Brought to you by Wheelhouse Fish Co. its wild-caught Alaskan seafood at the Urban Eats food hall at 3301 Meramec St. in Dutchtown in February. The seafood specialist will serve a selection of ready-to-eat fish and shellfish dishes, in addition to raw seafood for home cooking.
Until now, Wheelhouse Fish Co. has sold its products at farmers markets for customers to cook at home, as first reported by St. Louis Magazine. However, the Urban Eats space will allow the owner of Wheelhouse Fish Co. that Shalie Dahl Moore has expanded to serve seafood dishes and snacks for takeout or to eat in the dining area at Urban Eats.
Dahl Moore says he can guarantee the freshness of Wheelhouse’s products – he spends about five months of the year catching seafood in Alaska’s coastal waters. Dahl Moore grew up around the fishing communities of southeast Alaska and learned to fish with his father and other family members and friends. “Most of the fish we sell is caught by myself, my wife and our family on our fishing boat,” said Dahl Moore. Those items include frozen-at-sea spot prawns, sockeye salmon, coho salmon and halibut.
Some things are also taken from other fishermen but, as Dahl Moore said, each supplier is someone he trusts completely. “Every single piece of fish I’ve sold so far and plan to sell in the future comes from someone I know very well,” he said. “It’s very traceable to the boat, which I think is important.”
Dahl Moore, who moved to St. Louis so that her husband could enroll at a local college, said the move to Urban Eats was an important part of her vision for Wheelhouse, which she describes as a “seafood marketing company.” “I like to explain it as a product and an experience,” he says. “The experience I’m trying to provide is everything from food delivery with those things, eventually it could be a cooking class or a wine pairing event, or the social media showing behind the scenes content. of what it’s like when we’re out fishing. Just giving people an experience beyond just buying a piece of salmon.”
The menu will be divided into three sections: bites, bowls and plates. Wheelhouse’s signature salmon bowl features pan-seared teriyaki-marinated salmon served on a bed of rice and accompanied by cabbage slaw, avocado, cucumber, toasted panko, green onion and sriracha aioli. A rock fish taco bowl comes with rice, a roasted tomatillo salsa, a cilantro-lime crema, radish, avocado and cabbage slaw. The “bites” selection includes shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon dip, and a tinned fish board. Dahl Moore said the “plates” section of the menu will offer fish and chips, salmon skewers, salmon burgers, white fish sandwiches and more. “We’ll probably start with a pared-down menu, just a few of those offerings, and then expand as we grow,” he said.
Dahl Moore developed the recipe for the teriyaki salmon bowl on a fishing expedition on his family’s boat. “I’m the cook on our fishing boat – I have been since I was 13 or 14 years old,” he said. “It’s a cool way to use the salmon we catch and it’s been a huge hit.”
Initially, the Wheelhouse Fish Co. will be open for lunch and dinner Friday through Sunday, and Dahl Moore said he may add additional days from there if circumstances allow. He said a mid-February launch is the most realistic target right now, although if all the details are in place, he has the option of opening earlier.
If you want a preview of what Wheelhouse Fish Co. has in store. for its Urban Eats space, Dahl Moore will serve several menu items at the U City Farmers Market on Saturday, Jan. 27.
