catch of the day
Today's seafood special
Catch of the day is a restaurant term for whatever fish was most recently or notably caught, offered as a special: The catch of the day is grilled salmon with lemon butter.
The phrase implies freshness and variety—it changes daily based on what's available.
Figuratively, it can mean any prized recent acquisition: Show me the catch of the day from the estate sale.
special
Unlike the ordinary
seafood · fish · salmon · halibut · tuna · mahi-mahi · cod · snapper · grouper · bass
- diningrestaurant, menu, waiter, servers, waitress
- seafoodfish, shrimp, crab, lobster, salmon
- dining dealsdaily special, lunch special, dinner special, happy hour, early bird special
- dining phrasesbon appetit, enjoy your meal, dig in, come and get it, help yourself
- fish marketfishmonger, seafood counter, fish stall, fresh fish, wholesale
- fishing idiomshook line and sinker, fish out of water, the one that got away, fishing for compliments, fish or cut bait
freshness/sourcing
catch of the dayfrozen fish
Seafood kept below freezing
processed seafood · fish sticks · imitation crab · processed food · surimi
DESIRABILITY (metaphorical use)
catch of the daythe one that got away
Romanticized past near-miss
reject · dud · disappointment · bottom of the barrel · last resort