Snapper Grabbers

The seafood business is a club-style affair around Birmingham.

Before it was a seafood market, Snapper Grabbers was the name of a fishing club in Birmingham in the 1950s. A black and white photo of its members hangs in the middle of the wall across from the seafood counter in the market by the same name. Today some of the children of club members come to the store in U.S. 31 and point out a parent in the image.

Ten years ago, one of those children, Lee Cary, opened Snapper Grabber’s seafood market. He would go on to sell the market to Sandra Tidmore. And last year, Tidmore sold it to Kent Scott.

Scott is also a sort of seafood club member.

He grew up in his dad’s restaurant, River Fish Market in North Birmingham, and ran the store and restaurant (he has a culinary degree) himself until he sold it in 2005. He had no intention of getting back in the business until he ran into Tidmore at Lowe’s last year. But the itch to do what he had always known came back, and as of last November, the business became his.

In many ways, the business is still in the same hands it’s always been. Tidmore still works behind the counter, and Cary still makes fish deliveries to the market as a wholesale distributor.

“I’m trying to keep things the same, but I have added a little more cooking,” Scott said of the store since he bought it.

The storefront now serves up ready-to-eat crab cakes, gumbo and seafood chowder; dips like blue crab and Cajun; and homemade remoulade, tartar and cocktail sauces.

Fresh seasonings are made by Exotic Foods for Snapper Grabbers in flavors including blackened, Greek and lemon pepper.

On any given day, there are up to 18 kinds of seafood in the case — Gulf shrimp, sushi-grade tuna, at least four kinds of grouper and more.

Most fish and all shrimp come from the Gulf, but some varieties are Fed-Exed in from far-flung coasts. King salmon, sockeye salmon, halibut and rock fish are flown in from Alaska, and mahi mahi, Tasmanian salmon, ahi tuna, hebi spearfish, moonfish and blue marlin come from Hawaii.

No matter the place of origin, the fish arrives on U.S. 31 within 24 hours of coming off the docks.

Most range from $14.99-21.99 a pound; large shrimp are $11.49 a pound.

“Prices are high, but it costs a lot to keep top quality,” Scott said. “People understand that and don’t mind paying a little more to get the best.”

Fish is typically good for up to three days, Scott said, and then he recommends freezing it.

Scott likes to grill, broil and blacken fish best. He eats seafood at least three times a week himself and said he’d eat more if his wife would let  him.

 “People try to make it hard to cook fish, but seafood is one of the easiest things to do,” he said.

Shrimp is his favorite, but red snapper, flounder, halibut and salmon come next. What he cooks is not just about his preferences, though.

“My wife doesn’t like salmon, but she likes king salmon,” Scott said. “It has a finer texture and no fishy taste at all.”

For the easiest seafood preparation for the customer, Snapper Grabbers will steam shrimp in a seasoning of the customer’s choice.

“There’s no telling how many pounds of shrimp we steam a day,” he said.

Scott is quick to talk about how the Vestavia neighborhood supports his specialty shop, noting some customers come in two to three times a week.

 “It’s a healthy neighborhood,” Scott said. “People eat a lot of salmon and tuna.”