22 Sep From the Dock to Your Door: Giovanni’s Fish Market

From the Dock to Your Door: Four Decades of Giovanni’s Fish Market

How a family seafood business on the Morro Bay waterfront grew nationwide without losing its roots. And why its owner says California King salmon is worth seeking out while you can.

Walk into Giovanni’s Fish Market and you know where you are. Fish is being cut behind the counter. Something is cooking in the galley. Beyond the windows are Morro Rock and the harbor. Commercial boats that supply much of the seafood sit nearby. It is a scene that has played out on this waterfront since 1985.

Owner Giovanni DeGarimore would like to keep it that way. “There are plenty of places that can sell seafood,” he says. “What we try to provide is the experience of an old-school waterfront fish market combined with the standards people expect today.”

He continues, “Morro Bay isn’t just where we do business. It’s home.”

Where It Began

Giovanni’s opened in 1985 as a small family seafood business on the Morro Bay waterfront.

The founding idea was simple: buy the best local seafood available, work directly with fishermen whenever possible, and treat customers the way the family would want to be treated. That instinct came from the water. Founder Mike DeGarimore was a commercial fisherman and abalone diver in the 1960s and ’70s. The market was built on the relationships that come with that life.

“Commercial fishermen are really the foundation of a business like ours,” DeGarimore says.

Three generations of the family have now been part of Giovanni’s.

A Working Waterfront, and a Responsibility

Being on the same waterfront for more than 40 years means knowing the fishermen and their families. It also means knowing the neighboring businesses and generations of customers.

“You see kids who used to come in with their parents eventually come back with children of their own,” DeGarimore says. For him, that means preserving the connection between the harbor, commercial fishing, seafood and the people who visit the coast. Supporting local fishermen is central to that effort.

“There is something very different about buying seafood from someone who was actually on the boat that caught it. You know where it came from, you understand the condition of the fish, and there is accountability on both sides,” he explains.

It helps keep the working waterfront alive. It also gives customers access to seafood that can be remarkably fresh and unique to this part of California.

What Changed, and What Didn’t

Almost everything about how Giovanni’s operates has changed since 1985. Back then, nobody was talking about e-commerce or overnight seafood shipping across the country.

Today, the business is a seafood market, a restaurant and a nationwide online seafood company. It ships to customers thousands of miles away who may never have set foot in Morro Bay. The philosophy, though, has stayed the same. The family still buys seafood, cuts fish, talks to fishermen and cooks for customers.

In DeGarimore’s words, they are still “obsessing over quality just like we did in the beginning.” He continues, “Technology changed. The scale changed. The standards didn’t.”

For the customer opening a box in another state, the goal is the same as it is for someone standing at the counter. “I want opening that box to feel like a little piece of the California coast just showed up at their front door,” he says. “Most importantly, I want them to taste the difference.”

Why California King Salmon

Ask DeGarimore what makes wild California King salmon special, and the answer starts with the fish itself.

“Wild California King salmon is one of those fish that reminds you why wild seafood is special,” he says. Wild fish from local waters, handled properly, is extraordinary. It’s also something the market no longer takes for granted. California salmon seasons and availability can vary from year to year.

That makes offering a beautiful local King salmon feel particularly meaningful. For anyone who has never tried it, his description is precise: “Rich, buttery and incredibly moist, but still clean tasting.”

A good King salmon has enough natural fat that it almost bastes itself as it cooks. The texture is tender and rich without being mushy. The flavor also runs much deeper than that of a lean fish. “When it’s really fresh, you don’t need to do much to it,” DeGarimore says. “That’s usually the mark of great seafood.”

Buy It When You See It

Part of the excitement around California King salmon, DeGarimore says, is that it actually has a season. We have grown used to a world where almost everything is available all the time.

Wild seafood does not necessarily work that way. When California King salmon becomes available, there may be only a limited amount.

The season itself may also be short. Giovanni’s regular customers understand that. When good fish shows up, they tend to move quickly.

“If you see California King salmon from a reputable seafood market and you’ve been wanting to try it, buy it. There’s no guarantee it will still be there next week.” To anyone still on the fence, his advice is two words long: “Try it.”

“There are certain foods where you can explain the difference all day long, but tasting it makes the argument much faster,” he says. “If you’ve only eaten ordinary supermarket salmon, a really fresh piece of wild California King salmon can completely change your idea of what salmon is supposed to taste like.”

When it is available locally, there is also something satisfying about eating a fish connected to this coast, its fishermen and its seasons.

Gio’s Way

DeGarimore’s favorite preparation is the one he reaches for when company is coming: Grilled Fish Gio’s Way.

It uses a butter, lemon, garlic and fresh-herb baste. The baste goes on the fillet before and after it hits a hot grill. It works on halibut and sea bass. It is also a natural fit for a fish as rich as King salmon.

One Small Part of the Chain

What DeGarimore says he is proudest of is that Giovanni’s has grown without losing what made it special in the first place.

The business can ship seafood across the country. But the family is still standing on the Morro Bay waterfront, talking to fishermen and customers every day.

“Seafood is an unusually personal business. Somebody went out on the ocean and caught that fish. Somebody handled it, cut it, cooked it or packed it, and eventually somebody sat down with their family and ate it.” He continues, “Being one small part of that chain for more than 40 years is something our family is very proud of.”

Visit Giovanni’s Fish Market

Giovanni’s Fish Market is located on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay, California. The business ships fresh California seafood nationwide with overnight delivery.

Website: giosfish.com

Address: 1001 Front St, Morro Bay, CA 93442

Phone: (805) 772-2123

For direct shipping information, visit Giovanni’s Overnight Seafood Shipping.