F. Rozzo & Sons

Bring up Laurent Tourondel, and Louis Rozzo effuses. The fourth-generation F. Rozzo & Sons fish purveyor took some time to chat about the history of the business, himself, and his client and dear friend, Laurent.

How would you define your relationship with Laurent?
I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, and every time I'm with him we have fun. I realize there are a lot of fish guys out there, so besides the friendship, as a business partner I know that he relies on me to provide the best product.

What is the backstory on F. Rozzo & Sons?
We started in 1900 with my great-grandparents, who came over from Italy. While my great-grandfather started off as a gravedigger, my grandmother took a job filleting fish and was earning five times as much as he was, so they decided to start their own business.

What was it like back then?
My father used to tell me that the Fulton Fish Market was run by the Irish, and that at first they wouldn't let my great-grandfather buy any fish until his wife's boss, who was Irish, vouched for him. He peddled his first box of fish back in his neighborhood and made more money on that box than he did in two weeks working as a gravedigger. Back then, he would go down to the market in a horse and buggy. Now take this next story as you will, but apparently my greatgrandfather would sometimes fall asleep in the back of the buggy, but since the horse went to the market so often, he knew exactly where to go!

Aside from the mode of transportation, how has the fish business changed?
While my father used to buy all his fish from Fulton Street, I buy mine direct from commercial fisherman. The technology of freight, the way fish can be packed and shipped, now gives me a huge advantage. I buy fish from Brazil, Ecuador, Holland, and France. There's a much greater variety available today.

What does Laurent favor?
While he wants fish that is exotic and interesting, his overall concern is quality, so he prefers fish that I can get locally. I can get sea bass, eight or nine hours out of the water, directly to his restaurant.

What can diners expect from the sea on the fall menu?
Ocean striped bass, black sea bass, fluke--there's a lot of beautiful local fluke around. Also, local monkfish.

Anything new and exciting?
Yes, I'm actually going to be the first guy to bring in Alaskan king crabmeat uncooked, sashimi quality. I have been very impressed with the quality of this product, and it's a perfect fit with Laurent's philosophy.

What is your favorite dish on a BLT menu? I have to admit that BLT Fish
is one of my favorite restaurants in New York City, and Amy, Laurent's protégé there, does a whole red snapper that is out of this world. Also, the black cod at BLT Market is to die for.

Do you have preferences when it comes to pairing fish and wine?
I'm unconventional in that I really enjoy red wine, and all of Laurent's restaurants offer a great selection. My favorite is an Opus.

What's your favorite fish?
That's a tough question, because I love fish. I sell to 300 restaurants, and I try to eat my fish in every one of them. It's just my passion--I enjoy them all thoroughly.

What's your favorite at-home preparation?
I'm not really one to kill it with a lot of sauce. I love to take a fluke that I know was swimming just this morning or late last night, fillet it, and sauté it with a little butter and some salt. I prefer to really taste the fish on its own.