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here’s a hidden treasure tucked into the Canyon Place Plaza, where families can find some of the fresh-est live crab, lobster and fish around. The Beaverton Seafood Market at 3905 S.W. 117th Ave., Suite G, won’t be a secret for much longer.

After opening its doors in January, the market is attracting customers from an array of cultures.

Whether folks pop in after enjoying a meal at the nearby JinWah or Red Robin restaurants or are out for a stroll around the neighborhood, it’s not unusual for their eyes to open wide with excitement when they spot the tanks of live sea crit-ters lining the walls of the market. “When I see people come in, they are so happy,” said owner Ben Chang. It’s Chang who serves as a personal tour guide, pointing out the live conch

and muscles from Canada, oysters and manila clams from Washington, lobster that just arrived from Boston and nearly 1,000 pounds of big crab from the Oregon Coast. As he’s fishing out the tilapia or carefully selecting a crab from one of the tanks for customers, Chang offers a little cooking advice.

“They ask me how to make it, and I will give them some different ideas,” he said.

In addition to the tanks, the market also stocks fresh seafood on ice, including catfish, hamachi, striped bass, bonita and squid.

The market also offers an array of fresh Asian fruits

and vegetables, essentials for a Chinese cooking pantry, sauces, side-dish options, snacks, tea and a selection of poultry from squab to black chicken, duck, stewing hens and brown-range chicken.

This summer, customers will see tanks of seasonal favorites like live shrimp, din cod, rockfish, crawfish and abalone, Chang said after a quick tour of the tanks.

While Chang carefully monitors the water quality and temperature of the tanks, it’s his wife Karen Chan who manages the store and visits with cus-tomers as they enter, shop and make their purchases.

“We’re getting busier,” Chan said. “Our customers say they are so happy that they don’t have to go all the way to Southeast Portland any more. They can get their fish right here at very good prices compared to other stores, and it’s really fresh and clean.”

The Beaverton Seafood Market is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Check out the market’s Facebook page for weekly specials and to find out what’s newly stocked in the fish tanks.