew up in Maryland near Annapolis and am shocked that there aren't any decent seafood markets around (not there any more either) this close to water. I have to admit that I am also terrified of cooking most fish - I have a tendency to overcook it. I poke at it and it never feels done to me. I will give these guys a try. Sustainable is most important to me and I'm happy to chat away with them.
I’ll check them out. Do they have a current list of what they’re selling on the internet? I understand it might be difficult to keep such a thing updated and it’s a convenience for me, not a requirement.
Hi Gary,
See Melynda's post below. I always check their Facebook page before going. Things like their out of this world lobster meat, you should call and reserve.
Nancy
We were thrilled to discover Mike and Katy early in the pandemic and are now weekly customers at their convenient storefront. They post their weekly price lists on their FB page (search MAS seafood). Thank you for giving them a shout out!
Thank you Melynda!
Since moving back to CA I miss buying Maryland blue crabmeat at the Giant grocery in Arlington. I have to order my soft-shelled crabs frozen, but they are still delicious. (Dungeness crab is tasty, but not the same!) I hadn't realized why Cannon's had closed; what a pity. I can relate to Covid changing some things in a positive way--the purveyor of local seafood and wild mushrooms to the former 3-Michelin star restaurant Manresa, Ocean2Table here in the SF Bay Area now sells local produce as well. And I have access to the freshest fish, including house-smoked fish and canned boquerones with Meyer lemon and herbs at a competitive price, delivered to my door.