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This Brockton Village shop specializes in freshwater fish from the Great Lakes including those sourced from Indigenous fisheries.

The fishmonger is known for hawking fish that has been harvested using ikejime (which stresses fish the least) but has become a sought-after table for its limited available ticketed omakase dinner experience.

Even in the realm of sustainability-focused fishmongers, Affinity Fish stands alone. This is the only shop in the city to focus exclusively on Great Lakes fish—a near-revolutionary concept given that a ton of Toronto’s high-end seafood is flown in from Japan or New Zealand (or, at the closest, Canada’s east coast).

We head up to the Beaver Valley with Matt and Jon from Affinity Fish to scout a locaiton for our “Shore Lunch” video series. Join Yilma and the gang as they look for the perfect spot to film, fish a bit, and enjoy some great food in the beaver valley.

Jon and Matt from Affinity Fish prepare a delicious shore lunch on the banks of the Beaver River. The dishes include fish from the Great Lakes – beautiful, delicious Ontario lake trout and white perch.

How two chefs turned fishmongers are trying to rejig supply chains around local catch

STORY BY LINDSAY CAMPBELL
PHOTOS BY RYAN CARTER

The So Fly Crew sit together IN PERSON on location in the Beaver Valley. This episode was recorded out of a beautiful home (thanks Tom and Lisa) near the Beaver River. The crew talks with Matt and Jon at Affinity Fish, Toronto’s newest and only fish shop specializing in putting delicious local fish onto Ontario tables. They discuss a weekend fishing, the idea behind Affinity Fish, and more.

Another fish market slated for a spring opening on Dundas West is the retail location for Affinity Fish, a local fish supplier for the city’s restaurants started by two professional cooks during the pandemic.

At The Pass is a weekly series showcasing Toronto’s best chefs. You won’t find any celebrity chefs featured here. Perhaps you already know these fine cooks, but maybe not. They’re not famous – yet. But it’s time these talented, passionate, hard-working chefs got a bit of the spotlight.

At The Pass is a weekly series showcasing Toronto’s best chefs. You won’t find any celebrity chefs featured here. Perhaps you already know these fine cooks, but maybe not. They’re not famous – yet. But it’s time these talented, passionate, hard-working chefs got a bit of the spotlight.