The Catch, Plymouth
Recently, my partner and I went for a spectacular meal in Plymouth – at The Catch. It’s a fantastic spot that highlights the great fish and seafood that’s been caught in the area for generations.
We love eating seafood. So often, we find that it’s one of the brighter, more flavoursome offerings on a menu, and we were thrilled by the selection when we sat to eat.
The situation in The Catch is a simple one, though one we weren’t quite expecting – you order for the table, and share between you. With that in mind, my husband and I ordered the crab bombs and focaccia, along with the prawns, haddock arancini with new potatoes, and scallops.
The crab bombs were seriously impressive! They were rich and well-spiced, without being too overpowering or particularly strong in any way.
The focaccia was spectacular, too! Focaccia is something that’s seen somewhat of a boost in recent years, with everyone in their homes taking up their mixing bowls to have a go at their own bakes. With that in mind, we were expecting something pretty great, but it wasn’t until we tasted it that we were astonished by it. Often, a bread course during a meal is simply something to fill a little time before your main arrives, but the freshness, aroma, and flavour of the bread were second-to-none. While it wasn’t the highlight of the meal, it was something that we’d definitely go back for again!
Speaking of highlights, the prawns were something else entirely – an utter revelation in terms of flavour and richness, we’d never eaten anything like them! Prawns themselves can often be a little flavourless when they’re on their own, but these wonderful prawns had been cooked in a delightful mixture of herbs and spices that tasted totally like a party in your mouth!
The recipe is a secret creation from the chef. They’re a spectacular chef, and eating their food was a delight. It’s clear that the inspiration for the menu as a whole is a love of great, fresh seafood. Every bite was well-balanced to make sure that we could taste the seafood perfectly, along with every seasoning that had been used.
I have absolutely no idea what the chef did to those prawns, but they’re the best I’ve ever had! If you’re on the fence about The Catch, it’s worth going just for the prawns. Be warned, though – you’ll stay for so much more!
The last thing that we tucked into on our spread was haddock arancini, with new potatoes and scallops. These were wonderful, too! Arancini, in my experience, can be a tricky thing to get right, since you’re deep-frying rice, essentially. Before now, I’ve certainly had my fair share of heavy, disappointing arancini – these were not that!
The flavour of the fresh-that-day haddock came through impeccably well, and with the rice being as creamy and rich as it was around the fish, it was a seafood lover’s delight. The outer shell was crispy and delightful, which only served to boost the creamy, rich, and soft rice centre.
The scallops were truly something to behold, as well. They’re something that we don’t have too often, but the flavour of a really great pan-seared scallop is something I keep going back for. They were perfectly cooked and wonderfully prepared – we could have had another portion after the first. Even as I’m writing this now, I could go for some more scallops!
The Catch is a really fantastic spot to visit, whether you love seafood or not. Rest assured, though, if you don’t like seafood going in, you’ll love it by the time you come out!
Next time we visit, and there will definitely be a next time, we’ll be sure to order more of the prawns. While my husband and I are always happy to share food, we both agree that having a plate of those to ourselves would be amazingly delicious and indulgent.
Check out The Catch on Instagram http://instagram.com/thecatchplymouth
If you’d like to talk about a #paidpartnership review for your business the contact us here https://culinarycamera.co.uk/contact/