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Fish & Chips -- simple is sometimes best

Walden Ponderer

By Walden Ponderer
in Food and Travel

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Walden Ponderer

Walden Ponderer 12639

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My favorite new hangout is The Eddy, a pub in Saxapahaw, NC. The sunset over the Haw River is a lot like the sunset from the Oasis on Lake Travis, so when I first went to this place, I expected to be paying for the view, not the food. Turns out, I'd happily pay for the food even if the view sucked, which it doesn't.

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Their fish & chips is actually fried catfish, which was new to me -- calling it "fish & chips" that is; catfish is an old standby, obviously.

Fish-and-chips.thumb.jpg.c44ea8b34811b128d3bdbe2598086404.jpg

 

So, what's your favorite fish & chips? Cod? Pollock? Hake? And who makes your fave? Ever had it in newspaper like back in Merry Olde England? 

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VABuckeye

VABuckeye 2472

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Cooper Island in the BVI used to have amazing fish n chips.  Served in a metal bucket with the fish on the chips.  The batter on the fish was perfect.  Crispy all the way to the fish with zero mush in between batter and fish and a perfect beer batter.  Then they hired a new chef and he completely fucked the dish up.  I was not happy the last time I ate there.

Edited by VABuckeye
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closetojumping

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I’ve been forced to eat fish and chips all over both continents. Or, I’ve at least been forced to witness them being eaten. I can honestly say that my Texan ass doesn’t get it. Hell, catfish sounds like a solid change-up. I like damned near anything, but I’ve never really enjoyed fish and chips. There’s a place somewhere in a non-London part of England called Hanby’s. Their fish and chips is about as good as I’ve ever had it. I would definitely eat at that place again. 

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Anastasis

Anastasis 23463

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11 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I’ve been forced to eat fish and chips all over both continents. Or, I’ve at least been forced to witness them being eaten. I can honestly say that my Texan ass doesn’t get it. Hell, catfish sounds like a solid change-up. I like damned near anything, but I’ve never really enjoyed fish and chips. There’s a place somewhere in a non-London part of England called Hanby’s. Their fish and chips is about as good as I’ve ever had it. I would definitely eat at that place again. 

Agree. Don't get it. Fried white fish is good, and I am down.  Put some tartar on teh side and I will eat that shit. But not sure it is anything to get worked up about. Chicken, yes. Steak, yes. Venison, fuck yes. Bland ass fucking english fish and chips. Ok. 

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Walden Ponderer

Walden Ponderer 12639

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14 hours ago, Topper13 said:

Doused in malt vinegar, slammed.

This is my one divergence from most fish & chips fans -- I don't much care for the vinegar. Don't really like most pickled things, either, when it comes down to it. But I'm clearly missing out on something, because those who like it really seem to like it. Must be the equivalent of the cilantro/soap gene for those poor bastards who can't appreciate cilantro.

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irishtexan

irishtexan 11515

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Fish and Chips is like Chinese food. It sounds like a good idea and then I get it and remember why I never seek this meal out. It's never as good as I imagine it will be and almost always disappoints. Why end up eating 2,000 calories of fried food that doesn't taste that great?

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Deej

Deej 76755

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Best fish and chips I had were from the shops that wouldn't open until the bars were closing, in New Zealand. Sitting on the curb drunk, tearing the corner off the paper packet, and eating fried, salty goodness.

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huge

huge 3793

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2 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

This is my one divergence from most fish & chips fans -- I don't much care for the vinegar. Don't really like most pickled things, either, when it comes down to it. But I'm clearly missing out on something, because those who like it really seem to like it. Must be the equivalent of the cilantro/soap gene for those poor bastards who can't appreciate cilantro.

Pickled everything is life

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WhatTheBuck

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21 hours ago, Topper13 said:

Dog and Duck used to have some good fish and chips. Cod, I believe it was. Doused in malt vinegar, slammed.

You put the vinegar on the chips and not the fish, right? I love vinegar on fried potatoes. I wouldn't put it on fried fish. That sounds gross. 

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WhatTheBuck

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4 minutes ago, Hank_Hill said:

I do both. It isn’t gross.

I wouldn't put vinegar on the fish because the flavor of the fish is too delicate. Even if I did want vinegar on the fish, I wouldn't douse the fish in vinegar. All that can do is turn the crispy batter into mush. I'd dip the fish in vinegar one bite at a time. 

The potatoes can absorb the vinegar and get filled with tangy goodness. I can't see that working with a batter coated flaky white fish. Maybe just a spritz of lemon juice. If it was fried catfish then I could see using a vinegar based hot sauce. The thought of dousing crispy batter fried fish in any liquid sounds horrifying. 

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TwiceHorn

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18 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

I wouldn't put vinegar on the fish because the flavor of the fish is too delicate. Even if I did want vinegar on the fish, I wouldn't douse the fish in vinegar. All that can do is turn the crispy batter into mush. I'd dip the fish in vinegar one bite at a time. 

The potatoes can absorb the vinegar and get filled with tangy goodness. I can't see that working with a batter coated flaky white fish. Maybe just a spritz of lemon juice. If it was fried catfish then I could see using a vinegar based hot sauce. The thought of dousing crispy batter fried fish in any liquid sounds horrifying. 

Eh, the flavor of the fish is overwhelmed by the batter and grease.  The vinegar helps with the greasiness.

I wouldn't say doused to the point of making either fries or fish soggy, but generous application is good.  It's like lemon juice.

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Hank_Hill

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18 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

I wouldn't put vinegar on the fish because the flavor of the fish is too delicate. Even if I did want vinegar on the fish, I wouldn't douse the fish in vinegar. All that can do is turn the crispy batter into mush. I'd dip the fish in vinegar one bite at a time. 

The potatoes can absorb the vinegar and get filled with tangy goodness. I can't see that working with a batter coated flaky white fish. Maybe just a spritz of lemon juice. If it was fried catfish then I could see using a vinegar based hot sauce. The thought of dousing crispy batter fried fish in any liquid sounds horrifying. 

Well this was dramatic. Don’t douse it. It’s a fried piece of bland just like a chip and if the batter is decent it can hold up to a little bit.

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Walden Ponderer

Walden Ponderer 12639

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1 hour ago, Stunns38 said:

248987acdc7ef8de8ab4da5d49c5bff9.jpg

Coastal Living puts them first on their list. The other "Best Fish and Chips in America" according to their contributors:

  • A Salt and Battery, New York, New York
  • Andria's Seafood Restaurant and Market, Ventura, California
  • Tides Tavern, Gig Harbor, Washington
  • The Bamboo Room Restaurant, Haines, Alaska
  • The Wharf Rat, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Chinook's at Salmon Bay, Seattle, Washington

I haven't been to any of these places, but I am keeping this list, in the event that I'm ever in any of these locations. The Wharf Rat and A Salt and Battery are the two I'm most likely to visit anytime soon.

 

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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9927

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On 3/2/2020 at 9:25 PM, closetojumping said:

I’ve been forced to eat fish and chips all over both continents. Or, I’ve at least been forced to witness them being eaten. I can honestly say that my Texan ass doesn’t get it. Hell, catfish sounds like a solid change-up. I like damned near anything, but I’ve never really enjoyed fish and chips. There’s a place somewhere in a non-London part of England called Hanby’s. Their fish and chips is about as good as I’ve ever had it. I would definitely eat at that place again. 

I will fucking destroy some catfish and hush puppies.  
 

fish and chips are usually a bit underwhelming 

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Party_Taco

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Coastal Living puts them first on their list. The other "Best Fish and Chips in America" according to their contributors:
  • A Salt and Battery, New York, New York
  • Andria's Seafood Restaurant and Market, Ventura, California
  • Tides Tavern, Gig Harbor, Washington
  • The Bamboo Room Restaurant, Haines, Alaska
  • The Wharf Rat, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Chinook's at Salmon Bay, Seattle, Washington
I haven't been to any of these places, but I am keeping this list, in the event that I'm ever in any of these locations. The Wharf Rat and A Salt and Battery are the two I'm most likely to visit anytime soon.
 

If you make it to Baltimore drop me a line... the Rat is just down the street and I’ve yet to taste their samplings.
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Stunns38

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Coastal Living puts them first on their list. The other "Best Fish and Chips in America" according to their contributors:
  • A Salt and Battery, New York, New York
  • Andria's Seafood Restaurant and Market, Ventura, California
  • Tides Tavern, Gig Harbor, Washington
  • The Bamboo Room Restaurant, Haines, Alaska
  • The Wharf Rat, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Chinook's at Salmon Bay, Seattle, Washington
I haven't been to any of these places, but I am keeping this list, in the event that I'm ever in any of these locations. The Wharf Rat and A Salt and Battery are the two I'm most likely to visit anytime soon.
 


A Salt and Battery is the best I’ve had. Very light with a great flavor and perfect batter. My wife who normally doesn’t eat fish even loved their fish and chips.
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HenryJames

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Just now, Stunns38 said:

My wife who normally doesn’t eat fish even loved their fish and chips.

Be a lot cooler if she did.

 

16 hours ago, shnsajax said:

Just a great pub in general. 

Seems like every brewery we visited in the Oregon had it on the menu. And they were all good.

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TwiceHorn

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Long ago, there was a place called Arthur Treacher's that was pretty good.  Pretty much Long John Silver with a very English theme. I suspect Alfie's above was a former Arthur Treacher's.

My mom was raised on cornmeal-breaded panfish and occasionally catfish.

She was super-intrigued by the breading of fish and chips, particularly the very savory crust of Long John Silvers.  To that end, she actually purchased a package of their breading mix and for a while we had it at home.

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CooterBrown

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2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

My mom was raised on cornmeal-breaded panfish and occasionally catfish.

My grandma used to fry up fresh caught flounder in a cast iron in Crisco with a bit of bacon fat for flavoring.  Cornmeal, salt, black pepper, cayenne. Everything else, GTFO.  

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PsychMike

PsychMike 1545

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Fish and Chips was basically my favorite thing to eat while in Ireland and London 15 years ago. My favorite was at Davey Byrne's in Dublin. But my favorite of all time is Sally's at the Manchester Grand Hyatt  in San Diego. They use sea bass and it is the tits.

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And they serve it with the usual malt vinegar and tartar sauce, but also a tamarind sauce for the adventurous eaters.

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Walden Ponderer

Walden Ponderer 12639

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4 hours ago, Underdog said:

This guy fucks...  throw in some chicken planks as well. 

Every time the debate over the best chicken fingers would rage in College Station ("Layne's!" "No, Cane's!") I'd think, "Fuck all y'all. Gimme Long John's chicken planks." Now that I know they exist, I'll take Bojangles over all of the above, but still, for fast food chicken, Long John's has always been tough to beat.

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