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Well it's all getting a bit poe-faced and super serious down here of late. And that's because the world is becoming an increasingly awful place with awful people doing awful things for precious few readily apparent reasons.

So here's a distraction.

Following on from my previous BBQ thread, where I asked where I might find the best variety in a single city, I got thinking. And that thinking was based on what the actual UK equivalent of BBQ is.

Is it the legendary Sunday Roast? Well....maybe. Curry? Not quite. It's the humble Chippie. Fish and Chips all round.

See, just like Americans and their BBQ, I suspect any Briton will simply defend their home-town take on the classic to the death.

For me, has to be an Edinburgh chippie. Chips are beautiful, batter isn't overwhelming. And of course, Salt and Sauce (all washed down with Irn Bru, natch).

So Americans, feel free to sit back and watch the fireworks, I may have triggered a war!

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

For me, has to be an Edinburgh chippie. Chips are beautiful, batter isn't overwhelming. And of course, Salt and Sauce (all washed down with Irn Bru, natch).

Which one? In my exerience, all of Scotand's best chippies are in Glasgow or Fife - almost all owned by Italians or their children. Almost all from Barga in Tuscany, strangely enough.

Pretty much any.

If you're in the city, The Clamshell just up from GW is pretty standard fare.

All about that salt and sauce though. I don't think you get it anywhere else.

Of course in Scotland, if you're lucky, and you've done your research, you can find a chippy that still fries in dripping, rather than poncey oils.

Statement Redacted. - Edit.

Haggis pudding supper with salt n sauce MMMmmmmmm (disregard the polystyrene tray, far too sophisticated, paper all the way)



although very few shops make the sauce like they used to 'when I were a lad' with industrial grade brown sauce (usually Gold Star which is made in Glasgow even though their chip shops don't offer it), diluted with a slug of vinegar and a slug of Barrs Red Kola for added sweetness

& nfe is right on the money when he says a lot of the best shops are run by Italians, that's true on the east coast too, and down in England too

although I'm not sure American BBQ is really the Fish & Chips equivalent since you don't wander the streets eating your BBQ, and you rarely sit down to eat in a chippy

I'd love to try some authentic fish and chips one day. I'm bummed that I'm spending the next 5 months in Europe and it's extremely unlikely I'll get to the UK in that time.

So what type of fish is in fish and chips?

 Frazzled wrote:
So what type of fish is in fish and chips?

Normally a choice between cod or haddock, but some places it could be anything...

 Frazzled wrote:
So what type of fish is in fish and chips?

Usually Cod.

But with Cod getting more expensive, you can sometimes get other fish like Haddock.

 Frazzled wrote:
So what type of fish is in fish and chips?

It changes from year to year. Honestly.

As EU members, we were part of the Common fisheries policy, so there was quotas, and because of environmental concerns, if a particular fish species was having a hard time, you weren't allowed to catch it.

Also, in the 1970s, Britain had the Cod wars against Iceland. I think Britain lost that war

Don't mess with Iceland. Frazz.

But yeah, it's complicated.

But fish and chips is a wonderful meal.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 djones520 wrote:
I'd love to try some authentic fish and chips one day. I'm bummed that I'm spending the next 5 months in Europe and it's extremely unlikely I'll get to the UK in that time.

Come over.

We got Roman buildings, castles, Hadrian's wall, Stonehenge, battlefields galore, and the original version of the US constitution: the English bill of rights 1688.

Believe me, I'd love to, but I think the furthest west I'll be getting is Germany for a week next month. Otherwise I'm stuck to the Romania/Bulgaria area.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

All about that salt and sauce though. I don't think you get it anywhere else.

The expression is quite Edinburgh-specific (whereas on the west coast it's more likely to be 'salt and vinegar?' and everywhere else in the east it's 'everthing on it?') but you can get any combination of salt, vinegar, red sauce, and brown sauce in literally every chippy in the country.

 Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:
As EU members, we were part of the Common fisheries policy, so there was quotas, and because of environmental concerns, if a particular fish species was having a hard time, you weren't allowed to catch it.

Na. Its more stupid than that...If you accidentally catch said fish, you have to throw it back into the sea (by which point it's already dead) or risk a fine.

So not tapia, tuna, red snapper, catfish or sea bass? It's a pretty specific fish?

I'd love to try some authentic British fish and chips sometime. In Pittsburgh, big fish sandwiches are a "thing", and since I moved out of the area I've learned that a lot of places really don't know how to fry fish. Too often it's overdone.




I believe the sandwich above is whiting, but cod and haddock are also the usual fish of choice for fish sandwiches in my experience.

In the US, it's only ever been cod when I had it.

 Frazzled wrote:
So not tapia, tuna, red snapper, catfish or sea bass? It's a pretty specific fish?

White, meaty fish.

In Edinburgh, it's literally just 'Fish' on the menu. Could be Cod, could be Haddock, could Pollock.

In England, the filthy heathens sacrifice most of the menu to offer multiple types of white fish (Haddock, Huss, Plaice etc), despite all that tasting the same. They even leave the skin on the fish. THEY LEAVE. THE SKIN. ON.

And they wouldn't know what a Supper was if you explained it to them.

Whenever I'm up, usual order on the first day is Jumbo Haggis Supper and Smoked Sausage on the side, loads of salt, loads of sauce.

Best fish and chips I have had have come from Oban. Fresh white fish (pollack i think) cooked properly with a lovely crispy batter.
decent chips, large.

Plenty of salt and vinegar.

spent the time eating it fending off the attention of a massive seagull I named Fagin.

Freshness absolutely counts. If there's a fishy smell in the Chippie, turn around, find somewhere else. Suitably fresh fish shouldn't pong.

Although....Chinese Chip Shops. I've found those truly rival and often exceed the Italian take. Discuss.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Chinese Chip Shops. I've found those truly rival and often exceed the Italian take. Discuss.

Chinese curry sauce can be amazing.

Surprised no-ones mentioned scraps yet...




(And now I want fish & chips)

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Freshness absolutely counts. If there's a fishy smell in the Chippie, turn around, find somewhere else. Suitably fresh fish shouldn't pong.

Its amazing how much of that, didn't translate to Texan...

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
.... pong.

I understand this! Thank you, reprints of Judge Dredd comics!

Pong = stink or stench.

By the by, a place here in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA called "Anchor Fish and Chips" offers the aforementioned grub: decent batter, and chips that remember they came from potatoes. A nice break from the usual fare, and there is a great local brewery just down the street. Hot damn, I think I'll get some this weekend....

Huh, here in Australia our fish'n'chips is usually done with flake.
I've found a lot of small places know sweet ____ all about cooking it decently, soggy, skin still on, with oil through the batter.

That being said, we have a chain that does absolutely fantastic upper class fish'n'chips-bit pricey, but beautiful, and the stores are full of large salt water aquariums-very good.

Course, nothing beats making your own out of what you catch. I like to add cayenne pepper, basil, thyme and garlic to beer batter.

Still can't do proper chips from scratch yet, though.

We have quite a few "faux British" style places in my area that quite often sell "Fish and Chips". I'm not sure it's anything like the Real McCoy, but it's not too terrible. Typically cod with a savory (and greasy) beer batter, thick cut "British chips" (I try to stay away from the places that serve "American chips" with their fish) and typically you get tarter sauce, malt vinegar, and ketchup to go with it. I usually hold on the tarter sauce and ketchup, but that's my own personal taste; I prefer pepper on my fries and vinegar on my white fish. Some places serve it with a side of cole slaw too, the quality of which varies from place to place.

I tend to prefer a pickled gherkin and pickled onion with my Chippie. I find it helps cut through the grease in your mouth about half way through your dindins!

Luckily, by living in Seattle, I have massive access to a lot of good, fresh fish. My personal favorite for fish and chips is halibut. Expensive, but very well worth the price.

Submitted as evidence:

 curran12 wrote:
Luckily, by living in Seattle, I have massive access to a lot of good, fresh fish. My personal favorite for fish and chips is halibut. Expensive, but very well worth the price.

West coast is best coast!

Indeed, halibut fish n chips is the only way to fly. I won't order cod fish.

 Frazzled wrote:
So not tapia, tuna, red snapper, catfish or sea bass? It's a pretty specific fish?

Many places have several to chose from.

Over here the standards are usually Flake and Blue Grenadier.

Having had the pleasure of visiting the UK many times, for many years, during my career days, I had the opportunity to sample many a Fish & Chip shop. My absolute favorite was 'Rock & Sole Plaice' which is also where my son first tried the dish as a 2 year old when my family and I actually lived in London for a while.

Aside from the UK, the best Fish & Chips I've ever had is in Montreal, Quebec at 'au pied du cochon'. They had an amazing fresh seafood bar and served a Sturgeon and Chips which was mind blowing.

Philly can offer some good choices too. It's mostly cod here, but different places do different things with the batter and the chips, so you can get variety. I'd love to fly over there and try the legit stuff though.