It may sound cliché, but Japanese people really do love their fish. If Japan has the best and freshest fish in the world, then Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market is where you're most likely to find them. It's the home of Japan's biggest daily fish auction, and it's a place of fierce competition between fish merchants that have been in the business for generations. Based on a comic series, The Taste of Fish follows businessman Shuntaro, who has a successful career in a trading company and is in a steady relationship with girlfriend Asuka. One day, Shuntaro has to help out at the fish wholesaler store run by Asuka's father, and he immediately falls in love with the world of Tsukiji Fish Market. Soon, Shuntaro quits his job and devotes all of his time to running the business while learning about the market's fascinating set of long-standing traditions. However, he must first also learn to distinguish the tastes of different fishes before he can survive in the competitive world of Tsukiji.

一流企業に勤める旬太郎（大沢たかお）は、大がかりなリストラの陣頭指揮を任される。やり場のない気持ちに悩んでいた彼は、ひょんなことから恋人の実家の家業である築地市場の仲卸業を手伝うことになる。魚河岸独特のルールや人間関係に悪戦苦闘する中、サラリーマン生活に疑問を感じはじめた彼は、会社を辞めることを決意する。