Rockfish is a seafood restaurant in Plymouth’s Sutton Harbour. It is one of several Rockfish sites. The company is on a mission to change how we experience seafood. By operating with sustainability at the forefront of everything they do, they’re looking to ensure there’s plenty of seafood to enjoy in the future, balancing this with selecting the freshest catch for its restaurants every day. An expert team selects fish directly from the Rockfish fleet in Brixham. This is then prepared and portioned quayside before being sent to the restaurants. Doing so allows the team to see for themselves what fish will make the best food, with anything not chosen immediately frozen and sustainably packaged.
Rockfish Plymouth overlooks the ocean and is a short walk from the National Marine Aquarium, an institution equally as committed to preserving the state of our seas. With the Mayflower Steps just around the corner, it’s fitting that the restaurant has the look and feel of a New England beach shack, complete with a painted, wooden-slatted front.
Those after the authentic Rockfish experience should order from the market fish list. This is a rundown of the most abundant species in that season, with a member of the team then marking which has been landed in Brixham that morning. The fish or seafood is then chosen cooked to order and served with either Cornish new potatoes, a green salad, or unlimited chips. As well as premium species like dover sole, monkfish, and hake, Rockfish also promotes lesser known but equally tasty fish, such as gurnard, white ling, and brill.
There’s also a year round main menu. Starters on this include Leigh-on-Sea cockles with bread and butter, firecracker prawn cocktail, and monkfish scampi. For mains, there’s the likes of fritto misto (calamari, rockfish, prawns and anchovies served with garlic aioli), grilled Brixham cuttlefish, and large line caught haddock.