Have you ever had fish where it was so covered in sauce you couldn’t taste the fish? Well, Fins Market and Grill (2610 Fair Oaks Blvd.), does not do this. Fins lets the fish speak for itself.

Fins opened its first location in Fair Oaks in 1991; since then, they have won such awards as “Best Fish Market” from Sacramento Magazine for the last five years.

Fins gets its fish from a variety of places around the world such as Alaska, New Zealand, and Hawaii.

When I first walked into Fins, I could tell the fish was fresh because there was no fishy smell that permeates the air at a lot of cookie-cutter seafood restaurants. I later found out that fish is shipped in six days a week to guarantee freshness.

Looking at the walls surrounding me, I was reminded of fish restaurants on Cape Cod I used to eat at as a kid because of the nautical style décor.

When I looked at the menu I noticed the choice of 16 different fish right away. The fish available were: swordfish, halibut, ahi, red snapper, salmon, mahi mahi, sea bass, catfish, opah, ono, escolar, opaka paka, calimari, prawns, lobster, and crab. Out of those fish I thought that the mahi mahi and the ahi were both very good for a mild flavor. Perfect for someone who doesn’t like a strong fish taste.

With the entrees comes the choice of either rice pilaf, vegetables, or Maddie’s Patties, which is the equivalent of a twice baked potato. All are good, but the Maddie’s Patties stood out the most.

There are two choices of clam chowder; one is Manhattan style, which is tomato based, and the other is the more popular New England style, which is cream based.

The Manhattan-style clam chowder is mediocre. Even though I am not a big fan of Manhattan-style clam chowder, I have been to other sea food restaurants where it is a lot better. An unpleasant aftertaste ruined a decent chowder.

Similarly, the New England style chowder is good, but not great. It is a little too thick.

While Fins sticks to simplicity when it comes to fish, they do have a small section on the menu called “Fins Delights”.

From that section I highly recommend the prawn tacos. The taco is made with a flour tortilla, and inside are four juicy, delicious fried prawns. One might worry that this is a Mexican dish, but the cooks at Fins prepare it just right, putting the tacos at Una Mas, (the previous restaurant at this location), to shame.

For those that are not fish aficionados, the “Fins Delights” section contains items such as chicken strips served with french fries and buffalo wings, which are both good. The chicken strips have a great batter, and the buffalo wings have just the right amount of spice, making these both smart choices.

A great dish for lunch at Fins is the swordfish sandwich. The perfect blend of their special sauce and the exquisite fish was a great combination. All of the sandwiches are made with the selection of 16 fish, and are topped with a choice of either sourdough or sourdough wheat walnut bread. The sandwich comes with an excellent side of coleslaw made with light mayo which makes it refreshing.

When the bill came, it was not a shock because the food is fairly priced. The cup of chowder was $3.50, the tacos and fish and chips were $8.95, and the swordfish sandwich was also $8.95. The entrees range from $13.95-$24.95 depending on the fish.