Fish and Chips

Why does F & C always smell better than it tastes too?

Had a ssimilar problem Sunday evening, came off Weybourne beach after a walk and fancied chips. So we headed to Sheringham - about 2100 hrs - not a single chip shop open, continued to Cromer and again all the fish and chip shops were shut, fortunately managed to find a take away open that cooked them fresh for us and they were great.

Here in Wells though both of the chippies seem to shut around 2000hrs...

W.
 
I'd go along with Billy in La Duquesa and if you are fed up with fish, his half chicken and chips will fill a family almost on a single portion. On home ground, the lightship clubhouse for Haven Ports Yacht Club at Levington is up there with the top players, together with Aldeburgh and the chippie on the beach at Dunwich.
 
Robin said:
Took ages to find a fish batter that worked for me but now use one based on this recipe, in our case usually using soda water not beer.http://http://www.fishbatter.co.uk/
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What a shock - they couldn't taste a difference between batters made with Stella Artois or soda water. Use a full-flavoured beer instead to give the batter some flavour.
Also, why do they leave the batter to sit for a couple hours? If you leave it to go flat it defeats the purpose of using beer or soda water in the first place - no wonder they got better results with self-raising flour.

Beer batter is simple: all-purpose flour, beer, salt and pepper to taste. I don't dredge the fish; I pat it dry instead. I prefer the batter to be crisp and there to be more fish than batter in each bite.
 
best fish and chips ever I found in the Poole /Sandbanks area ,at Lilliput -T.J's -used to be a fish restaurant and the business is spotless - I nearly wrote place(plaice)is .......! If there try their battered scallops, mouthwatering!!

ianat182
 
ianat182 said:
best fish and chips ever I found in the Poole /Sandbanks area ,at Lilliput -T.J's -used to be a fish restaurant and the business is spotless - I nearly wrote place(plaice)is .......! If there try their battered scallops, mouthwatering!!

ianat182
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Yes they are good. The scallops particularly so. But they are expensive.

It's not their fault, but I do find that by the time I have got them round to North Haven and rowed them out to the boat, the quality has deteriorated somewhat! :(

Mike
 
Cruiser2B said:
What a shock - they couldn't taste a difference between batters made with Stella Artois or soda water. Use a full-flavoured beer instead to give the batter some flavour.
Also, why do they leave the batter to sit for a couple hours? If you leave it to go flat it defeats the purpose of using beer or soda water in the first place - no wonder they got better results with self-raising flour.

Beer batter is simple: all-purpose flour, beer, salt and pepper to taste. I don't dredge the fish; I pat it dry instead. I prefer the batter to be crisp and there to be more fish than batter in each bite.
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I tried various beer batters using either a lager type, UK bitter type or even Guinness. The Guinness one was a tad strong flavour and the others worked but no different from the soda water which is considerably cheaper! The reason for leaving it for a while is that the batter changes in molecular structure and is more cohesive but I leave ours only about 30 minutes and might stir in a tad more soda water (and therefore fizz) just before use as it will have thickened a bit.
 
doris said:
Isn't it extraordinary that one has to leave the country to get the best fish and chips. Last week we went to the Braye Chippy and the fare was truly outstanding in both size of fish and quality. The chips were spot on too.. A barren piece of rock with a population of 1,500 alcoholics whose only export is empty bottles is how Alderney has often been described, but the chippy serves F&C that are way better than anything I can think of on the mainland.

Long may it continue.
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You turncoat, whats wrong with the Gosport Chippy :):)
 
Sail through F&Cs

From a boaters point of view the most convenient F&Cs must be from the McMonagles Sail Through in beautiful Clydebank on the Forth Clyde canal . You lie alongside the window, cleets provided, place your order etc. The food scores 7 out of 10.

For the best fish supper try the Alba d'Ora in Edinburgh
 
Fascadale said:
From a boaters point of view the most convenient F&Cs must be from the McMonagles Sail Through in beautiful Clydebank on the Forth Clyde canal . You lie alongside the window, cleets provided, place your order etc. The food scores 7 out of 10.

For the best fish supper try the Alba d'Ora in Edinburgh
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The sail through is OK but it is mainly the novelty. For many years my favourite chippy in Edinburgh was the St Andrews in Portobello
 
Well, just to be different . . . .

You would have to wait for a seriously high spring tide to visit the location I would like to nominate.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Jane's Upstairs"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx51 Old Woking Road
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWest Byfleet
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People drive for miles to go there. Very, very pretty girls, superlative fish and chips and a wine list.

You usually have to wait an hour for a table but it is sure very worth while.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxhttp://www.janesupstairs.co.uk

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Robin said:
The reason for leaving it for a while is that the batter changes in molecular structure and is more cohesive but I leave ours only about 30 minutes and might stir in a tad more soda water (and therefore fizz) just before use as it will have thickened a bit.
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Molecular structure, eh? I don't buy that but I'll listen if you care to explain the science. More likely it's drying out, skinning over and going flat.
I personally like using an amber ale - I think it adds flavour, but it might just be in my head.

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-deep-fry-beer-battered-fish-242086/
 
dmmbruce said:
The biggest fish market used to be in Birmingham, or so it was said. You can buy excellent fish in the midlands, but often it is difficult to get anything that is acceptable at the coast. Maybe that explains the problem. Local filleting is often also very poor.

Certainly I have found that the best fish and chips have always been well inland. By comparison Grimsby and Hull, for example, were always dreadful. Crazy isn't it?
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You should try the Fish and Chip van on Tobermoray pier. French run, Routier approved and always first class.
 
Had the best fish ever in Kilmore Quay (Ireland) last month but expensive. Now in Padstow and looking forward to trying Rick Stiens fish and chip shop today. Will report back later.....
 
Cruiser2B said:
Molecular structure, eh? I don't buy that but I'll listen if you care to explain the science. More likely it's drying out, skinning over and going flat.
I personally like using an amber ale - I think it adds flavour, but it might just be in my head.

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-deep-fry-beer-battered-fish-242086/
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Your video link also says you can make it an hour or so in advance if needs be using beer. It also says the yeast in the beer helps, which cannot be right because modern beers have the yeast killed and filtered out, very few contain live yeast these days. I did cod 'n chips last night with the self raising flour recipe and using fridge cold soda water, left covered in the fridge for 45 minutes before use, excellent too!
 
Best in UK

An earlier reply said Steeles in Grimsby/Cleethorpes and I do agree but equally good would be Marshalls in Tynemouth. It has taken me many decades to determine this, despite being a 100% southerner. Sailed Portsmouth to Farnes last year and tried many F and C establishments, would agree that Whitby, where I tried several, has gone sadly down hill over the years.
 
boatmike said:
Had the best fish ever in Kilmore Quay (Ireland) last month but expensive. Now in Padstow and looking forward to trying Rick Stiens fish and chip shop today. Will report back later.....
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I was disappointed. The batter was thick and soggy. I then went a few miles up the road to Crackington Haven and had F&C in the pub. I was so impressed I called the lady out of the kitchen to tell her Stein wasn't a patch on hers. Thin crisp batter - perfect.
 
Robin said:
Your video link also says you can make it an hour or so in advance if needs be using beer. It also says the yeast in the beer helps, which cannot be right because modern beers have the yeast killed and filtered out, very few contain live yeast these days. I did cod 'n chips last night with the self raising flour recipe and using fridge cold soda water, left covered in the fridge for 45 minutes before use, excellent too!
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In context he seemed to be saying it should be used within an hour. I didn't buy what he said about yeast, other than it creates CO2. You have to admit that used immediately after mixing it didn't suffer from a lack of molecular structure change. If you leaven with yeast you have to let it sit, for the yeast to do its job (for lack of a better description, eating and farting). If you leaven with baking powder, the chemical reaction is very quick - leave it sit and the CO2 bubbles float to the surface out of the mixture, doing no good at all - it's the same with beer or soda water. You would never leave a cake batter to sit; you mix it and pop it into a pre-heated oven. To each his own.
 
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