It’s Always a Fresh Catch at Fish Shop
Words Abby L. Johnson | Photos Baptiste Despois
For Austinites craving a coastal catch of the day without the travel, Fish Shop offers the closest alternative by putting airfare requirements on the fish.
For much of the seasonal fish selection at this eatery, the journey from ocean to Lone Star State to plate begins on the West Coast about two days prior to consumption. Things of the scaled and slippery variety are plucked from briny waters and flown cargo via Southwest Airlines. The goods, coveted for their freshness, are eagerly awaited by the culinary team. “It’s usually just a day or two from ocean dock to cargo bay pickup,” says Chef Justin, adding with delight, “There’s some squid that I get that’s still in rigor mortis.”
Chef Justin Huffman and Nicole Rossi are the husband-and-wife team behind East 6th Street addition, Fish Shop, a neighborhood-focused seafood diner that opened in late July.
The former Justine Brasserie chef says that the primary goal he and service industry veteran, Nicole, had in curating Fish Shop’s atmosphere was to create a place where patrons and their team could connect. The space is well-suited to this end. The restaurant is small with its open kitchen and cozy quarters, meaning guests and staff rub elbows as fresh fare is dished out.
Justin cut his teeth at Uchi and brings that exacting expertise with him to this looser concept, rooted in American coastal traditions. “I’m excited for anything that Justin’s making, really. He’s a wonderful cook. Thinking of all the spiny lobsters and the uni that he gets in…He just has a delicate hand and knows how to let the [food] really shine through,” Nicole beams.
Conservas and crudos abound for the adventurous eaters. The Filet o’ Fish Shop sandwich, though, is perhaps the most approachable, comforting, and sought-after dish despite not being on the printed menu. This secret menu item is available all the time for those who know to ask. Justin, a product of an Irish Catholic family, was inspired to recreate this guilty pleasure by the Friday night Lent tradition of stopping at McDonald’s for the secretly beloved fast-food staple. “I [decided] I wanted to make a really good one that I’m super proud to eat,” he admits. Everything but the American cheese is made in-house, from top bun to bottom bun.
While the seafood plays the starlet, Texas produce is the ever-rotating ensemble that sells the show. Justin enjoys the challenges that come along with short seasons. “Respecting those ingredients and appreciating what Texas has to offer as far as produce, and what the sea has to offer for its seasonality… combining those two things into one and having something be very ingredient-forward, focused and simple is what we’re after,” he explains.
The Le Beef Burger is Here to Stay! Fans of Nicole and Justin’s preceding pop-up project, Le Beef Burger, can finally get their fix of the famed burger seven days a week as a permanent staple on Fish Shop’s menu.
It’s the personal touches that make this new addition a truly neighborhood-oriented spot. Fish Shop brings nostalgia and whimsy alongside fresh delicacies, making for an experience that is already turning first time patrons into returning regulars.
