Seafood in Quito (Especially Shrimp)

My Spanish instructor is in Quito and we talk over Skype. I'll ask her tomorrow when we meet. Anything else you want me to ask? We talk about everything and I'm always looking for new topics.

Hi and thanks. I would like to know if really fresh shrimp is available. I know Supermaxi sells it for a reasonable price but don't know how fresh it is. Not really a big deal so please don't put your teacher to any great effort. Thanks.

It's not a problem at all.  I just spoke to her. She said freshest seafood and shrimp you're going to find is in Mercado San Roque. She said it's a large market in the historic district where a lot of the stores actually go to buy their food and other items wholesale, though you can go there as an individual also. However, she advised that you bring a local with you, as the area and market itself is more for the locals and not in the safest neighborhood.

She also mentioned Mercado Santa Clara and Mercado Central. She said those are in safer areas, but perhaps not as fresh. For any of the mentioned markets, when pressed for exactly how fresh, she said that those markets are pretty good, and the best options in Quito, but the only truly fresh seafood is going to be near the coast.