Last week, Chef Chester Gerl and owner Dan Bugge of Matt’s in the Market invited a group of us to taste a fish menu they’ve put together for the James Beard dinner in November. We started with shirasu with Nora chilies, garlic, and herbs on grilled bread. Shirasu are tiny whole sardines, about 1-2 months in age. One of my tablemates who has eaten plenty of shirasu in Japan remarked that this was the first time he’s had it cooked. I’ve grown up with shirasu–it is literally translated as “white rice fish” in Cantonese, and my mom cooked it often with eggs. The flavor is very mild, and the fish becomes more of a textural component. It is often served as a midnight snack with congee and the long, puffed Chinese donuts (yu tiao). This dish was probably the subject of most of our conversation that night–one of my tablemates thought it was the strongest dish of the evening, while others (like my tablemate who was more accustomed to having it served raw) thought the preparation didn’t do the subtle flavor of the fish justice.

This second course–whole, head-on baby octopus, with salsa verde, Olsen Farms patatas bravas–was my favorite course of the evening. The octopus was incredibly tender, and lightly charred on the grill. I snuck a peek at Matt’s regular menu, and found a similar dish (baby octopus with romesco) on the menu for $12, if you want to give it a try!

I neglected to take a photo of the third course of the evening–probably due to the generous pours of wine (a 1989 Spanish white, R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Condonia). For the wine enthusiasts who want to know more about this wine–I’m no expert, but I did scribble down in my notes that the wine had a petrol nose and a slightly acrid finish. I thought the wine was better alone than paired with the shirasu. The third course was a whole, head-on Jack mackerel dish with saffron calasparra, grilled lemon, and pickled fennel. This was my second favorite dish of the evening. One of my tablemates thought the pickled fennel was too acidic, but I thought the acidity level was perfect when eaten with the oily fish.

The fourth course was received with a gasp from the dining room–yes, we got one whole roasted pink snapper per person. On the bottom, Manilla clams, shell stock, Castelvetrano olives (my favorite olives in the world!), capers, cherry tomatoes, and herbs. Though the fish was very fresh, the dark shell stock stole the show. I drained every last morsel of stock from my plate. The wine pairing was a 1999 Tempranillo/grenache blend from the same wine maker. Very barnyard-y, and very delicious.

The dessert course was a local strawberry soup with sour cream ice-cream, basil, and Champagne gummy fish. The gummy fish was set with too much gelatin, but the dessert was very refreshing. We all loved the ice-cream and wish there was more of it on the plate! 

Much thanks to Suzuki Chou, and to Matt’s in the Market for inviting me to such a lovely event. My husband and I dine at Matt’s often for lunch (they make the best fried catfish sandwich and pork sandwich with spicy mayo) but we rarely make it out to dinner there. This was a wonderful opportunity to get to know the restaurant better, and I wish the talented team there the best of luck at the James Beard dinner in November!

Matt’s in the Market

94 Pike Street No. 32

206.567.7909