The Palo Alto History Project, The Fish Market

The Palo Alto History Project

The Fish Market
3150 El Camino Real

The Fish Market: Palo Alto's Captain of Seafood

The Fish Market at 3150 El Camino Real is a concept restaurant to be sure. The interior has the look and feel --- as
well as hustle and bustle --- of a real fish market. Its walls are adorned with fishing boat models, old photographs
of fishermen standing proudly by their catch, and nautical ornaments of all shapes and sizes. And with its open
kitchen, oyster bar, cocktail bar and lounge area, a dinner at the Fish Market is as much of an experience as a way
to fill an empty stomach. However, the Fish Market is not just a concept restaurant --- it’s also the real deal.

Founded in 1976, by an actual sport fisherman and a boat captain/gourmet cook, the Fish Market has always
prided itself on its authenticity. They own a federally-inspected seafood facility, Farallon Fisheries, an interest in
an oyster farm in Puget Sound and even a couple of fishing boats, the Pilikia III and the Temptation. And there is
a real “market” in the restaurant where you can purchase raw fish to bring home to try your own hand in the
seafood business.

The Fish Market also prides itself on being the final word on seafood --- at least in Palo Alto. Its menu, which is
updated daily on paper and on a giant blackboard overhead, offers just about any fish, cooked in any style that a
hungry Palo Alto seafarer could want. The Fish Market offers between 20 and 30 different types of fish (given
the season) including mahi mahi, trout, clams, mussels and oysters --- and even boast a small but respectable sushi
menu. And the whole world seems to have representation up on that blackboard --- from New Zealand green
shelled mussels to New England and Manhattan style clam chowders to Mazatlan prawns. For those whose
appetites are more at home on the mainland, they also make a fine angus New York steak.

And giving Palo Alto the real maritime experience has definitely paid off. The winner of Palo Alto Weekly’s best
seafood restaurant for years, they have now been dubbed a “Hall of Fame Winner” by the paper, evidently to give
some other fish franchisers a chance. Their success even allowed owner Fred Duckett to expand, opening seven
other Fish Markets in locations as far away as San Diego and Phoenix, Arizona.

There was one black mark in the history of the chain, however. In 1994, the Fish Market suffered every seafood
restaurant’s worst nightmare. Yoshio Nakanishi, a Japanese visitor with a history of liver disease, ate raw oysters
at the Fish Market’s El Camino location. He died the next day. An autopsy determined that the cause of death
was multiple organ failure related to vibrio vulnificus fascitis. A private lawsuit filed by the victim’s family
concerned the Fish Market’s alleged failure to warn of the origin of the oysters. Gulf of Mexico oysters often
contain vibrio vulnificus, the marine organism that was suspected in Mr. Nakanishi’s death.

On September 15th, 1995, the Fish Market’s parent company reached a settlement with Nakanishi’s family for
$110,000 in civil penalties plus an additional $65,000 to pay for legal fees. In the agreement, the Fish Market did
not admit any liability. Owners claimed that they never intentionally serve Gulf oysters and that their distributor
had told them the oysters had originated in Virginia.

But the incident does not seem to have hurt business. Since then the Fish Market has bounced back, won
countless additional awards and maintains a devoted following in Palo Alto. So if you have that itch for some
seafood fare gather up the swabbies and sea dogs and head out to El Camino for some tasty fish.

-Matt Bowling

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