Chorney-Booth: North Sea Fish and Farms picks up Billingsgate legacy at Crossroads Market

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Unsurprisingly, Calgary has historically not had a robust seafood culture. Even though fresh and frozen fish can get just about anywhere with an overnight flight, dedicated seafood restaurants have long been relatively scarce in these parts and many of us are at a loss as to how to cook the fruits of the sea. Even if we know where to source good branzino or Icelandic cod, properly cooking the stuff is a mystery to many Albertans raised nowhere near the sea.

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For years (over 100, in fact), Billingsgate Seafood Market was Calgary’s go-to for fish, with the shop moving between several locations around town, landing at Crossroads Market for its final iteration. When Billingsgate owner Bryan Fallwell — who was as beloved for his personality as he was for his knowledge of fish — passed away this spring, his family decided to let go of the shop. His legacy lives on, though, with North Sea Fish and Farms now installed in Billingsgate’s old market stall.

North Sea Fish and Farms also has a long history in Calgary — the company dates back more than 50 years, first as an independent business before being acquired by the Joey’s Group in 1999. For most of its life, North Sea has largely operated as a food service company, providing fish and seafood to restaurants, adding other meats and food items into the mix as it added “Farms” to its name. While North Sea had a small shop at its industrial location, the restaurant biz was its bread and butter. Of course, that changed once the pandemic hit, leading to a pivot to online consumer sales. Management knew there was a customer demand for fresh fish and when the opportunity to continue in Fallwell’s footsteps at Crossroads came up, North Sea was ready to go.

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North Sea’s new fish counter is not a carbon copy of Billingsgate — general manager Anita Day says the company has worked hard to differentiate itself from its predecessor. The new counter emphasizes sustainable seafood and North Sea is also taking steps to introduce fish varieties that might be new to Crossroads shoppers.

“We’ve really expanded the menu,” Day says. “We’ve got whole fish, we’ve got fillets, we’ve got a lot of exotics coming in. We have different shellfish from both coasts and we’re flying in fish from Bali and Iceland. We’re not just focused on Canadian fish.”

The other differentiator is that North Sea has a chef on staff to help get Calgarians over the hump of not being overly familiar with the wide world of seafood. Chef Christopher Chabot is responsible for choosing all of the fresh fish for the shop and has also created a number of recipe cards for customers to pick up should they need any help cooking up their purchases. He’s also introduced lobster rolls (a Calgary rarity!) as a menu item for hungry market shoppers, with plans to add chowder later in the fall.

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“Having a chef background allows me to find the fish that people are looking for, make recommendations, and educate people on the types of fish we have,” Chabot says. “For example, we have four to five different kinds of salmon in the case and there’s a noticeable difference between all of them. I can add that extra education to help people with those as well.”

North Sea Fish and Farm’s new fish counter is located in the Crossroads Market at 1235 26th Ave. S.E. and can be reached through northsea.ca. The market is open Friday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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While a wide range of fish isn’t as readily available in most Calgary supermarkets as it may be in places with a stronger demand for fresh seafood, there are other fishmongers in town to cater to the seafood lover in you. Here are a few other local fish markets to get you started:

Market Seafood
Located in the Calgary Farmers’ Market and owned by Brian Plunkett, Market Seafood promises ultimate freshness, bringing in whole fish and breaking it down in their market stall. Look for fresh oysters, Digby scallops, and red snapper as well as crab and shrimp cakes, smoked salmon, and salmon burgers. 510 77th Ave. S.E.; marketseafood.ca

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Meta4Foods
Serving both restaurants and the general public (through a small retail store), Meta4Foods has earned a reputation for its oysters and hard-to-find specialty items. The shop has a good selection of caviar, shellfish, fresh catches, and seafood-adjacent sauces and delicacies. 903B 48th Ave. S.E.; meta4foods.com

Boyd’s Lobster Shop
Another Calgary institution, Boyd’s was founded in 1976. Lobsters, including live ones, are the specialty, but the shop also sells fresh and frozen fish, live and frozen crab, oysters, and other fishy favourites. 1515 D 14th St. S.W.; boydslobstershop.ca

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.

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