Louisiana Foods Retail Market

A whole new world! A sizzling place I never knew! I live and now work close to here and am so glad my coworker showed me this place. Don’t expect fancy and don’t expect a seating area, this place is tucked away and is for fresh or fried seafood to go. I tried their cajun chowder and boy did it put any New England clam chowder I’ve ever had to shame! Also their catfish has an amazingly crisp and light batter and paired well with my wedge cut fries. There are different specials each day, so stop in and take a look at their menu. I’ve tried the jambalaya and meatloaf which have been tasty with a bit of a Louisiana spicy kick to it.
Try to have your order in mind before you get to the counter as the line grows quickly and there is not much standing room!

the previous reviews give the story-​tiny no frills space, lots of construction worker clientele, good fried foods. despite the location set back in an office park they really seem to have a following-​curious why they don’t expand the retail space. would like to see some more fish out in the showcase during the week.

A neighborhood secret. Deli is great. Only open weekdays. It’s to-​go only. Get there before noon. They also have decent fried chicken. Check it out

You do have to check the website on Friday to see if they are going to be open, but that gives you a chance to read about the fish they will have for sale and make an early decision.
Make sure to choose your top three, as last Saturday there was a line waiting for them to open 15 minutes before 9:00, I was about 8^th in the queue and then there are the chefs who will call in and snag some items beforehand, so your first choice may not be available.
Every time I go I learn something new about fish and also about their business, and this week it was that they have Louisiana oysters by the box.
You do get to see the same faces week after week, and it is getting to be a bit of a social event.
Be warned, there is one guy behind the counter, and it takes a while, but you have to learn to enjoy the wait, the fish is definitely worth it and some fish have prices so low, that you will suffer reverse sticker shock.
When was the last time you got 3lb of fresh filleted fish for $ 12?

This is not a dine-​in restaurant. Do not expect the plush ambiance of valet parking and white table cloths, or any tables at all, actually. It is a fresh seafood market that happens to operate a to-​go deli that serves cooked items as well. It is in a warehouse area. Yes, there will be blue collar workers decked out in boots and utility belts, but there are also the Martha Stewart moms, and the local office workers who don’t brown bag it, thus they eat out. As the other reviewer mentioned, the front counter area is small. Literally, I can take a single leap from the front door to the cash register a la Jackie Joyner-​Kersee, Olympic long jumper, style.
The deli has a small menu of popular Louisiana foods such as fried chicken, fried fish, boudin balls and étouffée. There are other items as well, I have not sampled them yet. The fried items are consistently crispy and flavorful. No complaints.
I swing by here on cooler days during lunch time to pick up a pint of the Chicken & Sausage Gumbo. It comes with white rice, a few Saltine Crackers, and a plastic spoon all for the low price of $ 4.95 plus tax. There is a Shrimp version of this gumbo as well. Although the jumbo shrimp are huge, the gumbo feels a little lonely with no other meat inside of it. No other seasonings needed, including no salt needed, so please do not consume the Saltine crackers with this gumbo unless you would enjoy developing hypertension. The gumbo is the correct color, consistency, and flavor. It is filling and comforting on a cold winter day.

I need to clarify that I am reviewing this place for what it does on Saturdays between 9 am and noon. Total Catch Market is my new love. For the past several weeks I have been showing up early and leaving happy with the freshest seafood I have found inside Houston city limits.
PJ Stoops, who is the man behind the counter, is heading up a unique operation. Total Catch Market sells «by-​catch» fish that they get from commercial fishermen out of Galveston. By-​catch simply means that the breed of fish isn’t a mainstream commercial fish (think red snapper, grouper, yellowfin tuna, etc), but it does not mean that it isn’t good. It is good. In fact, its phenomenal.
I have bought 5 lbs of blackfin tuna over the last few weeks from them (about $ 16/​lb) and it easily the best tuna I have had in Houston. Reef and Bootsie’s have bought a bunch of it as well. Mine ended up as sashimi, sesame seared loin, tuna belly tataki, tartar and poke. All were stellar. I don’t know what those amateurs at Reef or Bootsie’s did (tongue firmly in cheek), but my results pretty much set the world on fire.
I really can’t believe that I am sharing this secret right now. I may live to regret this if the lines get really long.
Thank me later.

So oyster season has once again returned to our fare shores. And as our collective electricity bills recede from the summer heat so does our appetite begin to turn to these beautiful nachos of the sea. There’s a good chance if you have designs on sippin some oyster liquor in Houston this season it might be coming from Louisiana Foods. Actually there’s a good chance every time you eat seafood in Houston, whether it be from the grocery, at the bar, or out to eat on a special occasion, you’re noshin on Jim Gossen’s bounty of the sea.
Jim Gossen is basically a name synonymous with the climate of the Houston seafood restaurant for decades. For example, you might have heard of the Landry brothers, who sold a chain of seafood joints to a certain Tillman Fertitta. Fertitta grew the Landrys Group into a mini empire, and the the Landrys themselves faded into obscurity. Lost in that was the original partner not named Landry, Gossen. He had developed a central kitchen and distribution network to service their growing chain of restaurants, and after the restaurants were sold he kept those assets of the operation along with the Magnolia Grill. The kitchen had already become a de facto supplier do to it’s aggressive ordering of fresh fish, and the regular selling of the excess inventory. And thus was Louisiana Foods born.
The good news is that they will sell to anybody. You can buy your own sacks of oysters from damn near any bay you like. They’re cheaper than you’d expect, but a bit of a pain in the ass. So unless you feel comfortable with a knife in one hand and a slippery mollusk in the other, you might want to stick to the 25 cent happy hour specials. But of you are game, I highly recommend it.
«But Mike, I’m just a regular _​_​_​_​_​_​_​, I don’t even like oysters, what about me?»
Well pal, you’re in luck! Because they’re also serving up some seriously good cajun classics like red beans n rice, gumbo, and fried catfish. All of which are great. The red beans n rice is easily one of the best servings I’ve had in Texas, and the catfish is perfectly crisp and light in it’s cornmeal batter. Not to be outdone, the gumbo is a dark, nutty roux served with rice on the side. There’s a chicken and sausage version alongside a shrimp one, and between the two I’d lean towards the former. The sausage seems to add the smoky umami of pork, and I’m a sucker for that.
Looking over the menu you realize there’s nothing for a single person than $ 6.75. Then you look at the daily specials:
Baked Stuffed Snapper
Cajun stuffed pork chops
Crawfish Étouffée
And Krispy Krunchy Chicken everyday
Just remember you might be able to eat like a king on the cheap @ LF, but you better bring your own throne. I’ve honestly had bigger closets than the brief counter area, and the word is out in this blue collar, warehouse area. So plan on getting your meal to go, strap on your bib, and get down in the parking lot.