Poissonnerie La Mer

I really want to like La Mer but am always disappointed despite the quality of the fish. I think they could do much better!
Positive: fresh fish
Negatives: Boutique prices with a wholesale location. This place is in need of a serious refurbishment as it looks dirty and unkept. Staff is less than attentive and impatient.

love it, the most variety you can get in Montréal. it is a but more pricey but worth it. i got clams, salmon, balsamic oil it was all to my expectation.

Lots of variety and long hours of operation. Parking is a breeze with their free parking lot which is tough to find in that area. The staff knows everything about what they sell. Although the prices can be a bit steep, it’s expected from a specialised store like La Mer, not to mention the freshness of it all! Only reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because I wish their restaurant was open.

Les gens là-​bas, ils sont gentils，et plein de sortes d’huitres，vraiment genial！Les produits sont fraîches et de haute qualité ! Je vais y aller a la prochaine!

So happy I found this place! It was by chance as I was driving by on the way to Chinatown so I decided to stop in. There are lots of seafood shops in Montréal, most of them I believe above average but I’d concur this is one of the best. I had just come back from a trip up in Matane, I have a fave place up there to compare to but selection and pricing at La Mer is quite exceptional.
The setup as you walk in is the entrance is the specialty food shop with all kinds of wonderful spices, sauces, oils, caviar, wine and worldly food delights. Then off to the left is it’s own temperature controlled cooler room with copious amounts of everything seafood on ice. I have not seen a temperature cooler room in a store but it’s pretty clever. It also speaks volumes that since the perishability of seafood is quite rapid that they are doing what they can to preserve freshness. Selection of fish is plentiful with lots of fine cuts on display. Selection of oysters is one if not the best I’ve so far found in MTL. They also had many tanks of lobster and other sea delights on the left side wall.
I was interested in getting some oysters for a dinner so I asked what they recommended. One of the fish mongers mentioned the Valentine oyster was good taste and price for value. He also shucked me one to try. Easy enough for me to buy a dozen. Great service!
I have got to come back and check out some of the hard to find seafood. Very interesting to see they even had Uni (Sea urchin gonads) and Ahi Tuna. Rarely do you see these at Seafood shops here in Montréal. Also Caspian Sea Caviar could be the only place in Montréal to find this rare delicacy.
Check it out! Great selection and prices seem decent!

grande qualité, grande varitété. de vrais professionnels du poissons et des crustacés

Fresh Fish!(Portuguese accent)
or
Look At The Gills On That

Where do you buy your fish? I posed the question a little while back and it sparked little discussion, well nuts to the lot of you because I have now found the place. As you walk in to La Mer, at your 12 o’clock you will see a man behind a booth and guts and scales flailing aplenty. Your 3 o’clock are the odds and ends. Canned lump crab meat for your crab cakes and what have you, next to that, the frozen stuff, for those that are in to that sort of thing.
Then, at your 9 O’clock, is the gateway to fish paradise. Most people would think you would need to put on swimming trunks to be so close to this many fish. Texas red fish, black cod, weekly specials with big plump eyes, slimy scales and blood filled gills. Scallops, shrimps with the heads on and it doesn’t smell like fish, it smells like the sea.
Fair prices, on the spot cleaning, heck they even make ice cream. This is the place that chefs get their fish from, what more do you need?
Waka Waka

Big fish store with a gourmet grocery component. They had good prices on fresh fish and everything looked much fresher than seafood at other places, ie. Atwater market.
A big variety of fresh fish, and oysters. They’ll let you try some oysters before you buy. Prices are fair considering the freshness. I took home some raw organic salmon for tartare that was still good the next day.
Feel free to ask them any questions as they are pretty knowledgeable, they even have their own cookbook for sale. Check out their website for weekly specials.

Maybe the best fish market in Montréal (at least the best that I know). They always have a nice selection of fresh fish of high quality and prices are lower than other places (like the one at Marché Atwater). I don’t eat cooked fish and seafood so quality and freshness is paramount for me. We bought scallop a few time (to do carpaccio) and it was always sublime. The salmon was also fresh and very tasty for our tartare.
They have a large choice of oysters and they will gladly open some for you to let you taste. Try it!

Je suis venue ici, traînée par ma belle-​mère qui né jure que par cette poissonnerie maintenant. Et elle a raison: beau choix de poissons frais et d’huîtres fraîches en vrac.
Le personnel est super gentil et vous pouvez déguster une huître avant d’en acheter! J’y suis retournée m’acheter des huîtres pour mon party du 24 décembre. Tellement bon!!!