Poissonnerie Aqua Mare

Love this place.
Love this place ESPECIALLY in the summer, when you can get a mess of fried goodness to enjoy while people watching at Jean Talon.
You can choose between fish and chips or one or two of breaded and fried calamari, smelt, or shrimp. The seafood is super fresh and cooked to order, so it arrives in your grasp, piping hot. With a light sprinkling of lemon juice and a quick dunk into your sauce of choice (tartar sauce, spicy mayo… there may be another option as well, I don’t quite remember), you get the perfect balance of crisp savoury seafood, bright acid, and creamy cool sauce.
My only criticism is that it wouldn’t hurt to sop up some of the excess oil from the fryer before transferring to the serving container, as it is on the greasier side… Other than that, it’s an awesome treat.

I love this place, not only because the quality of the product here, but also the staff members. The Boîte aux Huitres across the aisle is their brain-​child, so when we were cruisin’ by and noticed they were closed, we were disappointed; but then I found out that you can get any oysters you want shucked for you at the store. The gentleman who works the counter at Boîte was there, and he even taught me to shuck them myself! Yep — so I can buy them and DIY at home, saving about 25 cents a piece.
Got 24 oysters today, 12 Blackberry Point and 12 Lucky Lime. Both the bf and I liked the Blackberry point ones best but both were great. So fresh, and amazingly tasty with just some lemon juice.
This place is dangerous for my wallet…

good fishmonger in JTM. the great selection of seafood is fresh but it can be quite pricey. they have a decent selection of frozen seafood too.
the fried section which is only open during the warmer months is really good but pricier and not the best in town. i don’t eat there often as fried food during summer takes a toll on my mood (me being a sweaty pig is not a lovely sight.)
the negative is there’s no po’ boy! considering it’s a fried seafood sandwich, i don’t understand the lack of such delicious staple and being in the market, you have every ingredients in sight. so, to satisfy my craving, i usually grab a small baguette near where i live, some tomato and lettuce at JTM and a plate of fried seafood, either calamari or shrimp. i’d love some octopus but there’s not a lot of fan of the tentacles out there. i haven’t seen fried fish either but i may be blind. assemble everything including spreading the tartar sauce and voila, an expensive but oh so delicious po’ boy!
i prefer making a quick stop at comptoir 21 (because it’s cheaper) or if i have time, to my favorite fish n chip place, brits and chip but poissonerie aqua mare does the trick if you’re going for a picnic at jarry park

My family and I were in Montréal for a long weekend and made a stop at Marché Jean Talon before heading home. It’s not easy feeding 21 adults & kids, but you can’t go wrong Poissonnerie Aqua Mare — we took up both picnic tables right outside the joint.
The store front was pretty cool with the half boat counter. You can see the food made to order just to the side. And even with the lonnnnngggggg line up, they go through reasonably quick.
We each lined up for our meals and I got the shrimp and calamari with fries. Queue open wide eyes and singing angels… OMeffinG! They were so fresh and flavourful — they just burst in your mouth!
Dreaming of our next long weekend trip to Montréal… Will definitely be back!

The freshest fish and chips I had in a long time.

Oysters… Oysters… I love Oysters!
Starting at $ 15.99 for a dozen… I should have practice my oyster shucking techniques more than my eating techniques!
Great selections of fresh fish and other seafood makes Poissonnerie Aqua Mare a winner at Marche Jean Talon.
When the market is busy, there is also a hot table where you can get some cooked food: soup, sandwiches etc and enjoy a light snack at the tables in the front of the store.
Now if I can find some Champagne to go with the Oysters!