MITCH TONKS OPENS HIS 10TH ROCKFISH SITE IN SALCOMBE

Mitch Tonks opens his 10th Rockfish site in Salcombe and plans for Rockfish expansion. This June, nearly 30 years after opening his first fishmongers in 1996, Mitch Tonks will launch his tenth Rockfish restaurant, connecting the people of Salcombe, South Devon, with responsibly sourced seafood, directly from boat-to-plate. The 90 plus cover restaurant with a seated terrace is nestled in a small alcove on the waterfront of Batson Creek, serving a daily changing menu of seasonal fish and seafood, as it arrives straight from the quayside at Brixham Market, where it’s prepared ready for the first lunch service of the day. 

The first Rockfish restaurant opened in 2009 in Dartmouth, South Devon next to Mitch Tonks’ critically acclaimed The Seahorse restaurant, which has since been handed over to Spearheading the mission to serve UK consumers seafood at peak freshness, and to showcase the world-class produce available at our fingertips, for CEO and Founder Mitch, the tenth site is testament to a truly scalable sustainable model.

On the new opening, Mitch says:

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be opening our tenth Rockfish, and doing it in Salcombe makes it even more special. It’s a place full of coastal character and charm, and it feels like the perfect spot for this next chapter. At Rockfish, we’ve always said tomorrow’s fish are still in the sea – it’s a reminder of how important sustainable fishing is, and how lucky we are to have access to the best seafood right here on our doorstep. In Salcombe, we’ll be working closely with local fishermen landing crab and lobster at the end of the quay – you can’t get much fresher or more local than that. Whether it’s through our waterside restaurants, our range of tinned fish, or our online seafood market, we’re here to champion British seafood and get more people enjoying what’s caught in our own waters.”

Open for lunch and dinner, Salcombe will offer a quintessentially Rockfish spread – a selection of English and Mediterranean-inflected starters; tins of Rockfish seafood, picked and preserved by hand; and centrepiece mains of grilled fish, all offered with various accompaniments of Jalapeño tartare, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Romesco and Curry sauces.

In true Rockfish fashion, the Salcombe menus will be hand annotated by the Rockfish kitchen team, indicating which fish is fresh that day. Fully integrating with the local community, the new restaurant has also forged a special partnership with the craft brewers at Salcombe Brewery, encouraging guests to enjoy their award-winning beers with a coastal meal, or in situ at the brewery just a stone’s throw from the restaurant. Unique to the Salcombe offering, an extensive fine wine list will run alongside, differentiating it from its other Rockfish counterparts.

Inside, the interiors will preserve original wooden joists and house long seating benches for communal dining, all designed by Creative Director Lisa Helmanis of Day Studio. A brand new deck outside the restaurant will accommodate further seating, with breath-taking views of the estuary. Around the open kitchen, hand-painted tiles will decorate the space, punctuated with photographs of the Tonks family.

ROCKFISH LYME REGIS & ROCKFISH SIDMOUTH 

Earlier this year, Rockfish opened a site in Lyme Regis. In keeping with the Rockfish ethos of offering seafood on the waterfront, the restaurant is stationed over Lyme Bay, a popular coastal location steeped in seafood heritage. Taking over Mark Hix’s The Oyster and Fish House in mid-March, the Lyme Regis site formally opened its doors on the 1st April, pioneering an In-store Fishmonger for guests to order Brixham market seafood straight to their homes.

Mitch will open a further site in Sidmouth this October, taking over a hall at Port Royal on Sidmouth seafront. As part of the brand’s longstanding effort to seamlessly integrate with local communities, the new site will preserve the historic significance of Drill Hall, blending with the character of neighbouring buildings on the esplanade, and building on the community’s lively offering that caters for its thriving tourism.

FROM BRIXHAM QUAY TO HOME: THE ONLINE SEAFOOD MARKET

The first of its kind, the Rockfish Online Seafood Market offers conscious consumers and food lovers alike the opportunity to experience Brixham Market fish from the comfort of their own homes, delivered nationwide from the quayside that morning. Removing third party suppliers, the digital market delivers directly from Brixham’s team, ensuring that only seasonal fish is available daily, thereby protecting fishing stocks and guaranteeing the future of the industry. Operating just 17 metres from the waterfront, the Brixham team are in a unique position to operate a short supply chain with zero waste, delivering the very best of that day’s catch straight to your doorstep and freezing surplus seafood on site.

Alongside the daily fresh fish selection, as dictated by the seasons, a vast selection of premium frozen fish is available from affiliated fisheries approved by the Marine Stewardship Council, or from Rockfish’s own stocks when supply outweighs demand. Whether purchasing Prime Dover Sole (trimmed and skinned), Frozen Craster Kippers or tubs of Hand-picked White Spider Crab meat, each item of seafood is fully traceable back to its boat of origin, and available at a competitive price by cutting out the intermediary in the supply chain.

All seafood deliveries arrive in recycled packaging, with an incentive scheme offering customers £5 off their next Rockfish meal if they return the boxes to a restaurant site, or all expenses covered if they arrange a delivery back to HQ. Operating this way, Mitch’s team have built authentic relationships with customers beyond just Devon and Dorset, winning the hearts of consumers at a national level.