Captain Kidd’s Fish Market: Redondo Beach’s Outstanding Seafood Joint, No frills
By Lola Jontiff
There are plenty of hot-spots boasting about fresh seafood along the coast of Southern California. But there is no competition when you are ordering fresh catches directly from the fish market. From the moment you pull up to Captain Kidd’s Fish Market, you might as well be at a local island seafood joint.
Located in King Harbor, Redondo Beach, Captain Kidd’s offers a no frills approach while maintaining high quality of their food. After driving a long way from South Orange County, this relaxed atmosphere was welcoming.
Captain Kidd’s is unique in that it is both a Fish Market and a restaurant in one location. This is heaven for any foodie, a place to receive the freshest seafood that even an authentic fisherman would approve.
One of the amazing discoveries made at Captain Kidd’s was the fact that guests can order anything from the market to be freshly prepared by the chefs at the restaurant. What a treat and definitely worth the prices.
At Captain Kidd’s, the fishmongers are ready, willing and able to prepare your whole fish to your standards. They will even fry the whole fish to be consumed at the restaurant if that is your desire.
The seafood is incredibly fresh, with live crustaceans crawling around in their designated tanks.
Captain Kidd’s always has an array of fresh catches including, but certainly not limited to crabs, lobsters, shrimp, whole yellowtail and king crab legs.
Captain Kidd’s is an interactive experience to say the least. You can try a sample from the seafood case on the market side and even ask to hold a live crab straight from the tank. After all this fun, it was time to get down to business.
When it came time to make a decision on what to sample from the huge menu, we sought advice from the manager on duty. His answer to this question was “Everything”. After viewing everything Captain Kidd’s has to offer, deciding what to order was an even more difficult task.
Nothing pairs better with fresh seafood than an ice-cold beer straight from the tap. With over 16 selections of beers to choose from and a tempting selection of frozen cocktails, Captain Kidd’s customers are sure to be pleased.
With our order placed, the team at Captain Kidd’s was working with their catering menu which features sushi-grade sashimi. It is easy to marvel at the colorful and pristine fish with quality standards set very high.
With meal in hand, we were ready to get started.
Captain Kidd’s Calamari is one of the best I have ever tried. The batter is extremely light and fries up crispy. Ample in size, the squid was cooked to perfection with a pleasing texture.
The Soft Shell Crab has a crunch on the outside thanks to the tasty batter while being sweet and tender inside; a seafood lover’s dream.
We consumed these bad boys in no time and wished we had more.
As mentioned earlier, customers can have whole fish prepared from the market side to be eaten in the restaurant. We went with the freshly caught Pacific Snapper to be fried whole.
This fish did not stand a chance. We devour this Pacific Snapper in no time. Devouring a whole fried fish is one of my favorite ways to eat fish. Picking past the bones was no issue here and there were only bones left by the time we were done.
Captain Kidd’s also whips up an incredible New England Clam Chowder; thick with chunks of clams and veggies and a great seafood aroma, this chowder is made just the way it should be.
The velvety Lobster Bisque is insanely creamy and flavorful. I especially enjoyed dipping the crunchy, garlic-drenched fries in it.
Captain Kidd’s Lobster Roll is simple and classic. The roll is flawlessly toasted and warm and is the perfect platform to showcase the rich and creamy lobster salad. Don’t forget to squeeze some lemon on your lobster roll for a full sensory experience.
Captain Kidd’s offers side dishes galore. We chose buttered corn, garlic fries and hush puppies; all of which were out of this world. There are sides that will please everyone, just like the seafood.
Captain Kidd’s sells their seasonings amongst other unique items. These will come in handy when cooking at home. Be sure to grab them and more on your next visit.
After all was said and done, the folks at Captain Kidd’s provided a completely satisfying meal that will warrant future visits. With outstanding customer service and the freshest seafood available to be eaten there or taken out, Captain Kidd’s is the South Bay’s favorite seafood joint.
209 N. Harbor Dr.
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 372-7703