Call it simple nostalgia, but Luciano Gentile believes being a fishmonger takes skill and knowledge, which was far simpler when his grandparents first opened Poissonnerie Shamrock back in 1959.
"Just like the meat you buy, quality is everything. In the fish industry today the quality can be sacrificed and manipulated to be cheaper," explains the 32-year-old steward of the family business, who now has to regularly navigate sustainable fishing concerns, international shipping logistics and competition from Asia. "But quality is something we never sacrifice. That was always my grandmother's mentality: even if it costs more, just that quality will get people to come back."
Still occupying its famous corner of the Jean-Talon market for almost six decades, Shamrock continues to provide customers with only the freshest, healthiest and most exotic selection of fillets, shellfish and seafood. And with more clients demanding greater choice and accountability, Luciano accepts wholeheartedly the responsibility that comes with being the oldest standing fish market in Montreal. "The seafood industry is all about trust. We strive for that."
