JapanCulture•NYC is finally getting out of the mindset that we must go to a Japanese grocery store to purchase ingredients for Japanese dishes.

We’re kicking ourselves because we only recently discovered a fantastic source for fresh fish right in our neighborhood.  We had previously thought of The Lobster Place inside Chelsea Market as more of an annoyance that provides boatloads of tourists cooked full lobsters that they awkwardly struggle to eat in public.

We decided to push past the tourists and look beyond the lobsters. What we found was a bounty from the sea that may be a little more expensive than a Japanese grocery store, but is just as fresh and a lot closer.

Cool things we like:

• Meaty sanma – Perfect for grilling
• Salmon burgers – Not necessarily Japanese, but quite tasty
• Whole red snapper – Still looking for an easy recipe for that one (If you have a recipe, please send it my way!)
• An abundance of everything – salmon filets, salmon steaks, tuna, shrimp, octopus, and even uni

There’s even a section containing prepared seafood dishes and sushi, with sushi chefs slicing the fish and making sushi rolls behind the counter.

Obviously we’ll continue to go to Sunrise Mart, Dainobu, and Mitsuwa for quality Japanese ingredients, but for fresh fish, walking four blocks to The Lobster Place is a brilliant alternative.