Modern, California-based fast casual seafood restaurant chain Slapfish has renewed its partnership with sustainable seafood provider Sea to Table to bring more responsibly-sourced, high-quality dishes to its hungry clientele. Reflecting some of the ideals celebrated within its continued collaboration with Sea to Table, Slapfish is introducing three new, wild, domestic species to its menu, all of which can be fully traced to the point of landing.
The new species additions will allow consumers to “diversify their dining choices, incorporating underutilized, well-managed seafood sent directly from the dock to their plates,” the restaurant explained. Wild Chesapeake blue catfish, Acadian redfish and Pacific Dover sole are among the Slapfish menu’s newcomers, and are shipped either non-frozen to Slapfish locations overnight directly from the docks where fishermen unload their catch, or processed and frozen to order, without the touch of hormones, GMOs or antibiotics.
“Whether freshly caught or frozen, guests have the peace of mind knowing where their seafood comes from,” Slapfish explained in a news release.
The Wild Chesapeake blue catfish is landed in Suffolk, Virginia and Crisfield, Maryland, and is considered to be the best sustainable alternative for imported farmed catfish. Meanwhile, the Acadian redfish catch hails from the Gulf of Maine, with landings hauled in on the docks of New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the Pacific dover sole is acquired in Astoria, Oregon, and Bellingham, Washington. Both of the latter fish are sustainable alternatives to farmed, imported tilapia.
“There is a bounty of high quality, well-managed seafood right off our own coastline - arguably the best seafood in the world, yet only a small percentage of it ends up on our plates,” said Andrew Gruel, the chef founder and CEO of Slapfish. “We’re working to change this statistic, in collaboration with Sea to Table, raising awareness of responsible seafood practices. Our menu is developed around the model of ‘choose the dish, not the fish’, and through this partnership, we’re able to diversify our offerings and and introduce guests to lesser-known fish, while offering the highest quality seafood.”
“Our mission is to create a new gold-standard for seafood, and we do this by partnering with top chefs including Chef Gruel,” added Sean Dimin, co-founder of Sea to Table. “By delivering our domestic, wild-caught, traceable seafood directly to Slapfish restaurants, guests enjoy the highest quality seafood year-round.”
Slapfish, which was founded by Gruel back in 2011, plans to open 75 locations by 2020. The chain’s menu typically features a seasonally-rotating set of dishes with a daily changing seafood board. Customers are encouraged to build their own bowls, salads, sandwiches and tacos with the expansive seafood selection offered at Slapfish locations.
