Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

Jake Pose loves fishing. Time spent on a boat bobbing in Alabama’s coastal waters both calms and invigorates him.

“I enjoy being able to shut off everything except the task at hand,” he says. “And also, the gamble of it. You’re going to have tough days, but every once in a while, you catch something giant or see something amazing out there.”

Jake also loves eating fresh fish, both the fish he catches himself and those brought in by other anglers. Those two passions led him and his fishing buddy, Dustin Bedgood, to open Fairhope Fish House seafood market in 2021.

The two met on the water, where they frequently headed offshore to fish for swordfish.

“I’d always see him out there, and there usually weren’t many other people fishing for swordfish,” Jake says. “Eventually, we started fishing together.”

The idea for Fairhope Fish House grew from conversations about living in an area surrounded by fresh seafood but having limited access to it.

“We decided we wanted to bring fresh, local fish here and keep it here,” Jake says.

Much of the fish caught by commercial fishermen along Alabama’s coast quickly leaves the state. Shipping Gulf seafood north, sometimes as far as Canada, is a necessary business decision for many fishermen.

“They can put it on a truck and send it up there and make more money,” Jake says.

Jake and Dustin decided to address the gap they had identified. Initially, the two fished when they could, usually one day a week, then opened Fairhope Fish House’s small retail space to sell their fresh catches. The fish are known as “dayboat” fish because they are caught and brought back to shore within 24 hours.

Last year, the market established a more consistent retail schedule, offering a variety of fish along with some crab and shellfish. Snapper, grouper, tuna and swordfish are among the species the market tries to keep in rotation.

“They’re the best sellers down here,” Jake says. “But we like to have triggerfish and other types, too, and, when we can get it, tripletail.”

Customers can check the market’s website or sign up for its fresh fish email list to learn what has recently come off the boat.

Today, Fairhope Fish House works with other Alabama fishermen to keep its coolers stocked.

“We have about 10 Alabama fishermen we buy from,” Jake says. “But again, it sometimes makes better financial sense for them to ship their fish elsewhere.”

Working with other fishermen has also helped the market supply Alabama restaurants, including Hummingbird Way. Chef and owner Jim Smith sources seafood from Fairhope Fish House almost weekly.

Purchasing fish from other fishermen has helped fill the gap while Jake and Dustin await permits for their new boat. Once they return to the water, they plan to continue supplementing their catches with seafood purchased from other local fishermen.

“We want to support them and keep some of their fish here,” Jake says.

Fairhope Fish House’s newest addition is taking its fresh seafood philosophy on the road. The Fairhope Fish House Food Trailer visits farmers markets and breweries, travels to local festivals and events, and is available for private-event catering.

“With the food trailer, we skip the middleman and go directly from the boat to people’s plates,” Jake says.

The business hired a chef to develop a menu of lighter, flavorful dishes featuring freshly caught seafood. The goal is to serve fresh seafood prepared with health-conscious options in mind.

“We want to serve the freshest seafood and have it be healthier, too,” Jake says.

Recent menu options include grilled swordfish or blackened redfish tacos topped with smoked pineapple salsa, citrus slaw, lime crema and cotija cheese.

Plans for 2027 include expanding the food trailer’s activities while continuing retail sales and supplying select restaurants.

“But we’re going to be more selective with the restaurants, because we’ll use a lot of our fish for our food trailer,” Jake says.

Although the food trailer represents an exciting new chapter for the business, Jake acknowledges that competition, slim profit margins and other challenges make the seafood industry difficult to navigate.

“What we’re doing — it’s so challenging,” he says.

Still, he remains optimistic about the future.

“We’re kinda out of the way, but people who want great fish, they keep finding us and keep coming,” he says. “And we’ve already had pretty good interest in catering gigs for the food trailer.”

Jake speaks with enthusiasm about why fresh, Alabama-caught seafood matters.

“It’s important if you want the best-tasting fish because there just is no comparison when you can get fresh fish, especially dayboat fish. It’s night and day different,” he says. “But it also keeps more money here, which helps build up our community. Caring about that is key, too.”