# Spiedie delivery **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 7, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393 "2017-06-07T22:20:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/41 "2017-06-09T00:09:53Z")
If anyone is interested in Barry Popik’s research on the spiedie sandwich, [here’s](http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/binghamtonspiedie/) a link. Barry’s website has listings for every sandwich you can imagine. He’s the expert. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/42 "2017-06-09T00:11:03Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > If anyone is interested in Barry Popik’s research on the spiedie sandwich, [here’s](http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/binghamtonspiedie/) a link. Barry’s website has listings for every sandwich you can imagine. He’s the expert. Ooo, very cool link! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/43 "2017-06-09T00:43:11Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Pretty much everywhere around the Great Lakes. Fried perch. Fucking delicious. I’ve had it in Wisconsin and east Ohio so I assume it’s still around in Buffalo. It was a big thing before and shortly after Vatican II; nowadays it’s not limited to Friday nights. > > When I was a kid you received a massive pile of perfect cleanly-fried perch along with fries and cole slaw. Nowadays you may get three or four little pieces. What happened, did they overfish? To add to this–“perch” these days is of two types. “Ocean perch” is $4.95/lb. “Lake Erie perch” is $14.95/lb. I have little doubt that any perch from the Great Lakes is in the $15/lb range. Little suckers, not much meat, but what is there is divine. As to general local Friday fried fish dinners, most have switched over the years to cheaper white fish rather than the cod used previously. Cod is too expensive rather than Alaskan Pollock. Same goes for fish sandwiches at Lent in commercial fast food stores–McD/ Bugger King etc. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/44 "2017-06-09T00:54:34Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Same goes for fish sandwiches at Lent in commercial fast food stores–McD/ Bugger King etc. Regional chain Culver’s is pretty good in this regard. They have cod sandwiches on their standard menu, but during Lent, they had walleye, too. Yay! Best $6 fast food fish sandwich ever. And a really reasonable portion compared to the $4 Filet-O-Fish at McD’s. (I was stunned it was that much when I stopped by McD’s during Lent for my wife. I like McD’s fine, but that sandwich was not worth $4.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/45 "2017-06-09T00:57:23Z")
As for Friday night fish fries, I think they’re still pretty common up in Wisconsin supper clubs. They don’t seem to be a usual thing here in Chicago, though, except around Lent at various local churches. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/46 "2017-06-09T01:53:12Z")
Fried walleye pike is excellent, but doesn’t reach the heavenly heights of small filets of lake perch. **Samclem** : What exactly is “ocean perch?” Sounds like a scam to me, like “lake crabs.” **Puly** : I’m in Chicago more than I actually want to be these days, and I’m always stunned that all the restaurants offer tons of seafood, but no fish pulled out of Lake Michigan. I eat a lot of seafood when I’m next to the sea, but don’t particularly want it inland…no matter how many Chicago waiters declaim its “freshness.” What I want in Chicago, and Cleveland, and Sheboygan, and Duluth, is FISH CAUGHT THE SAME DAY OUT OF THAT GOD DAMN LAKE RIGHT THERE. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/47 "2017-06-09T02:06:47Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Fried walleye pike is excellent, but doesn’t reach the heavenly heights of small filets of lake perch. > > **Samclem** : What exactly is “ocean perch?” Sounds like a scam to me, like “lake crabs.” > > **Puly** : I’m in Chicago more than I actually want to be these days, and I’m always stunned that all the restaurants offer tons of seafood, but no fish pulled out of Lake Michigan. I eat a lot of seafood when I’m next to the sea, but don’t particularly want it inland…no matter how many Chicago waiters declaim its “freshness.” What I want in Chicago, and Cleveland, and Sheboygan, and Duluth, is FISH CAUGHT THE SAME DAY OUT OF THAT GOD DAMN LAKE RIGHT THERE. Apparently, you can’t commercially fish for lake perch in Lake Michigan, so that would explain its absence from menus. [That information gleaned from here.](http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=37307) > [@](#): > > I learned the fishing laws of Great Lake states as I sought out some spots. You cant commercially fish for lake perch in Lake Michigan. You can get a license and are limited to catch X amount each day but other than that fisherman have to stay away from it in Lake Michigan. So this means most of the lake perch at these places is coming from either Lake Eerie or Lake Superior. That was as of 2013. Don’t know if that’s still the case. For other types of fish, I don’t know what the deal is, but I’ve shared your observation that local fish does not seem to be a thing around here, or, if it is, it’s not heavily advertised. (Well, there used to be a smelt tradition in April, but apparently the fish aren’t around so much anymore. I remember going to one of these smelt parties back in the mid-90s.) ETA: [Ah, here’s a recent Tribune video about that.](http://www.chicagotribune.com/83381348-132.html) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/48 "2017-06-09T05:47:01Z")
Totally a tangent, but I have to share: after the Mr. Rogers marathon, I can never see or hear those words again without thinking of Mr. McFeely, or that oddly catchy song towards the end. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/49 "2017-06-09T14:24:45Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Totally a tangent, but I have to share: after the Mr. Rogers marathon, I can never see or hear those words again without thinking of Mr. McFeely, or that oddly catchy song towards the end. That was my intent. Mua-hahahahahaaaaa. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/50 "2017-06-09T23:53:33Z")
Success! After marinating for 48 hours, the chicken was tender and tasty. I think this would work better for red meat or pork, though, and I think I could approximate the spiedie sauce on my own. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2017, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/51 "2017-06-10T19:58:04Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > If anyone is interested in Barry Popik’s research on the spiedie sandwich, [here’s](http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/binghamtonspiedie/) a link. Barry’s website has listings for every sandwich you can imagine. He’s the expert. Aha! From the linked article: > [@](#): > > The “chicken category” was added to the Spiedie Fest cook-off in 1987, and quickly became the most popular meat choice. I was in Binghamton in 1982. Although chicken spiedies must have existed before 1987 (if they added them as a category then), they surely weren’t a widespread and popular choice before that. That’s why I was unfamiliar with them. Still sad to see Beef Spiedies go – they were the leading seller at the char pits in '82. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/52 "2017-06-15T13:12:25Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Success! After marinating for 48 hours, the chicken was tender and tasty. I think this would work better for red meat or pork, though, and I think I could approximate the spiedie sauce on my own. For chicken, try Cornell recipe instead: Marinade: 2 cups cider vinegar 1 cup vegetable oil 1 egg 3 tablespoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning Combine well. Use a gravy shaker if you have one, to get it really well mixed. Marinate 12-24 hours. 6 hours minimum, no matter what you read elsewhere!! Grill as normal for the type of chicken you’re using (white, dark, bones, boneless, etc) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/53 "2017-06-15T13:40:50Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > For chicken, try Cornell recipe instead: > > Marinade: > 2 cups cider vinegar > 1 cup vegetable oil > 1 egg > 3 tablespoons salt > 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper > 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning > > Combine well. Use a gravy shaker if you have one, to get it really well mixed. > > Marinate 12-24 hours. 6 hours minimum, no matter what you read elsewhere!! > > Grill as normal for the type of chicken you’re using (white, dark, bones, boneless, etc) +1 on Cornell chicken. Love the stuff. Also related is Chiavetta’s marinade of Buffalo, which is somewhat similar to both Cornell and spiedie marinade in that it’s vinegar-based. Chiavetta’s doesn’t have oil, though, and is flavored with garlic and Italian-ish seasonings (so closer to spiedie than Cornell.) Interesting how that whole upstate New York area has somewhat similar marinades. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/54 "2017-06-17T12:22:04Z")
So how many western NY dopers are there here? Anybody want to do a spiedi cookout meetup? [I was thinking one of the picnic pavilions at Letchworth or some other nice park…] ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393/55 "2017-06-18T00:17:34Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > Sharkey’s is still in business Never ate before at a place that offered Kielbasa baskets. Might be worth a try if I’m ever again in Binghamton. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiedie-delivery/788393.md?page=2)