Sustainable Seafood in Short Order
Roadhouse regulars who are fresh fish fanatics are likely familiar with Foley Fish —we’ve been serving seafood from the Foley family since we first opened the restaurant’s doors back in 2003! If you aren’t yet in the know, the Massachusetts-based Foley folks are focused on freshness and quality. It’s why they’ve been in business for so long (they’ve been at it for well over a century!) and have remained one of the country’s best seafood houses ever since. We appreciate Foley Fish’s unwavering commitment to freshness, sustainability, and getting their customers the best of the best. We know we’re on to something because we regularly get positive feedback from customers like you about just how great Foley’s fish is, so we’re excited to introduce them to future Foley fans:
An O-fish-ally Great Company
Local Connections
Founded by Michael Francis Foley, the company’s legacy continues under the fourth generation, Laura Foley Ramsden, and her husband Peter. Laura and Peter both went to school here in Ann Arbor and were regular Zingerman’s customers during that time, but that’s not Foley’s only connection with Ann Arbor. As Zingerman’s Co-Founder Ari Weinzweig has shared,
Paul (Saginaw, my co-founding partner) has been working with Foley’s since his days as kitchen manager at the Real Seafood Company in the 1970s. It’s a relationship he built and enhanced even further when he partnered with Mike Monahan to start Monahan’s Seafood in Kerrytown in 1979.
Fresh Fish is Foley’s Forte
Foley’s works in reverse from the way other seafood houses do. Instead of going to the dock, buying a supply of whatever catches their eye, and then hoping to sell it, Foley’s does the opposite. Getting an order from us is what prompts them to go out and buy the seafood. They only ship directly (as opposed to other fish houses, where the fish might make multiple stops on its way from the water to your table) so they can make sure the product is always at the very highest level of quality. So the Bay of Fundy Salmon on our menu was still in the ocean four days before delivery! Our Account Manager at Foley, Rob Romeo adds: “Unlike Chilean Salmon that is being driven up from Florida, or put in a deep freeze for days, our salmon is fresh the whole time. It gets packed in custom tins that naturally conduct cold with 12˚ flake ice to maximize freshness.”
Safety & Sustainability-Minded
Foley pioneered many of the practices that have become industry standards for the safe handling of seafood, before there even were government regulations for food processing. From the very beginning, Michael Francis envisioned Foley’s being by far the cleanest fish market in Boston. The Foley’s team shares:
He had his staff hose everything down and clean every hour to maintain standards and developed a way to double wrap the fish in more costly papers (instead of newsprint) to protect customers’ clothes on their way home.
They’re just as thoughtful to this day, not only in terms of how they source fish and their safety standards but also in terms of sustainability and how they manage their facilities. They’re on the Groundfish Advisory Panel for New England, through which they’ve been active participants in setting policy for conservation, and they’re always looking for ways to reduce their environmental footprint and be responsible global citizens.
Fin-tastic Foley’s Fare
The majority of our fresh fish at the Roadhouse comes from Foley’s (with the exceptions of fresh Great Lakes whitefish that comes in a couple times a week from Lake Superior and our trout from southeast Michigan). So you’ll regularly find all of the below items on our menu, but you’re likely to find other favorites seasonally, like redfish, bluefish, and soft shell crab (you thought we were going to end with one fish, two fish, didn’t you?).
Sea Scallops
It’s not often talked about, but most commercially available scallops are chemically treated to help them retain moisture. We like ours sans a dose of chemicals, so we only offer what’s known as “dry-pack” scallops, meaning they’re never treated with additives or preservatives. If you’re used to the former, once you try the latter, you’ll find the difference is drastic! As Ari has shared, “Nearly every night someone will comment on how much better they taste than scallops they’ve experienced elsewhere. In part, this is a tribute to the skills of the sauté cooks on the line. But it’s probably just as much about the quality of the scallops we buy…” Read more from Ari about these superior scallops.
Bay of Fundy Salmon
Foley offers a variety of types of salmon, the Bay of Fundy salmon is their favorite though, and ours, too. As they say, it’s “the ultimate balance of flavor and texture with hours out of the water freshness and a very, very low carbon footprint.” We buy whole, 12- to 15-pound salmon—Foley gets the fish 10 hours out of the water and they arrive at the Roadhouse in just a coupe of days! Keep it simple and enjoy it broiled with salt and pepper or try it blackened, of the latter Ari says, “the contrast of the spices with the delicate richness of the fish is a beautiful combo. Read more about the Bay of Fundy (named one of the “Seven Wonders of North America”) and why salmon from the region is so darn good.
Creole Potlikker Fish Stew
We simmer mussels, scallops, and fresh fish from Foley in potlikker (the broth is left over from cooking collard greens with ham hocks and bacon), and then ladle it over bacon-braised greens and Anson Mills’ grits. Long-time Roadhouse manager Marcy Harris raves, “The greens and grits soak up all that goodness, so you are scooping up the broth with every bite at the bottom of the bowl. All in all, a simple dish, yet it’s really tasty and filling.” Read more from Marcy about the history of potlikker and why she loves this dish.
Oysters
The varieties of oysters you’ll find on our menu can vary from visit to visit because Foley only offers each of their oyster varietals when they’re at their peak. Depending on when you’re in, you’ll likely see some combination of East Coast, West Coast, Apalachicola, Westcott Bay Flat (the European oysters raised in American waters), Kumamoto, and Olympia oysters. Some are more mild and delicate, others are saltier and brinier, but they’re always plump, meaty, and representative of their ecosystem. Our servers would be happy to walk you through the flavor profiles of the day’s selections to help you choose. (Read Ari’s guide to oysters for more on the five main types, and the two other factors that really impact their flavor.) Claire S. started eating oysters at the Roadhouse when she was 7 years old, a few years later she shared,
Some people might think it’s strange that a ten-year-old kid like me likes oysters, but it’s true, they are one of my favorite foods. I think each oyster is different in one way or another. Some are thin and sour, yet others are meaty and salty. But they all have one thing in common. They are all delicious!
Ready for a great catch of your own? Read more about our passion for sourcing superior seafood, check out our menus, and make a reservation to come see us soon!