My mother (who is 94) has been obsessed with the Redondo Beach Pier for some time now.  Is it the funky vibe?  The people watching?  Feeling the bracing spring air as you watch the waves hit the jetty?  Nope.  It’s all about the freewheeling insanity called Quality Seafood which sits just below the pier and adjacent to the boardwalk.  Like oysters?  Line up and pick from several varieties.  Clams?  There are more and if you don’t want them on the half shell they’ll gladly steam them open for you with a ladleful of lemon garlic wine sauce.  On an Uni kick?  Why bother going to the latest culinary palace and paying a fortune?  Just point to one and the rough hewn character behind the counter will pull one out of the tank and break it open, clean it out and hand it to you on a paper plate.  Perfect.

Or maybe like mom you’re into crab.  What you really want is to sit outside at a table covered in newsprint getting out your aggro by bashing a hard shell crab claw open with a mallet.  But first you have to decide:  Dungeness?  Santa Barbara (males only)?  The crab, not the people.  Blue Crab?  Want to take a few home to cook there?  Fine.  Want them to cook a bagfull for you to take home?  Fine.  Want one hot steamy and sweet for now?  Fine

But first you have to figure out the system.  It’s good to go prepared with a strategy or quickly create one on arrival.  Send a couple people to the beer station to purchase drinks, the mallets (you get the money back when you return them), drawn butter, lemons and bread. Someone else can go make the crab decision and while there can also get a 1/2 lb of the Cajun Shrimp, so full of spice I was  chomping them down shell and all.

Oysters on the half shell are a separate line and there were 8 varieties to choose from the day I was there.

If you want a plate of freshly cut sashimi or a shrimp coctel with tostada you better bring another person for that line.  Maybe they can also get that fresh whole fish grilled for you too.  Or should you run for a cup of Poke?

Then there’s the problem of the biggest line of all which is, of course, the battered and fried line.  You’re ready to skip that you effete snob, right?  Well let me describe the fried Calamari Steak for you.  It’s nearly 1/2″ thick and run through a needle tenderizer so it’s, yeah, tender and buttery and very very good.

And we haven’t even talked about the fresh fish market.  Did I say they had fresh Sardines?  Big fat ones. And And And.  Oh my.  Just go.  Such a blast with a nice group of friends.  Take advantage of the incredible weather we’re having.