# Fish and Chips question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2013, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626 "2013-08-19T09:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/21 "2013-08-20T05:03:24Z")
I guess I’m not very picky. I haven’t met much fish and chips I didn’t like. As long as I can soak the heck out of it with malt vinegar, even if I have to break a bit off in order to dip it to get it to soak in, I’m happy with it! Mmmmmm. Malt vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/22 "2013-08-20T05:42:56Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > In Australia we love our Flake, basically shark deep fried. Hot oil produces a lighter and less oily batter, a lot of places don’t keep their oil hot especially when they are busy. > > I love a piece of flake but also barramundi is served at one of my local fns shops, mmmmm. > > Also I have about 10 shops within a five minute drive so competition is fierce! (oh I live by the bay in a holiday area, lots of day trippers etc having fish and chips bu the water) Yep. The typical Aussie Fish and Chip shop deep fried fish is a piece of fish, dipped into a batter then deep fried. Not too much batter. Several places also do it “Grilled” where it’s just dipped in flour quickly then put on the hot plate. I’m not a massive fish eater but the Barra is bloody nice when you get it fresh. ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/23 "2013-08-20T06:12:34Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Yep. The typical Aussie Fish and Chip shop deep fried fish is a piece of fish, dipped into a batter then deep fried. Not too much batter. Several places also do it “Grilled” where it’s just dipped in flour quickly then put on the hot plate. > > I’m not a massive fish eater but the Barra is bloody nice when you get it fresh. Truth be told I actually preferred Crumbed fish, Flake preferably. I find that to get a really nice piece of Barra it has to be wild caught, the farmed Barra always seems to be a bit bland and watery to me. My favourite fish though (not something you usually get at a fish and chips place) is Mahi Mahi. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/24 "2013-08-20T06:20:48Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Tempura is totally limited in my experience to “calamari, prawns etc”. I’m just wondering if it works (well) on fish fillets on the order of F&C fish-sized fish. Yes it does. It’s called ‘goujons’ - popular with kids. Increasing numbers of chippies serve them in my experience ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/25 "2013-08-20T06:38:40Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > Truth be told I actually preferred Crumbed fish, Flake preferably. > > I find that to get a really nice piece of Barra it has to be wild caught, the farmed Barra always seems to be a bit bland and watery to me. My favourite fish though (not something you usually get at a fish and chips place) is Mahi Mahi. Yep spot on, fresh wild caught is the way to go with almost all fish but it is becoming rarer these days. Im prepared to pay a premium for good fish. I have heard of this mahi mahi but haven’t ever seen it, has to be better than the overhyped swordfish though! ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/26 "2013-08-20T08:06:02Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Yep spot on, fresh wild caught is the way to go with almost all fish but it is becoming rarer these days. Im prepared to pay a premium for good fish. > > I have heard of this mahi mahi but haven’t ever seen it, has to be better than the overhyped swordfish though! I don’t think mahi mahi is quite as good as swordfish to be honest. I did a comparison taste test very recently (my partner works in the fish trade and was trialing a new range). ---
**Author:** ![the\_O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@the\_O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_O)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/27 "2013-08-20T12:54:11Z")
Mahi-mahi is better known as ‘dolphin’ in the Florida Keys. As a food fish, it has heavy competition. For frying, I, for one, prefer Grouper. And for baking, snapper. Dolphin’s okay…but it’s not my first choice. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/28 "2013-08-20T13:23:52Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Does anyone have a recipe that an average Yank could make? Difficulty: the fish will almost certainly have been purchased frozen. [This is a good one](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chips-and-fish-recipe/index.html). I use more baking powder, since I like a thick, airy shell; and I don’t cut up the fish into one-inch strips. (I might cut them in half. Or not.) I use corn oil, because that’s what we have; and an electric fryer because it’s handier than my Dutch oven and it has a temperature control. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/29 "2013-08-20T14:51:51Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I guess I’m not very picky. I haven’t met much fish and chips I didn’t like. As long as I can soak the heck out of it with malt vinegar, even if I have to break a bit off in order to dip it to get it to soak in, I’m happy with it! Mmmmmm. Malt vinegar. Concur, but substitute ketchup for malt vinegar. Don’t judge me. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/30 "2013-08-20T15:29:32Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I guess I’m not very picky. I haven’t met much fish and chips I didn’t like. Drop by up here sometime and I’ll take you to one of the best brewpubs in the world (many local, regional, national and even international awards) that has great beer, a great selection of pub food, and the most thoroughly nasty fish and chips I have ever tasted. Sort of undercooked, slimy and soggy, like eating wet bread with fish chunks in it. I tried twice and knew I’d made a mistake the second time when a woman at the next table was complaining about hers before my order came. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/31 "2013-08-20T19:16:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > … > > When I had fish and chips in England, the batter was thin and oily. Most places in California the first half of my life were similar, but I found the batter better in California than in England… until I started going to Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica. Their batter is very thick, but it is also very airy and crunchy. I didn’t find it at all, and it seemed to be made for soaking up lots of vinegar. It’s the best I’ve had anywhere. I’ve _almost_ duplicated the batter at home, but the SO prefers thinner batter. Either way, my fish and chips are better than any I’ve had in restaurants – with the exception of Ye Olde King’s Head. (One local place is almost as good as mine, but it’s cheaper to make them at home.) I used to eat there about 20 years ago. Then I moved to Cleveland. I still miss that place. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/32 "2013-08-20T19:24:36Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Add me to the list of people who vastly prefers everybody else’s version of F&C over that served in Britain. > > This just might be another reason the “national dish” has changed from fish & chips to doner kebab. 😛 And I’ve been all over the Middle East and India and I’ve never had a doner kebab like the ones I’d eat in Birmingham. Their Chinese food sucks though, so I guess there’s a limit on how many good ethnic foods can exist in a given area. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/33 "2013-08-20T19:44:54Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I used to eat there about 20 years ago. Then I moved to Cleveland. I still miss that place. ☹ Yep. I really miss their fish’n’chips, even though mine are pretty good. It’s just so much easier to order them and have someone else make them! I also miss their bangers, though I can get acceptable ones from Uli’s Famous Sausage. I haven’t tried making the Scotch eggs yet, and even they have stopped serving faggots & peas. And there’s no place up here to get some nice curry for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/34 "2013-08-20T20:15:53Z")
I may be alone here, but as a Brit I’ve always thought the most important things about fish and chips are that they are hot, cheap and generously portioned; taste comes a distant fourth. This is good, honest working class stodge people, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/35 "2013-08-20T20:30:14Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > I may be alone here, but as a Brit I’ve always thought the most important things about fish and chips are that they are hot, cheap and generously portioned; taste comes a distant fourth. Not so much here. Fish and chip shops are not common here, say, the way taco stands are. You generally have to make some effort to get fish & chips, and they cost as much as any other item on a menu. Here in the Pacific Northwest, many places make a point of offering halibut – for an extra charge. The ‘good, honest working class stodge people’ food is McDonald’s. Or if you live in the right areas, a taco stand or truck. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/36 "2013-08-20T20:40:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Not so much here. Fish and chip shops are not common here, say, the way taco stands are. You generally have to make some effort to get fish & chips, and they cost as much as any other item on a menu. Here in the Pacific Northwest, many places make a point of offering halibut – for an extra charge. The ‘good, honest working class stodge people’ food is McDonald’s. Or if you live in the right areas, a taco stand or truck. I must admit I do find it interesting that other countries seem to have taken a particularly British dish and raised it to a new level, and I also remember having some pretty good F&C in NYC (said restaurant going by the groansome name of A. Salt and Battery). Still, to me, fish and chips will always be drudging down a damp London street, toting a bag of greasy hotness, steam rising from crumpled paper bathing my face, and the sharp tang of salt and vinegar annointing my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/37 "2013-08-20T20:51:43Z")
We get our fish & chips from [a very small local chain](http://www.eamonnsdublinchipper.com/), if two locations can be called a “chain”. Usually very good but there was that one time when the batter was way too thick. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/38 "2013-08-20T21:22:07Z")
In the Pacific NW of the US and on Vancouver Island in Canada, I’ve had wonderful fish and chips made from halibut…just heavenly in taste, and it stands up well to a good (craft) beer batter. But it is not cheap, more of a dish to share with a friend or for an occasion. The cod and haddock used in the eastern US does not compare. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/39 "2013-08-20T22:08:46Z")
Why do they serve those thick plank-fries for “chips”? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626/40 "2013-08-20T22:52:08Z")
At least they aren’t [Arthur Treacher’s extra wide chips](http://www.franchisegator.com/images/franchise/ArthurTreachers-073/ArthurTreachers_Image3.jpg). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-and-chips-question/666626.md?page=3)