As a youngster growing up in San Diego, Nicholas “Nico” Gibbons fell in love with the ocean. As an adult, Gibbons has celebrated the ocean and its bounty by opening his own business, Nico’s Fish Market, which includes a market and a restaurant. From mahi mahi and jumbo shrimp to white sea bass and tuna, Nico’s Fish Market is based on local fish, caught by local fishermen, celebrating the best of San Diego. “My parents made the ocean a central part of our lives,” said Gibbons, who was born and raised in San Diego. “They wanted me to have a deep appreciation of the ocean here and not take it for granted.” Gibbons said his youth was spent on the water, from surfing and fishing trips to Junior Lifeguards and beach picnics with his family. But his passion for fishing continued to grow. “The juxtaposition of having to be patient, of finding the right spot where the fish are, the waiting — but when the opportunity does come, you have to have the skill and focus to get the fish on the boat — it’s a thrill and that’s what makes it so alluring,” Gibbons said. Even though he grew up “living on the water,” his parents didn’t grow up in a fishing family. So it was up to the youngster to go out with friends who fished or figure out who to get on a fishing boat. His passion for fishing combined with his passion to own a market and restaurant in 2015, when, at age 18, Gibbons began work as a busboy at El Pescador Fish Market in La Jolla. He spent the next three to four years at El Pescador, working in-between semesters spent pursuing his college degree at UCLA. He set goals, all geared towards opening his own fish market and restaurant. “When I was 19, I started a binder and I was always writing in it,” he said. “It was filled with notes and questions and pencil drawings.” Gibbons graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a major in history and double minor in business and film. At El Pescador, he had worked his way up from busboy to in-house fishmonger. After graduation, Gibbons worked at several other well-known Southern California fish markets. During the COVID pandemic, he moved to Mexico City to apprentice under acclaimed chef Federico Rigoletti, co-founder of acclaimed seafood restaurants Contramar and Puntarena. “It was very educational,” Gibbons said. “In the lab, it was about the quality and freshness of the fish. On the cuisine side, it was complimenting the freshness of the fish.” After four months in Mexico City, Gibbons returned to San Diego, where he worked at Hawaiian Fresh Seafood for a year, grading tuna quality, as well as delivering the freshest seafood available to restaurants all over San Diego. “I had always been on the buyer’s side before, so I was able to learn a lot about the wholesale side and about grading, especially grading tuna,” he said. Gibbons’ next step toward his dream business was teaming up with some fishing buddy friends to open pop-up restaurants across San Diego. “We would fish all week on the boat, and then sell our catch over the weekend,” he said. “We would set up at a farmers market or bar or cafe, take the fresh catch right off the boat, set up a table and mobile grill from the truck, and prepare the catch.” Instead of a menu, Gibbons often made drawings to give customers an idea of what fish would be used for the meals. “We’re so thankful we were able to do that, and for the places that allowed us to have our pop-ups, because it let people see our product and is responsible for the following we have,” he said. Gibbons opened Nico’s late last year and has already won the “Best New Business” award from Discover PB. The winner was chosen based on votes cast by Pacific Beach community members. Whether customers are purchasing fish to take home and prepare, or picking out fillets for a meal at the restaurant, “what you see is what you are going to eat,” Gibbons said. The energy starts at the fish display cases, where pristine rows of local seafood, fresh from the local waters and caught by local fishing boats, are showcased. “You don’t have to be a fish savant to look inside the case and know our fish is fresh,” Gibbons said. “And more than half our team are also fishermen, so they can answer questions about the product as well.” The menu changes regularly based on the day’s catch. Once diners determine what they want to eat, the seafood is cut to order and prepared. Gibbons counts on his back of house team to cook the restaurant meals, all from his own recipes and made from scratch. The ever-changing menu includes starters and main dishes, all prepared in house, ranging from poke to sandwiches, tacos and plates. The seafood is prepared simply and allowed to shine. Some starters include ceviche and chips, oyster on the half-shell and an oyster shot. The poke ‘n chips starter is described as “just cut, just mixed tuna poke with a side of chips and Lily sauce.” The poke bowl main dish is likewise “just cut, just mixed tuna poke, with white rice, seaweed salad, crunchy chili garlic, sliced radish, sesame seeds and Lily sauce.” Poke lovers have even more options, with poke burritos and tacos, and an ahi tuna poke plate on the menu. The “today’s catch” dishes are based on “what we catch on our boat,” according to the menu, and include a sandwich served on a bolillo roll, with lettuce, tomato, green and red onion, house-made tartar sauce and isle sauce, and a plate served with white rice, pico de gallo, pickled onion, avocado, sliced radish and Lily sauce. The “today’s catch” dishes are rounded out with a taco served with cheese, pico de gallo, pickled onion, avocado and Lily sauce and a burrito served with white rice, pico de gallo, black beans, avocado, lettuce and Lily sauce. Two dishes bear Gibbon’s name. The Nico burrito is filled with panko-crusted rockfish, served with white rice, pico de gallo, black beans, avocado, lettuce and Lily sauce; while the Nico plate similarly serves panko-crusted rockfish with white rice, pico de gallo, pickled onion, avocado, sliced radish and Lily sauce. Chips, salads and drinks round out the menu. Nico’s also does catering for families, parties and other special events. Gibbons said his future goal is to return to his first love — getting back on his boat and fishing for the day’s catch himself. “I enjoy everything San Diego has to offer — we have the best fishing, the best surf, the best weather and more. What else can I do to enjoy it? That was my plan all along — go fish and do what I really love,” he said. Find the recipe for Nico’s Fish Market’s Lemon garlic butter marinade that pairs well with any fresh fish below.
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