Northeast Lobster 125 Madison Street 212-227-7788

Slinky Bender

The All Powerful Moderator
#1
I'm going plug a place I've been buying shellfish from for almost 30 years.

They recently relocated 1 block East because the landlord flat out refused to renew their lease and you have to look closely to find it because there is no signage and it's in a basement. This is a wholesale operation which also sells to the public so they don't sell anything "loose" which is to say they sell 5 lb boxes of shrimp (in every size imaginable), 5 lb bags of scallops, etc. You can, however, buy a single live lobster from their tanks. There really isn't anything on display, so you have to know what you want before you go there. That said, the owner is extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and will guide you on your purchase add suggest alternatives. The prices aren't the lowest you can possibly get, but they only carry first rate goods like Mexican Shrimp Paradise which is higher quality than you will find at the places sprinkled throughout Chinatown where they display shrimp out on the sidewalk.
Since it is a wholesale place everything is spot the priced so there will be some variation in what you pay for any particular item from visit to visit. On my last visit there I paid $77 for a 5lb box of super colossal U10 shrimp and $65 for a 5 lb bag of dry scallops (size 10 to 20). At places like Citarella you will find the price per pound of these to be more than double what they are here.
Aside from the usual issues with buying from a wholesale place in terms of not being pretty, fishy water covering the floor (but reasonably clean, just wet), if you really care about your shellfish and can deal with buying wholesale quantities, I cannot recommend this place highly enough. Plus you will be supporting a local small business which has been on this block for over 30 years (I know this because I've been buying shellfish from them for pretty much that long. That statement in and of itself should convince you, and if that doesn't know that a lot of the best restaurants in Manhattan also get there shellfish here).
 

Slinky Bender

The All Powerful Moderator
#2
For those of you who have visited some of the rub and tug places on Madison Street, they used to be at 95 Madison and had this huge Lobster sign hanging off the building.
 
#3
re:$77 for a 5lb box of super colossal U10 shrimp..
I think at that size they are prawns not shrimp.
As for scallops I couldn't deal with china town places as use thryptomene,or some funky preservative on them...
I try to get the day boat scallops but one doesn't see them too often...
 
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