Go ahead, get fresh

Half a dozen varieties of vibrantly colored rockfish ranging from fire-engine red to rosy to golden. Bony, big-headed sculpin, the ultimate soup fish. Creamy-fleshed, finely grained albacore. Blue-silver sardines, still arched in a swimming motion. Fatty pink chu-toro, the prized belly meat of the bluefin tuna. Italian branzino, French daurade, California white sea bass. Opah, ono, ahi and mahi-mahi.

Walking into one of L.A.’s best fish markets can dizzy you with the overwhelming number of choices.

Even so, despite having the Pacific Ocean at our doorstep, the conventional wisdom is that L.A. is as landlocked as Lawrence, Kan., when it comes to buying great seafood. But like most Southern California cliches, this one is easily disproved if you know where to look. I spent a couple of weeks visiting dozens of fish markets from Santa Monica to San Gabriel, and what I found was pretty amazing.

There is Granada Market, the mom-and-pop grocery on the old Japanese stretch of Sawtelle, which was recommended to me by both Japanese and Western gourmets. And for good reason: Ray Mukai still shops with the chefs every day downtown.

At the same time, there are all kinds of chain stores that make seafood a priority: Chinese 99 Ranch Market, Japanese Marukai and Mitsuwa markets, and the Western Santa Monica Seafood.

And there is the small band of farmers market fish vendors offering fish they often catch themselves.

Finding the best fish begins with finding the best market, which comes down to which store is best for you. Like so many things Southern Californian, this isn’t so much a matter of geography as sensibility. The type of market you choose will tell you a lot about the kind of fish you’ll find, how it’ll be presented, how much it’ll cost and how much help you can expect from the staff.

First, know your market

Generally, Southern California fish markets fall into three broad categories: Western-style markets, Japanese markets and Chinese markets.

First and, for most of us, the most familiar are the Western-style markets. These look much like your average supermarket seafood counter, only more so. The majority of the fish will be fileted and the names will be at least somewhat familiar. Prices may be a little higher, but you can be assured that the counter people will be able to help you in English.

Two good examples of this kind of market are the expansive Santa Monica Seafood chain and Glendale’s smaller, tightly edited Fish King. Last week these stores stocked filets of halibut, sturgeon, troll-caught salmon, yellowtail, mahi-mahi, albacore and rex and petrale soles as well as whole golden snapper, striped bass and sea bass.

For something a little more adventurous, try some Japanese markets. Here you’ll find some seafood that may be unfamiliar -- lots of different kinds of small fish such as mackerels and sardines, and various gradations of tuna. Almost everything will be of the highest quality and the fish tends to be wrapped in plastic on trays, which can be reassuringly familiar. Much of the fish is already fileted, neatly trimmed and attractively displayed: maguro tuna cut into perfect rectangles, ready to be sliced for sushi; cooked octopus rolled to resemble exotic flowers. There probably will be other varieties of prepared fish as well, which might range from grilled sanma (a long, skinny mackerel) to black cod marinated in miso or sake lees, ready for a quick broiling.

Prices range widely. That perfect little block of rosy pink chu-toro sells for $50 a pound; absolutely fresh, locally caught sardines are a steal at $2 a pound.

When you’re ready to step off into the deep end, visit the Chinese markets. These usually cater to customers from a spectrum of Asian cultures, so the selection of fish tends to be encyclopedic. Here are some highlights of what I found at the 99 Ranch Market last week: filets of shortraker, pink grouper and bighead rockfish; whole fish including Japanese mackerel, grey sole, canary rockfish, Japanese sea bass, sculpin, red-banded tiger fish, eel and white beltfish; and in the live tanks: catfish, striped bass, silver carp, black cod and cabezon.

Quality at these markets can be erratic. It’s not uncommon to see a pristine fish so fresh it looks as if it just jumped from the ocean being sold right next to one that looks as though it’s in an advanced stage of mummification. This is especially true of mom-and-pop stores, where small profit margins argue against discarding a fish that has passed its prime.

On the other hand, the prices at these places can be astonishing. Recently, 99 Ranch had huge salmon steaks, at least 3 inches thick and of respectable quality, on sale for less than $2 a pound. Whole New Zealand snapper that went for less than $6 a pound was wonderful grilled and drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. It took a little playacting and sign language to get the counterman to understand exactly how I wanted it cleaned (gutted, head on, fins off), but he was more than willing to do what I asked.

In addition to these stores, there is another seafood shopping alternative: farmers markets. There are at least four fishmongers to be found among all those growers of tomatoes and peaches.

These tend to be small, family-run companies that specialize in selling local fish that they’ve either caught themselves or bought from independent fishermen. These fish are almost always sold fileted, and prices and quality are moderate to high.

As with fruits and vegetables, one definite advantage to buying at the farmers markets is the amount of help you’ll get from the merchants. If you take the time to ask questions, they will give you advice on everything from which fish to buy to how to prepare it.

Pete Siracusa and his dad, John, are probably the most widely represented, selling at more than half a dozen local markets. On a recent Sunday in Long Beach, Siracusa had white sea bass, halibut, wild California salmon, ono (a mackerel cousin), ahi, swordfish and petrale sole.

Wherever you are shopping, there are a few universal rules. You’ve probably heard most of these before: Look for fish with firm flesh and bulging clear eyes, check for gills that are red, and smell carefully. But the simplest way to recognize a fresh fish is to remember how it looks when it first comes out of the water: There is a shine to it, a vital glow you’ll see even when it has been cut into fillets.

Also pay attention to the way the fish is displayed. While whole fish can be sold arranged over shaved ice, filets should not. Direct contact with the ice will leach moisture from cut surfaces, so only buy filets if there is a barrier between the flesh and the slush -- even if it’s just plastic wrap.

Of course, shopping well is only half of cooking well -- OK, maybe 75% when it comes to seafood. But you still have to figure out what you’re going to do with the fish once you get it home. That’s especially complicated given the variety available here.

One thing to do would be to memorize an endless series of recipes. Another would be to keep a library of fish cookbooks. The latter may be even harder to do than the first, given the Eurocentric view of most cookbooks and the way they ignore Pacific Coast fish. One shining exception that belongs on every cook’s bookshelf is Jay Harlow’s “West Coast Seafood,” a guide to most of the things you’ll find in a California fish market.

Meet the family

Perhaps a more sensible method would be to remember a few simple guidelines for cooking fish and then become familiar with the larger families of fish you’re liable to find and which rules apply to them.

In general, fish are either lean or fatty. Lean fish should be cooked with gentle, moist heat -- steaming, poaching or in soups -- while fatty fish are best cooked with dry heat -- roasting, grilling or sauteing.

But nothing in cooking is quite as simple as that. The texture of the flesh has almost as much to do with how a fish should be cooked. In general, the denser and more muscular the flesh, the better it adapts to dry heat.

But how do you tell whether a fish is lean and flaky or meaty and fatty? It helps to break the fish down into families with shared characteristics. This way you know that, say, rockfish is lean and flaky and will be best cooked with moist heat, maybe steamed in the Chinese fashion with a little soy, ginger and green onion.

On the other hand, a piece of sole -- which is about as lean as you can get -- is so dense that it can be cooked with either moist or dry heat, poached in white wine and shallots or sauteed in a buttery breadcrumb crust.

It’s important to remember that these are only guidelines -- as with everything else culinary, rules are meant to be broken. But save the experimenting until you’ve had a chance to become familiar with the ingredient.

Of course, given the number of different fishes in the Southern California sea, it’ll take several lifetimes to get to know all of them. That’s just one more reason to be thankful we’re not in Kansas anymore.

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The best fishing spots

Here are some of the best sources for fish in Southern California. Good markets get the best fish from all over the world; at farmers markets, you can find family merchants selling high-quality local fish. Keep in mind that supplies change with the season, the weather and the catch.

SEAFOOD STORES

99 Ranch Markets The medium-sized chain of grocery stores concentrates on Chinese and Southeast Asian products. The fish departments are distinguished by a broad selection of rock cods and are generally well stocked with whole and live fish. Prices are very low.

Across Southern California. For store locations, go to www.99ranch.com.

Fish King This well-known store in Glendale, just north of the 134 Freeway, has a small but carefully selected assortment, mostly filets.

722 N. Glendale Ave., Glendale, (818) 244-2161.

Granada Market A mom-and-pop grocery in the old Japanese neighborhood of Sawtelle, this is run by Ray Mukai, who shops with the chefs at International Marine Products every day. The selection is small but impeccable.

1820 Sawtelle Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 479-0931.

Los Angeles Fish Co. The retail outlet for the big wholesaler American Fish offers an interesting assortment of whole fish from all over the world at very good prices. Go early.

420 Stanford Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 629-1213.

Marukai Market This membership grocery caters to Japanese customers (the annual fee is $10). A small but very good selection: some whole fish, a particularly good variety of sashimi cuts and some specialty items, including miso-marinated cod. There’s also very nicely prepared sushi and sashimi.

1740 W. Artesia Blvd., Gardena, (310) 660-6300; 1420 S. Azusa Ave., West Covina, (626) 918-0825; 123 Onizuka St., No. 101, Los Angeles (Little Tokyo ), (213) 893-7200.

Mitsuwa Market This small chain catering to Japanese customers is particularly good for sashimi cuts, including $50-a-pound chu-toro. There’s also whole snapper, sole, sardines, Japanese mackerel (both saba and sanma) as well as black cod in sake lees for broiling.

665 Paularino Ave., Costa Mesa, (714) 557- 6699; 333 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles, (213) 687-6699; 3760 Centinela Ave., Los Angeles, (310) 398-2113; 21515 Western Ave., Torrance, (310) 782-0335; 515 W. Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel, (626)457-2899.

Quality Seafood The most scenic fish market in Southern California, it is on the boardwalk just north of the pier on King Harbor in Redondo Beach. It’s great for whole fish, including local specialties such as grouper, wild salmon, mackerel, rock cod, sardines and anchovies. A good selection of shellfish.

130 S. International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, (310) 374-2382.

Santa Monica Seafood The local institution features an outstanding selection of fileted fish from all over the world as well as some whole fish, including dorade, golden snapper and loup de mer. In addition to the original location, there are two stores in Orange County.

1205 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 393-5244; 424 S. Main St. Unit F, Orange (714) 456-0234; 154 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa (949) 574-0274.

FARMERS MARKETS

Anjin II Kathy Tsunoda sells fish that her brother Dennis catches from the family boat off Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard. Extremely popular, they usually sell out quickly.

Wednesday: Santa Monica. Thursday: Thousand Oaks. Saturday: Santa Monica.

De’s Seafoods De Gorgita sells local fish caught by her family’s two boats out of Santa Barbara harbor.

Tuesday: Santa Barbara. Wednesday: Santa Monica. Saturday: Santa Barbara.

Drydocks Fish Co. This family company sells wild fish from independent fishermen, and farmed shellfish from Carlsbad.

Thursday: Oceanside and Costa Mesa. Friday: Huntington Beach. Saturday: Torrance, Del Mar, Vista and Irvine. Sunday: Palos Verdes and Laguna Beach.

West Coast Fish Pete and John Siracusa are familiar sights at many farmers markets. They sell mostly wild fish they’ve bought from California fishermen from San Diego to Eureka.

Monday: West Hollywood. Tuesday: Culver City. Thursday: Redondo Beach. Friday: Venice and Long Beach. Saturday: Cerritos, Pasadena and Calabasas. Sunday: Hollywood and Long Beach.