# Fish & chips: the batter **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946 "2010-12-04T18:02:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/21 "2010-12-05T13:09:44Z")
**Jjim** , where are you? No chippy I’ve ever known has habitually served soggy batter. None of the chippies round here ever have a hint of sog. Incidentally, we seem to be missing the point. The batter is a cooking vessel more than part of the food (it just helps that it’s gorgeous to eat as well). The point is to enclose the fish so that it steams inside its envelope rather than just hitting the hot oil. Thick and crunchy for me, otherwise the fish won’t be right. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/22 "2010-12-05T13:13:41Z")
Yeah my local chipper has amazing fish and chips, nice big lump of fish, thick batter that withstands the Amazon river of vinegar I subject it to, and really nice chips. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/23 "2010-12-05T14:54:52Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > FWIW I don’t consider breadcrumbs to be batter: that would be “breaded” fish. Nor do I. But I included it because some places actually serve breaded fish. > [@Annie](#): > > Thick please. Johnny, have you been to Moby Dick’s on east beach in White Rock? The filet itself is a bit thin but damn tasty and the proper thickness. Also really good fries-I don’t like fries much but theirs are awesome. I’ve not been there. A friend of mine said there’s a place in White Rock with a German proprietress that has ‘awesome’ (his word) fish’n’chips. Is that the place? He couldn’t remember the name. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/24 "2010-12-05T15:38:46Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > But are you talking about wrapped or fresh? as that puts a very different spin on things. Wrapped I guess. I’m in Oxford. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/25 "2010-12-05T21:07:50Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Wrapped I guess. I’m in Oxford. Well that might be the issue. It takes an industrial strength batter to remain crispy after being wrapped and vinegarised. Not to say that wrapped fish and chips don’t have their charms of course, they take on their own character. Just as long as you don’t expect crispy it’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/26 "2010-12-05T22:24:33Z")
Thick vs. thin doesn’t matter nearly as much as whether or not it’s crispy/crunchy instead of soggy. Given that it will be cooked properly, I’ll take thick over thin. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/27 "2010-12-05T23:50:14Z")
Batter, batter, batter, that’s all that matters 🙂 If I want fish I will eat fish. I just want some batter with a hint of fish taste ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/28 "2010-12-06T03:37:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve not been there. A friend of mine said there’s a place in White Rock with a German proprietress that has ‘awesome’ (his word) fish’n’chips. Is that the place? He couldn’t remember the name. Don’t know who’s German or not, but they make good fishes! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/29 "2010-12-06T03:41:59Z")
Soggy batter is the norm in the West Country. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/30 "2010-12-06T03:47:29Z")
A good beer batter is somehow thick, crispy, and airy all at once. I love a nice beer battered cod with a TON of lemons on the side. I’ve been known to use about three or four lemons worth of juice on one order of fish. Then you eat it really fast, before it gets soggy. Delish. Now I want some. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/31 "2010-12-06T07:57:33Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > You missed the British version out: flabby and soggy. You cannot imagine the disappointment I experienced when trying to find a good fish and chips shop in London! Mind you, I spent about 10 days in London, every year for seven years (school business). Despite trying many shops, I always found the same, very greasy, “flabby and soggy” fish and chips wherever I went. I am sure there has to be a good one somewhere, but I never found it. For me, good deep-fried fish has to be Viagra stiff, crunchy and fully cooked (not cool or lukewarm inside). No grease dripping from it whatsoever. I hate most french fries, so that is not a deal breaker. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/32 "2010-12-06T12:22:40Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > You cannot imagine the disappointment I experienced when trying to find a good fish and chips shop in London! Mind you, I spent about 10 days in London, every year for seven years (school business). Despite trying many shops, I always found the same, very greasy, “flabby and soggy” fish and chips wherever I went. I am sure there has to be a good one somewhere, but I never found it. It is very difficult to find a good fish and chip shop in London, or pretty much anywhere in the south, IMO. One problem is that fish is usually just one of the things on offer, and often one of the less popular items. Hence the fish can be cooked and sit being warmed for quite some time before being bought. Back home (Yorkshire), fish and chip shops sell predominately fish and chips, which are always freshly cooked (and usually haddock, which is tastier than cod). The batter is thin and crispy. It will go soggy if wrapped in paper for a while, but still tastes good. There’s nothing better than eating fish and chips on a bench by the sea as an icy wind whips around you on a typical summer day by the North Sea. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/33 "2010-12-06T12:37:55Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > **There’s nothing better** than eating fish and chips on a bench by the sea as an icy wind whips around you on a typical summer day by the North Sea. I question that. I’ve not been to the North Sea, but I have lived next to the southern equivalent off New Zealand/Antarctica, and though it is pleasant to eat something tasty and warm like good fish and chips on a chilly day, I put it to you that there are many _many_ things that are way _way_ better. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/34 "2010-12-06T12:42:30Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I question that. I’ve not been to the North Sea, but I have lived next to the southern equivalent off New Zealand/Antarctica, and though it is pleasant to eat something tasty and warm like good fish and chips on a chilly day, I put it to you that there are many _many_ things that are way _way_ better. I was just taking a dig at the wonderful (not) summer weather in my home county. For the sarcasm-impaired: when you go to the coast and find yourself in an icy wind, a common occurrence in a Yorkshire summer, you can at least compensate by having some excellent fish and chips. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/35 "2010-12-06T12:55:56Z")
Oh. Oops, sorry I ruined your joke. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/36 "2010-12-06T14:21:25Z")
I should also add that outside of the Arthur Treacher’s classic Fish and Chips, I also grew up on “Fish Frys”. Now those were fresh Perch and Walleye fry ups… most often Perch, as that was the favored eating fish because of its delicacy. We’d crank up a couple of frydaddys and go to town on a whole mess of perch- Sometimes it was beer-battered, but also sometimes breaded. I slightly prefer the ultra crispy breaded perch done at home over the beer-battered. We used a special breading flour formulation that is/was local to us, I can’t think of its name but it comes in a plain white box with plain black lettering… very unfancy. My guess is that a major component of that secret breading mix is superfine and/or Wondra flour, which just gives the breaded fish an ethereal lightness and crunchieness all at the same time. Also, we might sometimes have french fries with it, but we certainly never called it “fish and chips” that was what you got at Arthur Treachers. We ate “perch and french fries”. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/37 "2010-12-06T14:53:40Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > Back home (Yorkshire), fish and chip shops sell predominately fish and chips, which are always freshly cooked (and usually haddock, which is tastier than cod). The batter is thin and crispy. It will go soggy if wrapped in paper for a while, but still tastes good. There’s nothing better than eating fish and chips on a bench by the sea as an icy wind whips around you on a typical summer day by the North Sea. Actually, most chippies serve a combination of haddock and spiny dogfish (and often more of the latter). ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/38 "2010-12-06T15:16:19Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Keep the vinegar and that abomination called tartar sauce off my food. Good fish needs nothing but a bit of salt. I’ll take mine with extra tartar sauce, please. don’t need the malt vinegar on my fish, I’ll save that for the chips. > [@Barking\_Dog](#): > > What I like best is the fish from Catfish Charlie’s in Corpus Christi, TX, which is a catfish fillet in a thin n’ crispy cornmeal batter. Don’t need any of your malt vinegar or tartar sauce (yuck!). Just fries and a beer. Man, your missing the hot sauce… need some Louisiana, Frank’s, or Texas Pete for that. Just wouldn’t be right. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/39 "2010-12-06T15:30:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Actually, most chippies serve a combination of haddock and spiny dogfish (and often more of the latter). In the chippies as appropriated here enmasse in the US (LJS), you will most likely get either Hake or Pollock… unless otherwise specified. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fish-chips-the-batter/562946/40 "2010-12-06T15:38:49Z")
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