Fish from a chippers

vibe666

can anyone tell me why none of the chippers in ireland (at least none that i've been to) cook their fish fresh? why on earth do they pre-cook everything?

the difference between fresh and old re-heated fish is the same as anything else and since fish is so delicate it really doesn't do it any favours, particularly when it would need to be heated right through anyway so cooking it fresh and re-heating it would take the exact same amount of time anyway.

i've cooked fresh home made battered cod and chips at home several times and the difference is like night and day. moist, tender fresh and lovely, versus old boots by comparison. some chippers are decent enough, but i've never actually seen anyone cooking it fresh like i used to see in England growing up, where the fish is floured, battered and fried right in front of you.

i think i just miss really good fish and chips.

olaola

Takes too long to cook it from fresh. During peak times, the chips are also precooked and then recooked before serving.

promethius42

There are a few local ones up here that do.

loveisdivine

I notice this too. I also grew up in England where the fish was battered fresh and always came up light and very crispy. Here, theres no crunch at all, the batter is chewy and tough and always an insipid pale yellow colour when it should be a darker golden brown (texture like sun ).

I can honestly say in the near 3 years I've been living here Ive only had fish from a chipper twice and that was from Beshoffs which is mildly better. I just dont bother now cos its always a disappointment. I have a zaytoons instead

The first thing I do when I go home for a weekend is head to the local chip shop, theres a queue out the door yet they always still manage to make it fresh, and nobody minds waiting cos its so good.

Melendez

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loveisdivine

Melendez wrote: »

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I dont even think they should do this. I can buy ready battered fish from the shop and cook it myself. I go to a chipper because I want fresh fish, with a freshly made batter on it and one thats not been sat under a heat lamp for a few hours.

Considering fish and chips is the main reason for the business, they should at least be able to do that properly.

Although, I could also buy fresh fish and batter it myself too, which is what I do now. But i hate the way the whole house smells greasy afterwards, so ideally I would like to get it from a chipper.

i71jskz5xu42pb

Pretty sure Beshoffs in Howth cook their fish fresh. That may be just a factor of the volumes they do (esp at the weekend).

the beer revolu

olaola wrote: »

Takes too long to cook it from fresh. During peak times, the chips are also precooked and then recooked before serving.

As said in the OP, it takes just as long to heat it through as it does to cook it fresh.
Twice cooking chips is the best way to achieve cooked through but crispy chips - I'd be cross if they didn't do this with their chips!

Melendez

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vibe666

there's definitely a gap in the market anyway.

i was just wondering if there was a legitimate reason for it, i.e. some bonkers health & safety rule that requires it that way or something?

Jogathon

The Fish Hatch in Cork City cook their fish from fresh. Yum yum!

mikemac1

vibe666 wrote: »

i think i just miss really good fish and chips.

McDonaghs in Galway

vibe666

cork and galway are a long way from dublin.

although i was in youghal at the weekend which was lovely.

and dublin zoo could learn a lot from Fota, we had an amazing day out there.

Sergeant

mikemac1 wrote: »

McDonaghs in Galway

I'm from Galway, and I've never understood the fascination with this place. I love fish and chips, it's one of my favourite meals, but I've never found McDonaghs to be anything other than very ordinary.

The fish appears to be pre-battered, and retains a load of grease. And the plates are too small. And the tartar sauce is awful. The chips are nice though.

I wouldn't even say it's the best fish and chip shop in the area, never mind the best in Ireland.

olaola

Melendez wrote: »

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AFAIK it's not bought in like this, they do it themselves (I've seen the buckets of batter)

Bobsammy

There's a fairly new one in Navan that batters the fish in front of you, Hyland's. I've only been there about three times but it's been excellent every time! I was in there on Good Friday and the place was packed but he was still battering each piece as it was ordered and frying it straight away.

Juicyfruit

Macari's in Belmayne is by far the nicest chipper I've ever had. The fresh cod is gorgeous and fresh and the batter is lovely, as are the chips.
Can't recommend the place enough!

I live in Clonsilla and often drive over to Belmayne coz it's so nice, not that far really but considering the choices around Clonsilla/Blanch it's definitely worth the extra drive. You can sit in also which is handy!

*I'd just like to point out I am in no way affiliated with this chipper, just think it's delish!

vibe666

Bobsammy wrote: »

There's a fairly new one in Navan that batters the fish in front of you, Hyland's. I've only been there about three times but it's been excellent every time! I was in there on Good Friday and the place was packed but he was still battering each piece as it was ordered and frying it straight away.

balls, we just moved out of navan to dublin a few months ago.

humberklog

Juicyfruit wrote: »

Macari's in Belmayne is by far the nicest chipper I've ever had. The fresh cod is gorgeous and fresh and the batter is lovely, as are the chips.
Can't recommend the place enough!

I live in Clonsilla and often drive over to Belmayne coz it's so nice, not that far really but considering the choices around Clonsilla/Blanch it's definitely worth the extra drive. You can sit in also which is handy!

*I'd just like to point out I am in no way affiliated with this chipper, just think it's delish!

Whatever floats your own boat.

This is one of the worst chippers in Christendom. I'm looking at what I know not to be cod right now. I live in an apartment above this place and (like a fly to the light) pop down and try it every now and again.

The next time worse than the last.

The cod is not cod. It's a fish brought in pre-battered from SouthEast Asia (as is a lot of fish served in many restaurants). It's from the Coley family (Coley's lovely) but when it does over 8.000 miles it loses a lot in translation.

This chipper is bad. Not the worst- that goes to a spot in Lanzerote. Macari's in Belmayne is Canaries at best.

Juicyfruit

humberklog wrote: »

Whatever floats your own boat.

This is one of the worst chippers in Christendom. I'm looking at what I know not to be cod right now. I live in an apartment above this place and (like a fly to the light) pop down and try it every now and again.

The next time worse than the last.

The cod is not cod. It's a fish brought in pre-battered from SouthEast Asia (as is a lot of fish served in many restaurants). It's from the Coley family (Coley's lovely) but when it does over 8.000 miles it loses a lot in translation.

This chipper is bad. Not the worst- that goes to a spot in Lanzerote. Macari's in Belmayne is Canaries at best.

Really?

Me and everyone else I know who have tried it have thought it was the best they've had.

Each to their own and all that.

Davidth88

OP , I have always wondered that too. I am English and Ill be honest if you tried to sell the fish and chips most chippers here sell in England you would go bust,

The sight of the piles of half cooked battered fish is enough for me to turn away from most chippers here ( Ireland )

I have found that Beshoff's ( the last one I tried was on Mespil Rd ) don't seem to do this and the fish is great.


In England if you order fish , often you have to wait while it's cooked.

Alun

Davidth88 wrote: »

OP , I have always wondered that too. I am English and Ill be honest if you tried to sell the fish and chips most chippers here sell in England you would go bust,

The sight of the piles of half cooked battered fish is enough for me to turn away from most chippers here ( Ireland )

I have found that Beshoff's ( the last one I tried was on Mespil Rd ) don't seem to do this and the fish is great.


In England if you order fish , often you have to wait while it's cooked.

I agree, I'm English too and have been very disappointed in general with the quality of fish and chips here. Either it's pre-cooked and/or it's something that definitely isn't what is described on the menu (i.e. cod). Not that I'm a big fan of cod anyway, I prefer haddock, but that seems to be pretty rare here too, although I have had it in Beshoffs.

rubadub

olaola wrote: »

AFAIK it's not bought in like this, they do it themselves (I've seen the buckets of batter)

Yeah, I have seen them with frozen "cod portions" like giant processed unbreaded fish fingers, but still battering them themselves along with fresh unfrozen fillets. I have never heard claims of traditional chippers using pre battered stuff before this thread. My local Chinese does a donegal catch type fish.

I have gotten freshly battered fish a few times in chippers when they were doing the battering. Its a messy job and more efficient to do in bulk so I can understand why they do it, as well as saving some time cooking again.

loveisdivine wrote: »

Considering fish and chips is the main reason for the business, they should at least be able to do that properly.

In most chippers I go to fish is far from the "main reason", i.e. not the big seller. I got my half price fish today, in a chipper that calls out all peoples orders, about 6 were in front of me waiting and about 3 came in after, only 1 guy ordered fish along with me. All the rest were paying full price for burgers, wings, wraps etc.

Alun wrote: »

definitely isn't what is described on the menu (i.e. cod).

Theres an old thread on this, the fish was tested by some authority and most fresh cod was indeed cod, most smoked cod was not.

Mislabelling is more common in Ireland than the UK according to this
http://www.ucd.ie/news/2011/07JUL11/180711-Cod-Mislabelling-Four-Times-More-Prevalent-in-Ireland-than-UK-study-shows.html

Doesn't bother me too much, I just want a white fish that tastes nice to me.

Alun

rubadub wrote: »

Doesn't bother me too much, I just want a white fish that tastes nice to me.

That's not really the point though. They're describing it as cod, charging cod prices but buying it in on the cheap and pocketing the extra profit. That's fraud in my book, and lot's of takeaways in the UK have been prosecuted for it by Trading Standards.

lookitsme

I had my half price fish and chips earlier on and I was thinking the exact same thing as the OP. When traveling in OZ all the chippers did it and I don't think it would take that much cooking time, maybe a small amount of time flouring and battering, but i'm sure if you recieved a nice fresh moist fish with a crispy batter you wouldn't complain about a slight delay. I don't think your late night sh*t in a tray merchants would change for their post pint customers indulgences

Is the smell from the extraction fans outside the chipper often nicer then the food to get from it?

niallam

99% of all chippers use frozen cod, beshoffs included, shelf life is the main reason, and 100% use smoked coley, not cod, why use real smoked cod which is well over twice the price when nobody clearly has a clue anyway, the smoked flavour is what your tasting and the texture is identical...

humberklog wrote: »

The cod is not cod. It's a fish brought in pre-battered from SouthEast Asia (as is a lot of fish served in many restaurants). It's from the Coley family (Coley's lovely) but when it does over 8.000 miles it loses a lot in translation.

You dont actually know what your on about i'd say, the coley family? Coley, Saithe or Black Pollock (all the same) would be nearly impossible to tell the difference from cod when frozen, thawed and then covered in an oil drenched batter, the flesh colour is darker than cod other than that your not really going to have any other clue.
The only thing that comes battered from Asia is probably squid rings, the fish your probably thinking of is Pangasius, a catfish, very muddy flavour, but doesnt come battered.

lookitsme

niallam wrote: »

Pangasius, a catfish, very muddy flavour, but doesnt come battered.

I bought some pangasius not so long ago as a cheap bit of fish, i regret not paying the extra money on something better, was tasteless except for the mud of course.

vibe666

isn't that the chinese one that has all the mercury in it?

or am i thinking of something else? seem to remember warnings against something like that a while back.

Tazz T

Genetic checks by UCD back in 2010 found that 82% of all cod and haddock in chip shops in Dublin was another type of fish altogether. I make my own since. Very easy and much cheaper. Hake, I find makes a better sustainable substitute for cod.

niallam

vibe666 wrote: »

isn't that the chinese one that has all the mercury in it?

or am i thinking of something else? seem to remember warnings against something like that a while back.

Mercury is possibly present in predatory fish like tuna, that's why it's not recommended for pregnant women.

Curry Addict

Juicyfruit wrote: »

I live in Clonsilla and often drive over to Belmayne coz it's so nice, not that far really but considering the choices around Clonsilla/Blanch it's definitely worth the extra drive.
*I'd just like to point out I am in no way affiliated with this chipper, just think it's delish!

Romayos in clonsilla is pretty good imho