The Municipal Fish Market at The Wharf features multiple seafood vendors that offer fresh fish and shellfish. The vendors are especially known for their live Maryland blue crabs which can be steamed and seasoned on-site.
"For a low-frills option, visit the vendors at the Southwest Waterfront’s open-air seafood market that dates back to 1805. Family-owned Jessie Taylor Seafood offers frequent live crab specials and all sorts of fresh fish and shrimp. They can also cook and season your crabs after you purchase them. Get them by the dozen and enjoy them on the waterfront, or consider picking up a bushel for parties." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky
"Around since 1805, this historic hub for fresh seafood (both cooked and raw) changed in recent years with the construction of the Wharf development, but vendors such as Jessie Taylor Seafood continue bringing the best of the sea to D.C. Find blue crabs, scallops, catch of the day deals, and more at the various stalls. (Long-running local purveyor Captain White’s Seafood City opened up at a new location in Oxon Hill after setting sail from the fish market.)" - Missy Frederick, Tierney Plumb
"The area is also home to The Municipal Fish Market, which opened in 1805 and lays claim to being "the oldest continuously-operating open-air fish market" in the country." - Travel + Leisure Editors
"For a low-frills option, visit one of the numerous vendors at the Southwest Waterfront’s open-air seafood market that dates back to 1805. Family-owned Jessie Taylor Seafood offers frequent live crab specials and all sorts of fresh fish and shrimp. They can also cook and season your crabs after you purchase them. Get them by the dozen and enjoy them on the waterfront, or consider picking up a bushel for parties." - Tierney Plumb, Eater Staff
"The Maine Avenue Fish Market is a sight to behold, but you’ll certainly smell it before you see it. You’re also likely to hear it before you see it, as this fixture in the southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C is rarely without a jostling crowd. The market has been in operation since 1805, making it the oldest continuously operating open-air fish market in the United States. (The distinction of second-oldest belongs to the Fulton Fish Market in New York City, which opened 17 years later.) The majority of the seafood sellers here have been shilling shellfish along the waterfront for decades, if not for generations. In the early days, the seafood at the Maine Avenue Fish Market was served directly from fishing boats alongside the pier. More recently, the goods are trucked in and visitors are attended to from docked barges. Over the years, the wares on display have expanded to suit Washingtonians’ ever-more cosmopolitan tastes. Local favorites are now displayed alongside Chinese octopus and Chilean sea bass. If it comes from the sea, it’s likely available at one of the brightly colored stands lining the dock. However, most visitors are still lining up for Chesapeake Bay classics: blue crabs, oysters, and shrimp. The Maine Avenue Fish Market is famously full-service. Most vendors will cook the seafood to order, tossing customers’ favored crabs into massive vats of boiling water. You can also elect to have your seafood seasoned. And in true Chesapeake Bay fashion, “seasoned” means one thing and one thing only: a heavy-handed dose of the ubiquitous Old Bay." - ATLAS_OBSCURA
