Superb Bay of Fundy Salmon at the Roadhouse

Thanks to the folks at Foley Fish for this superfine salmon

It’s one of the rarely talked about realities of the restaurant world. Though few know it, there are BIG differences in the quality—read flavor and texture—of farm-raised salmon. And since, to be clear, there are no wild-caught Atlantic salmon on American restaurant menus right now, that means that there are very significant differences in quality between two items that are each listed on the menu of their respective restaurants simply as “salmon.”

Needless to say, knowing that reality really well, we’ve been determinedly buying fish from the Foley family to broil, grill, and sauté at the Roadhouse every week since we first opened the restaurant’s doors back in September 2003. Then, and now, Foley Fish has been one of the best of the best. As Michael Foley, the grandson of the founder, writes in his history of his family and their now 119-year-old fish business, Swimming Upstream, “We have always had an absolute standard quality, not a relative one. ‘Best available’ or ‘good enough’ have never been good enough.”

Today, the Foley folks are still just as diligent about the quality of their fish, and they’re also at the forefront of promoting sustainability in the seafood world. Foley is as picky about who they sell to as what they sell; I feel honored to be one of their accounts. As Frank Foley, Michael’s dad, who I met many years ago on a visit to Boston, said, “Foley’s gimmick is quality. … Quality comes before everything. It’s the reason why profit is always the bottom line of a profit and loss statement—it comes after quality.”

The Bay of Fundy itself is an amazing place. Off the east coast of Canada, tucked into the Canadian Maritimes between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the east coast of Maine, it was recently named one of the “Seven Wonders of North America.” Its remarkable tidal range of about 50 feet is the highest in the world—the average is just over three! Better water movement in the Bay most definitely makes for healthier farmed salmon.

What makes this particular Bay of Fundy fish so good?

1. Time out of the water—the Bay of Fundy salmon gets to Foley’s within 30 hours, and to the Roadhouse the following day! (Most salmon, often coming from Chile, Norway, or New Zealand, is 48-130 hours old before it even gets to the distributor, let alone the restaurant.)
2. The quality of the feed—For Foley’s Bay of Fundy salmon, no chemicals are used, and wild herring is added to boost both flavor and fat content, making for a more tender texture.
3. The fish are farmed at 20 to 30 percent less density, meaning there’s more room to move, better muscle development, and ultimately, better flavor.
4. A century of good work by the folks at Foley’s, who say, “We have been working with this product and farm for decades, they know our quality standards. … We expect the best, and if any of the fish is below our quality checks, we simply send it back.”

At the Roadhouse, we buy whole, 12- to 15-pound salmon, and butcher them regularly in the back kitchen. Because it’s been on the menu for so long, I have, I confess, taken the Bay of Fundy salmon a bit for granted, but I tasted some the other day and was reminded just how darned good it is. One piece had the Roadhouse’s Blackening Spice on it, the other was made with the compellingly aromatic Spicy Coffee Spice Rub! Both were outstanding—the contrast of the spices with the delicate richness of the fish was a beautiful combo.

Swing by the Roadhouse soon and order some of the Bay of Fundy salmon. Great for lunch or dinner, or added to a green salad or those terrific Smothered Grits, it will likely brighten your day in a big way. I know it did mine!

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