Fast-changing menu keeps things fresh at St. Clair West’s new seafood restaurant, Catch
By Meri Perra
House-smoked salmon at Catch (all images by Meri Perra)
Last fall, we told you about Catch, an upcoming seafood restaurant set up by The Rushton’s Frank Pronesti. Now the wait is over. Just a stone’s throw from The Rushton, Catch is open for dinners (from 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday), and brings a regularly-changing, seafood-heavy menu. And most items are under $20.
“The menu is designed with smaller, more affordable items,” chef Nigel Finley says. “Some people may want to order eight to 10 smaller items.”
Finley, who spent time at The Rushton and Bloom and apprenticed with Michael Stadtländer at Eigensinn Farm, says the changing menu keeps the restaurant interesting for both staff and customers.
“We have short attention spans,” he says. “By the time [an item] comes on the menu, we’re bored with it.”
John Bill, Catch's manager, is a P.E.I. native and says he uses his Maritime connections and 20 years of experience in the business to find suppliers. “The fish is caught to order,” he says, and points out that it usually hits the plate within 24 hours of being plucked from the water.
Much of the menu is also Ocean Wise certified. Catch gets its halibut from a small sustainable fishery in P.E.I.; its sea bream and artic char come from Nova Scotia’s Sustainable Blue fish farm.
But it's the oysters that Bill is particularly proud of. Being a three-time Canadian champion shucker, he knows what makes a good plate. “Our oysters are pretty exceptional because we know what we’re doing,” he says.
The house-smoked salmon ($16) is cured with a mixture that includes sugar, salt and orange, and is then cold smoked for six to eight hours. It’s served with a side salad of baby beets, French beans and grapefruit, and tossed in dill and vermouth vinaigrette.
“The grapefruit adds an acidic element,” Finley says. “It contrasts with the saltiness of the salmon.”
The clams ($16) are brought in daily and steamed with white wine and a fish fumet (a stock made from halibut bones). They come with pieces of slow-roasted pork belly, tomatoes and herbs.
“It’s very simple, and all about highlighting the flavour of the clam,” Finley says.
While Catch's focus is undeniably on seafood, the menu also features non-fishy options and, this week, the restaurant will be bringing in Ontario venison. “We don’t want to ostracize anybody,” says Bill.
Catch, 744 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-658-0568
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