Where to Buy Fresh Fish in Indianapolis (2026 Guide)

Buying guide · 2026-06-15

If you've ever stood in a grocery-store seafood aisle in Indianapolis wondering whether that "fresh" fillet is actually fresh, you're asking the right question. A lot of Midwest seafood is frozen, thawed and sold as fresh without ever saying so. Here's how to buy real fresh fish in Indy, and what separates a genuine seafood market from a counter that just looks the part.

Buy from a real seafood market, not just a grocery counter

A true seafood market turns over its case daily, fillets to order, and can tell you exactly what you're buying and where it came from. At Caplinger's, our Shadeland and Southside markets keep a deep fresh-fish counter, salmon, cod, perch, halibut, catfish, tilapia, whiting and seasonal specialties, and we clean, fillet, skin and season any of it for you at no charge.

What to look for in fresh fish

Fresh fish should smell like the ocean, not "fishy." The flesh should be firm and spring back when pressed; fillets should look moist and translucent, not dull or dried at the edges. Whole fish should have clear, bright eyes and red gills. Don't be shy about asking the counter when it came in, a good fishmonger is glad to tell you.

Don't forget the hard-to-find stuff

Indianapolis isn't on the coast, so the real test of a market is whether it carries the things nobody else does: live Maine lobster on one day’s notice, colossal wild king crab legs, fresh oysters, crawfish in season, and genuine alligator. Caplinger's carries all of it, and for big king-crab orders or several lobsters, a day's notice means we'll have exactly what you need ready.

Ask them to cook it

Here's the move most people miss: you can buy fresh seafood at the market and have it cooked. Caplinger's seasons and fries to order, so you can taste-test your fish before you commit to a whole dinner, or just skip the cooking entirely. Buy it fresh, or let us cook it.