Before there was City Seafood, there was Bob's Seafood — the shop where Mike got his start in high school picking up weekend shifts. Decades later, he's running one of the city's most trusted seafood operations, supplying top restaurants and country clubs while also selling direct to home cooks.
How did you end up in the seafood business?
My best friend's brother ran Bob's. I started working there part-time in high school. I worked there all through college. As Bob's grew from a little shop to a wholesale operation, the demand grew, and pretty soon we had a fleet of trucks, and I was out delivering.
What made you stay in it all these years?
Honestly, I'm a people person. I was driving deliveries, talking to chefs and learning the industry. I was good at it, I loved it, and I felt valued. Those are the things that matter in any career.
Tell us about your team at City Seafood.
A lot of my guys came over from Bob's with me — Dave and Austin lead the team as our head fishmongers. I’ve worked with them for over a decade. There are not many other places that bring in whole fish and cut them on-site to order. But my guys are cutting somewhere around 4,000 pounds of salmon and 1,000 pounds of halibut a week. In my opinion, they are the best in the area.
People love the idea of "fresh" fish. Is that realistic in St. Louis?
Absolutely. Fresh, expertly sourced seafood is our niche. We bring in seafood by plane and by truck from the coast. We get halibut flown in straight from Alaska, and snappers and groupers come directly from New Orleans. The fish is shipped out and arrives here the next afternoon.
What makes it work is that we provide seafood to so many restaurants and country clubs in St. Louis. We're going through thousands of pounds of each item a week. That volume allows us to offer families truly fresh, restaurant-quality, cut-to-order seafood delivered straight to their homes. We call it dock-to-door delivery.
What is the difference between wild-caught versus farm-raised salmon?
There's a lot of bad press around farm-raised salmon, but it's not that simple. Wild salmon isn't available year-round the way farm-raised is, and wild king salmon can run three times the price of a good Scottish salmon. Our Scottish salmon has no antibiotics or GMOs, and the company we source it from has won multiple industry awards. It’s sushi-grade. It's what most of the top country clubs in St. Louis use. Our Wester Ross Scottish salmon is by far our top seller for home cooks, and I'll stand behind it: it's the best salmon you can get in St. Louis.
Why is Branzino so popular?
It's a smaller fish, usually two to three pounds max, also known as Mediterranean sea bass, with a white, flaky, buttery flavor. It's thin, so it cooks up fast, which is why there's such high demand. It comes skin-on, and that skin is completely edible — some people love how it crisps up, some people skip it. Same goes for fish like snapper and striped bass.
What about halibut?
Alaskan halibut season runs roughly March through October. Wild-caught halibut from the Canadian side, around Nova Scotia, is virtually identical. So halibut is really available year-round. It's one of my personal favorites.
Do scallops have a season?
No, scallops are pretty much available year-round. Our scallops are sushi-grade — you can eat them raw. The only ones we carry are dry-packed, 100% natural, shucked, and put straight in the bucket.
Tell us about your tuna.
Here's something people don’t know: If tuna looks pink, it was frozen at some point and treated with CO2 to preserve its color. Fresh tuna has a bright, deep red color. Our yellowfin is one of our best sellers. Genuinely fresh and sushi-grade. We bring in whole fish, and our team cuts to order in-house. Most places selling tuna aren't cutting a 125-pound whole fish in five minutes — we are. That’s what makes our dock-to-door delivery so unique. The freshest fish can be delivered directly to your home.
Describe the opportunity you saw for delivering fresh seafood directly to homes?
Families and foodies who love cooking seafood seek out the freshest, restaurant-quality seafood. We source fish not typically found in grocery stores, such as barramundi, grouper, and swordfish, as well as specialty and seasonal offerings. Our commitment to quality sets us apart, which is why many restaurants choose us. Now, all of that is available for delivery directly to homes.
What’s in the box?
City Seafood offers boxes of select seafood cuts curated by Executive Chefs from some of St. Louis' favorite restaurants.
Our Chef Jack Mac box is one of our most popular boxes. It includes Alaskan Halibut, Scottish Salmon, and a 4-pack of Jack Mac Variety Spices. The spices are perfect for any dish or any side that needs a dash of award-winning flavor. (Note: Chef Jack Mac is a two-time World Food Champion.)
Talk about the City Seafood Social Club
City Seafood is unveiling a members-only club designed for people who love cooking fresh seafood at home. The City Seafood Social Club grants first access to rare catches and seasonal favorites, member-exclusive pricing, and invitations to intimate tastings and chef-led dinners hosted throughout the city. Consider it less a membership and more a standing invitation to be part of something unique in St. Louis’ foodie space.
For more information, visit cityseafoodstl.com
"There are not many other places that bring in whole fish and cut them on-site to order... my guys are cutting somewhere around 4,000 pounds of salmon and 1,000 pounds of halibut a week."
If Mike Vujević is City Seafood’s fishmonger, Brad Burns is the captain in his role as co-owner/operator of City Seafood.