A couple of weeks ago, I got up the courage to try the fish monger in Nixa, a suburb of Springfield. I was skeptical that a land-locked “Tier 3” city like Springfield could have good seafood. I was wrong.

The shop is called [Crab Shack Seafood Market](http://crabshackseafoodmarket.com) and Mike and Stephen know their stuff. I walked away that first trip with sockeye salmon and fresh tilapia, both of superior quality but at a price typical of a supermarket. The salmon and tilapa were grilled (different nights) with only simple Penzey’s spice mixes like Northwoods for the salmon. The sockeye salmon was rich and what most people dream of when they taste good salmon. The tilapia was first-rate and makes for an easy replacement for chicken in our diet.

Tonight, we’re doing sockeye salmon again and I also got a half pound of sushi-grade white tuna that I’m slicing for sashimi. Look for a follow-up post tomorrow, but I can tell you the taste I snuck today was great.