Bill's Lobster
Bill's Lobster has been in business for over 10 years at Gerrard and Broadview in the heart of East Chinatown. The north-facing fish shop is simply laid out, with tanks of lobsters in front, a fish counter in the centre and some more exotic fare at the back. Beyond fresh fish and seafood on ice, Bill also sells imported goods like soba noodles, miso powder, dried seaweed and a selection of frozen goods including King Crab legs and pre-cooked shrimp.
With stories of tilapia masquerading as white tuna, and Atlantic halibut (considered endangered) being sold under the label of B.C. halibut, it's no wonder that consumers are having a hard time knowing how and where to buy their fish. And contrary to what you might think, it isn't just big grocery chains that are guilty of mislabeling and misidentifying goods; restaurants and small producers are doing it too.
Upon meeting him, what I admire most about Bill is his passion and knowledge of the industry. He always has the findings of a report to share and has direct relationships with the fishermen that supply his store.
Using regular salmon as an example, Bill quizzes me on what I think I should be looking for when picking a piece out. My first answer is correct -- smell is far and away the best way to tell if your fish is fresh. Fresh fish should not smell fishy. But my second answer -- colour -- isn't quite so accurate. Bill reveals that farm-raised salmon, commonly found at grocery stores, is fed varying types of meal that enhance their colour. To my horror, he produces a colour palette not unlike one found at a paint store, which is distributed by a company that sells fish meal.
Fish farmers can select the colour they want their salmon to be, ranging from a pale rose to an orange that's unnaturally psychedelic. Bill advises that consumers ought to spend the extra money on purchasing wild or organic salmon. He sells organic salmon from Ireland or Scotland at $19/pound and wild Pacific salmon at $17/pound. At the start of the salmon season in May, he'll also carry wild spring salmon from British Columbia.
Come lobster season in early May, Bill's lobster sells at $6/pound. Currently in the off-shore fishing season, they sell at $10/pound. Bill sources directly from Nova Scotia and tells me that he gets the lobster directly from the fishermen, eliminating the need for wholesalers. I ask to see the biggest lobster in the tank, and he brings out a 16 pound sucker that gives him a hard time coming out of the tank. He notes that the turnaround time for lobster in his store is no more than two to three days.
Continuing on down the narrow room, Bill pauses at the tray of scallops on ice and teaches me another industry trick. Treated scallops (referred to as "wet" scallops), typically found at supermarkets or in frozen form, are soaked in preservatives, meaning that the meat absorbs more fluid, which makes them larger and thus more expensive per pound. When cooked, the excess water evaporates, leaving a shrunken, dry and often tasteless scallop.
On the other hand, wild scallops are considered "dry" -- meaning they are not treated with any chemicals and are harvested directly from the ocean and often frozen immediately to preserve their freshness. Bill sources his jumbo scallops from Digby, Nova Scotia. They sell at $17/pound (where about eight pieces constitute a pound).
Jumbo tiger shrimp from Florida sell at $14/pound, while choice-grade oysters from P.E.I. sell at $1.50 a piece. I glance over at my date who is occupied with taking a picture of a lobster with his iPhone and silently consider the aphrodisiac properties of oysters. I carefully consider buying two to slurp right then and there, but decide that taking him to a fishmonger on a Saturday afternoon is probably sexy enough...
Bill's last lesson is about sushi-grade fish, which he advises is a dangerous game if not played correctly. Fish sold to be eaten raw must be stored, frozen, defrosted and prepared very carefully. Bill sells sushi-grade tuna and salmon and says that he gives his customers careful instructions when they purchase these products. Depending on the season, he will also carry a variety of fish including Atlantic Halibut, Alaskan Black Cod, Arctic Char, Greenland Halibut, Wild Pacific Snapper, and some more exotic varieties including Branzino from Spain and Turbot from France.
In a murky world of unethical fish practices, it's important to have a fishmonger that you can trust and who will give you sound advice and tips on how best to prepare, store and chose your selections. With over 10 years of business, you could do worse than Bill's Lobster.
Bill's Lobster is open 10 am - 7 pm, seven days a week.
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Yum Yum Yum we always buy from here Lobster is Awsome and the shrimps marvy and salmon steaks great Place is very clean and tidy and owners treat my dog {falkor}and i with respect Thanx my friends Jan & Falkor
Not the right place if you're looking for fresh live fish, they only offer fillets of fish. The grocery store a couple of doors east has live fish, though isn't the cleanest.
Gee, Janice, you just turned me off of this place. I'm sick of people bringing their precious pooches into stores where food is sold. Seriously, stop it. If you have no issues with dogs in your kitchen that's your business. You don't have to take them with you to do your shopping.
And for the shop owners out there: quit allowing it and oohing and awwing at the dogs. It's not cool and you're losing customers who don't think every poodle in a plaid coat is cute.
Michelle do you think you're any cleaner than a dog? Maybe I wouldn't like to shop from a store where you visit. Ever thought of that? Stop being an idiot. No harm will come from dogs entering stores where food is sold / served. You are already carrying all the outside dirt with your shoos where ever you go. I hate dumb people like you. Find yourself something better to do than posting stupid comments.
I am a dog lover and my dog is free to enter my kitchen, however I do agree with not bringing dogs into fresh fish or meat markets. You never know how clean some elses dog is and also take into consideration other people.
Have bought lobster and fish at Bills for several years, always outstanding quality, price and customer service. The best by far in TO.
Keep your 'fur children' out of my way.
Bill's Lobster is great, the women that works there will give you awesome recipes to try with the fish. I'll often go there and tell Bill what type of dish I'm planning on making (fish tacos, salted & broiled, etc...) and he'll tell me the best fish to use. I've been going to Bill's for about 3 years, and I've never been disappointed.
I'll have to check out Bill's in early May then.
As to the dogs-in-the-market sub-issue, I'll have to side with Michelle here. It's great that people love their dogs. Take them home with you, pamper them, take them for long romantic walks, etc. But when you go into a shop or restaurant, unless it's a guide dog, leave it the hell outside.
he is so right about sushi fish.. that's why I don't eat any sushi.. knowing how easily things can go wrong... leave along all the parasites...
*alone
I like to let my dog drink out of the fish tanks there...best in the city!
I will try Bill's fish. These days I find the freshest (i.e. swimming) fish at T and T. The T and T on Warden north of Steeles is probably the best of them all, with high turnover and the most live tanks. It helps to know either Cantonese or Mandarin, mind you...but my girlfriend takes care of that.
oooof...went to Bill's today. The place stinks, literally. Can't even imagine what it smells like in the summer. No live fish (vs crustacean) tanks. Save your money and taste buds for T and T just a few blocks away on Cherry St. at Commissioner.
shop here regularly. very fresh fish, great prices (30% to 50% less than st. lawrence market) and very informed, friendly staff. they'll also cook the lobsters for a small fee if you're too squeamish to do so on your own.
Nice write up. I see that Bill takes some care in making ethical choices about sourcing. I wonder if they talked at all about their Florida shrimp? Is it farmed? I will have to check this place out for myself.
It is against the Toronto Health Code to bring your pet into a places that serves food. So yes, much harm can come to store owners that allow this type of behaviour to continue and unless your dog showers daily like most humans do, I highly doubt Michelle is dirtier than a dog.
http://app.toronto.ca/food2/FDFAQRegular.jsp
Wish I would have tried this place when I lived in the nabe, but wasn't really into fish at the time.
I get most of my seafood (and all of my lobster) from Bill's shop. He is a very nice chap, always asks questions about what you might be cooking up, even offers his own ideas if you're not quite sure how to prepare something. I trust him. I've also never found his shop to be anything but clean (and certainly never "smelly" - though some of the neighboring Chinatown East groceries are so smelly that I suspect many gwai lo will have difficulty breathing.)
Bill also seems to be a quiet and polite man. He probably doesn't want Janice's dog in his store any more than Michele does but is trying not to be rude. I'm not crazy about it either. Here's hoping she doesn't actually bring her animal into his store, and that they interact out front. That is possible and perfectly fine.