For the past couple of weeks I have had the ill-fortune of being stuck at home on most days hopped up on pain-killers to relieve some pretty gnarly back pains. While on most nights I am able to maneuver around my kitchen to prepare meals for myself (with the help of my personal dish-washer and boyfriend extraodrinare), I am still at the point where I am somewhat miserable and have no interest in doing anything whatsoever, which makes it easy for me to have such an intense deep-fried craving for comfort food.

When we were in Los Angeles last week, I took said boyfriend to the Third Street Farmer’s Market; our legendary permanent Farmer’s Market in the heart of the Fairfax District. Upon stepping foot inside the old, cozy open air market, enclosed by a courtyard, the various sights and smells overwhelmed me and caused me to walk around and around trying to settle on what delicious culinary fare would become my lunch. I had missed being able to get fresh local produce seven days a week, so I made my rounds through the fresh goods first before embarking upon the outdoor maze that was the food court. Sushi? Pizza? Corned beef sandwiches? The beautiful thing about coming to this place for lunch are the endless opportunities. Whether you feel like good ole’ fashioned barbecue or something more exotic such as an alligator po’boy; even the most indecisive of people have the chance to find something to their liking.

On this particular visit however, I skipped the freshly made falafel at Moishes and the homemade ice cream at Bennette’s and opted for some comforting fried seafood over at Tusquellas Sea Foods. Tusquellas takes up two locations within the Farmer’s Market. The first, a fresh market where you can get a plethora of fine, fresh fish and shellfish. The second is their restaurant.  Not in the mood for crispy batter? No sweat. Tusquellas also offers a variety of shrimp salads, tostadas, and cocktails.

Pictured above: Tusquellas Large Seafood Combination ($15). Includes: Clam strips, sea scallops, oysters, jumbo shrimp, Atlantic cod, and Wild Pacific Halibut, as well as two sides (we opted for two sides of fries and onion rings to share). Note: While most people love cod in their fish and chips, I prefer the halibut for its more meaty and firm consistency as well as for a deeper depth of flavor in the actual fish.

Always satisfying and never “too much”  while Tusquellas definitely does fish and chips wonderfully, there still isn’t anything like the fare over at Ye Olde King’s Head Pub in Santa Monica, CA.