Seafood Spotlight: Eighteen87
Traditional, family-run pub, Eighteen87, have recently been impressing their diners with eye-catching seafood main courses, such as the hake katsu curry and their ‘fish of the day’ seabass dish.
Seabass dish: Seabass - Squid Ink Gnocchi - Crispy Cockles - Butter Crab Sauce
Some of the red mullet available at Suphas was caught from 10m local boat, Rebecca V, which is skippered by local fisherman Dave Cowan.
Hake katsu curry
The seabass and hake served at Eighteen87 were supplied by local fishmongers, Rex Down Wholesale Fish Merchants Ltd, who have been ever present on Plymouth Fish Market since 1971. They boast an experienced team of filleters, ready to prep, pack and present fresh fish to their customer’s requirements.
Rikki Down, director of Rex Down Wholesale Fish Merchants Ltd, obtains the sea bass from local boats that land in Plymouth and catch the fish by rod and line method.
Rod and line are one of the best methods of fishing with regards to sustainability, as this will usually be one person and a rod. Alternatively, rod and line fishing uses a basic winch with a line of hooks. The rod and line fishing method has little impact on the surrounding environment and the catch can be selective.
Rikki buys bass from a variety of Plymouth rod and line vessels such as the Fair Maiden, skippered by Plymouth Fishing & Seafood Association member, Joe Lynch.
The hake was caught by Kelly of Ladram, using static nets and landed in Newlyn. The static netting method involves using nets made from fine monofilaments, which are then rigged to a buoyant upper line and weighted with a lower line. These are then placed in a tier of several joined nets stretched along the seabed and held in place with an anchor at each end.
Picture by Selfish
Static nets are a highly selective means of fishing, which means that under-sized fish are avoided (via use of large mesh in the nets) and by-catch is minimal. Static nets can very occasionally have by-catch of cetaceans but this is prevented via the use of ‘pingers’. These are small acoustic devices that alert dolphin and porpoise to the presence of the net to prevent them being caught. Static nets are also considered ‘low carbon’ because the fuel requirement is low compared to active fishing methods.
Particular care is taken with very delicate hake, and landing fish in prime condition after only a few days at sea is vital for fetching good prices at auction.
The team at Eighteen87 comment ‘our seafood pasta and hake katsu curry are always a hit!
Take a look at our seafood platter below.
Our fish platter - The Fishy One - £20pp - Seared Scallops - Mussels - Hake Goujons - King Prawns - Fishcakes - Olives - Breads - Dips - House Salad (minimum 2 people) (gf*)
Try a fresh seafood dish at Eighteen87 and you will be supporting local business.
The kitchen is open daily for lunch from 12:00 – 14:30 and for dinner, 17:00 – 20:30.
Bookings advised. Call 01752 401801 to reserve your table.