Beer battered fish - can anyone tell?

[NickDavies]

This only springs to mind because I spotted yesterday, wait for it, Peroni battered fish. Lots of pubs make a thing of this, in Marstons pubs it is inevitably, allegedly, Pedigree battered in the the factory where it's prepared, and so on.

Is it really beer battered? Can anyone tell? And anyway fish from a decent chippy with no chance of any beer involvement (in preparation, not in the consumer) is always miles better than anything a pub can serve up.

[hopwas]

This only springs to mind because I spotted yesterday, wait for it, Peroni battered fish. Lots of pubs make a thing of this, in Marstons pubs it is inevitably, allegedly, Pedigree battered in the the factory where it's prepared, and so on.

Is it really beer battered? Can anyone tell? And anyway fish from a decent chippy with no chance of any beer involvement (in preparation, not in the consumer) is always miles better than anything a pub can serve up.

Good question.. Being ex-cook in pub, there is 3 ways to tell if it is beer battered..

1) Beer Battered fish.. tends to be slightly darker batter colour than normal cod (without beer)

2) It is much crunchier than ordinary ones.

3) Sometimes you get hint of "bitterness" taste in beer battered fish.

[Alesonly]

Ive never noticed any difference in Pubs Ive tried. But lucky where I live theres two award winning Chip shops that are very good and I would sooner get my Fish & Chips in them as I think its much better quality and value for money. Most Pubs Ive tried serve a small bit of Frozen Fish and just a couple of Oven Chips so I don't bother now I go too the chippy on the way home. :D

[arwkrite]

I can recall a few occasions when the cook has come into the bar and pulled off the ale for the batter. At one pub in Tenby we were given a choice of ales. There is a difference but I am blowed if I can put it into words.
I have had extremes of both good and bad battered fish and chips in pubs , restaurants, cafes and chip shops, so I could not recommend the best ever. Often you return to a place only to be disappointed by their latest efforts. The thin fillets are often over done and the batter like shrapnel. Batter can be thick and undercooked leaving that slime coating on the contents.
Very good Fish and Chips , preferably Cod or Haddock, are so very difficult to find.

P.S. The best drink with fish and chips is a mug of tea.

[Maldenman]

I'm pretty fortunate in having a very good chippy nearby that does an excellent piece of fish. The beer batter thing in pubs I regard as a bit of a gimmick, and I agree not many pubs can oust the chippy when it comes to proper fish and chips. The only problem for me down south is that you can't get a decent pie anywhere, certainly not a proper Northern meat and potato.

[trainman]

The only problem for me down south is that you can't get a decent pie...
...or gravy! Only just starting to notice the occasional (southern) presence of mushy peas.

On the beer batter thing, isn't a gassy beer supposed to lighten the batter in the same way that carbonated water is recommended for tempura batter?

Agree that very good chippies are few & far between, it's still usually the sustenance of choice (& pocket) if bothering with solids on an away-day.

[Maldenman]

They do mushy peas in my local chippy but as yet I haven't persuaded them to start doing gravy. Oh for a Hollands M&P pie, or even one of their steak puddings, with chips, mushies and loads of gravy. Salt and vinegar on the gravy compulsory.

On the note of the beer lightening the batter, when I've eaten fish in a pub I generally have found the batter to be overly crispy and darker, but this of course could be due to portions being pre-cooked and kept warm in a low oven. Either that or frozen junk.

As good chippies are sadly a rarity, perhaps Conrad you might want to think about......well maybe not!

[Gann]

Not only do I come across beer battered fish, but as I work not far from Bray and the establishments of Heston Blumenthal, every decent restaurant and food pub in the area has to serve it with 'Thrice cooked chips'. And there is one very noticeable difference between these and ordinary chips........ about £3.......:moremad:

[arwkrite]

Before reading the last post I had snacked on a small , healthy, meatless salad and a small whole grain roll moistened with a little Flora......

NOW I WANT A PIE. MUSHY PEAS, CHIPS AND GRAVY.........AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: :eek::eek:

All my good intentions gone at a mere mention of A PIE.

There is no hope for Arwkrite.........A Fat Bas888d for all eternity.:muppet:

[Alesonly]

They do mushy peas in my local chippy but as yet I haven't persuaded them to start doing gravy. Oh for a Hollands M&P pie, or even one of their steak puddings, with chips, mushies and loads of gravy. Salt and vinegar on the gravy compulsory.

On the note of the beer lightening the batter, when I've eaten fish in a pub I generally have found the batter to be overly crispy and darker, but this of course could be due to portions being pre-cooked and kept warm in a low oven. Either that or frozen junk.

As good chippies are sadly a rarity, perhaps Conrad you might want to think about......well maybe not!

Yes the Chip Shop I use at Tally Ho Corner is good and its right facing the Wetherspoons which is handy. They do Mushy Peas, Pease Pudding, Spam Fritters, Gravy, Baked Beans, and a lovely Large bit of Place or Haddock along with Pukka Pies & Sausage Rolls and all the other usual chip shop stuff like Chicken Etc. I must agree theres not one Pub I Know that can do Cod Chips & Mushy Peas like the Chippy.

[Maldenman]

Sincere apologies arwkrite my friend.

As for no hope, well I gave in to the inevitable course of things a while ago!

[arwkrite]

Don't worry Maldenman. My flesh is weak ( as well as flabby) and as far as spirit goes...well make mine a Grouse.

Ales only hammered home the nails . I can hear a lonely pie calling to me through the open window, a sad and plaintive sound. I must go and find it and befriend it, then sink a couple or so of pints. Yeeeehhhhh.

[Eddie86]

Bloody hell, I'd hate to go to the pubs you lot visit! Fish cooked and held in the oven?!? Oven Chips!?! Simply make the beer batter each morning using good ale, plain flour, touch of salt and tumeric for colouring, and your away. Cod cooked in 3 minutes, Haddock (with skin on) 4 minutes, Plaice 2 minutes and Hake 3 minutes usually, although the fillets have been larger recently.

I enjoy fish and chips, whether eating or cooking!

As for which beer you use, I'm of the opinion the cleanliness of the oil makes more difference to the flavour.

[arwkrite]

Not all are as skilled or conscientious as you Eddie. To many pubs it boil in the bag, ping in the microwave or warm up in the oven.What you call the people whose job it is to prepare food in this way I haven't a clue. Its cheap and its filling but rarely satisfying.I prefer food prepared by a cook, a good honourable term . Far to many Chefs about these days putting filled baguettes and rocket salads on plates.
Of course meals freshly prepared from food that has not seen the inside of a jetliners cargo hold but comes from down the road will cost you more. Each plate is done individually and after all someones time has to be paid for. While the cook in a pub may not be on speaking terms with the potatoes or the onions they will have more of an idea of where they were sourced.
Surprisingly I never see "Brakes "or others of that type at my local pubs.Grantedly the menus are limited and the serving times a bit vague. If I see a menu with far to many dishes on it I get suspicious.
We have a local called Freddie the Fish who calls at the pubs in the area with his refrigerated van. He sells not only to the pub but also any customer who fancies a fresh fish or a fillet.If you can catch him on a Friday afternoon when the call of a pint is on him you can get yourself a fishy bargain as he greatly reduces the price. I personally never batter fish. I like it steamed , simply fried with a light dusting of seasoned flower or done on the barbi.

Ps not wishing to go off thread ( not that it has ever stopped me ) but at 10 am each day the exact same smell emanates from the kitchen of one of our Indian restaurants. I am wondering if they have a huge curry stock pot that has never ,ever run out. I wander how old and how thick the crust is on its rim. I just cannot eat there though I like Indian food.

[Eddie86]

Not all are as skilled or conscientious as you Eddie. To many pubs it boil in the bag, ping in the microwave or warm up in the oven.What you call the people whose job it is to prepare food in this way I haven't a clue. Its cheap and its filling but rarely satisfying.I prefer food prepared by a cook, a good honourable term . Far to many Chefs about these days putting filled baguettes and rocket salads on plates.
Of course meals freshly prepared from food that has not seen the inside of a jetliners cargo hold but comes from down the road will cost you more. Each plate is done individually and after all someones time has to be paid for. While the cook in a pub may not be on speaking terms with the potatoes or the onions they will have more of an idea of where they were sourced.
Surprisingly I never see "Brakes "or others of that type at my local pubs.Grantedly the menus are limited and the serving times a bit vague. If I see a menu with far to many dishes on it I get suspicious.
We have a local called Freddie the Fish who calls at the pubs in the area with his refrigerated van. He sells not only to the pub but also any customer who fancies a fresh fish or a fillet.If you can catch him on a Friday afternoon when the call of a pint is on him you can get yourself a fishy bargain as he greatly reduces the price. I personally never batter fish. I like it steamed , simply fried with a light dusting of seasoned flower or done on the barbi.



Next time you can grab a couple of whole (but gutted!) trout. Slice up some lime, ginger and spring onion and stuff. Steam for about 10 minutes, serve with creamed leeks and a tomato and fennel salad :D

My personal favourite is a very simple one. Chop parsley, add to melted butter, roll into a log in clingfilm and stick in the freezer for half an hour to firm up again. Grill a fillet of cod, put on the plate, slice a half inch knob of butter off the log and put on the fish to melt. Cod in Parsley butter, I'd probably serve with some lemon and mint cous cous

[arwkrite]

Thanks Eddie for that .....I'm hungry again. Methinks I had better replace my avatar with a picture of Garfield the cat.

[aleandhearty]

Only just starting to notice the occasional (southern) presence of mushy peas.

On the beer batter thing, isn't a gassy beer supposed to lighten the batter in the same way that carbonated water is recommended for tempura batter?

Agree that very good chippies are few & far between

I'm passionate about good fish and chips, but I agree with the sentiment that a lot of them are very poor these days. I suspect using poor quality potatoes and letting the teperature of the fat drop too much has a lot to do with it. Your comment about lightening the batter has always been my take on the use of beer. I couldn't imagine eating f&c without mushy peas, or 'Yorkshire caviar' as many local wags call them


Haddock (with skin on) 4 minutes...
As for which beer you use, I'm of the opinion the cleanliness of the oil makes more difference to the flavour.

Haddock has always been the default fish in most Yorkshire chippies, but always skinless. However, when I've ordered it elsewhere in the UK they always serve it with the skin on, but not with cod for some bizarre reason. I wonder why? Agree about oil cleanliness, but beef dripping is the stuff.Its very high smoke point means it can seal the fish really quickly, plus it has a much higher resistance to oxidation than oils.


Ps not wishing to go off thread ( not that it has ever stopped me ) but at 10 am each day the exact same smell emanates from the kitchen of one of our Indian restaurants. I am wondering if they have a huge curry stock pot that has never ,ever run out. I wander how old and how thick the crust is on its rim. I just cannot eat there though I like Indian food.

Nothing too sinister Arky. The reason the smell is always the same is beacuse most restaurants have their own base sauce that's only slightly tweaked for individual curry styles. In poorer restaurants that's why many of the dishes look and taste the same.

[Farway]

I'm pretty fortunate in having a very good chippy nearby that does an excellent piece of fish. The beer batter thing in pubs I regard as a bit of a gimmick, and I agree not many pubs can oust the chippy when it comes to proper fish and chips. The only problem for me down south is that you can't get a decent pie anywhere, certainly not a proper Northern meat and potato.

I found oop north I had trouble getting a filled baguette & rocket salad with a fresh Italian dressing , only seemed to serve lard pie & greasy chips :whistle:

[Crossste]

Biggest disappointment of our recent Scarborough trip was coming out of the excellent North Riding pub after 4 Sunday dinner time pints of Rudgate Dark Ruby and going into the cafe over the road to order fish, chips & peas for the 4 of us only to be served with one of Iceland (the shop not the country) finest fish, frozen chips and canned mushy peas.

We could have had better/fresher fish had we stayed back in Littleborough, perhaps 80 miles from the North Sea not 500yds.

[Alesonly]

Don't Know if anyone has read the latest Wetherspoons News but in a Customer has sent a Letter of complaint about the cardboard Oven chips they serve. Tim Martins reply made me Laugh out loud when I read it last night after reading this thread We will look into whether we can get a supply of McCain crispy oven Chips instead. :confused:

[NickDavies]

Remember that heart-sinking note that went up around this time of year: "We are now frying new potatoes" - with the unwritten second sentence : "So don't complain if they're not very nice."

[aleandhearty]

Biggest disappointment of our recent Scarborough trip was coming out of the excellent North Riding pub after 4 Sunday dinner time pints of Rudgate Dark Ruby and going into the cafe over the road to order fish, chips & peas for the 4 of us only to be served with one of Iceland (the shop not the country) finest fish, frozen chips and canned mushy peas.

We could have had better/fresher fish had we stayed back in Littleborough, perhaps 80 miles from the North Sea not 500yds.

It sounds like you were unbelievably unlucky. I bet that cafe survives on 'one time' tourist trade, I'm sure the locals will give it a wide berth. Maybe you ought to go to Filey instead:


http://www.qype.co.uk/place/358456-Inghams-Fish-Restaurant-Filey

Scroll down for the review. Was there on Thursday and can confirm the fish are huge!

[hopwas]

I remember i went to Whitby with my sister for one day out.. we came across world famous The Magpie Cafe by fishing port. It was best fish and chips I ever had in my life and still do. Taste of very tender cod is just out of this world..

Even great Ricky Stein himself said The Magpie Cafe is the greatest fish and chip in the world. I can see why...

Only problem is MASSIVE queue... Took me good 45 mins!

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Observer/Pix/pictures/2009/8/18/1250616960643/The-Magpie-Cafe-001.jpg

[aleandhearty]

I remember i went to Whitby with my sister for one day out.. we came across world famous The Magpie Cafe by fishing port. It was best fish and chips I ever had in my life and still do...Only problem is MASSIVE queue... Took me good 45 mins!

Yeah, the queue's the main reason I've never been:( , but it always makes any national paper's Top 10.

[Dave M]

Even great Ricky Stein himself said The Magpie Cafe is the greatest fish and chip in the world. I can see why...

Really?!

Well I had been thinking about trying Rick Steins Fish & Chip shop (http://www.rickstein.com/Steins-Fish-and-Chips.html) when I'm in Padstow next week. I wont bother now though! ;)

[Crossste]

It sounds like you were unbelievably unlucky. I bet that cafe survives on 'one time' tourist trade, I'm sure the locals will give it a wide berth.

Absolutely. We should have walked down to the roundabout at the other end of North Marine Road to our tried and trusted cafe.

I notice from your link, presuming it is your review, you live in Wakefield. When we lived in Ossett the best F&C i have ever had came from the fish shop facing the Redoubt and at the side of a Tetley house which got changed to some bandwagon jumping themed brewery owned real ale pub.

A few scoops in the Redoubt and then a few more in the Beer Engine when Bob had and home with F&C. Happy days.

Crossste the 18st correspondent.

[Soup Dragon]

You know when your in trouble, when the batter tastes better than the beer they serve

I didnt think the Magpie was anything special to be honest

[aleandhearty]

I notice from your link, presuming it is your review, you live in Wakefield. When we lived in Ossett the best F&C i have ever had came from the fish shop facing the Redoubt and at the side of a Tetley house which got changed to some bandwagon jumping themed brewery owned real ale pub.

A few scoops in the Redoubt and then a few more in the Beer Engine when Bob had and home with F&C. Happy days.



I've just twigged. Did you have the name of 'kerching3' on the 'other site'?

St Michael's F&C is still doing brisk business opposite The Redoubt, but the pub itself appears to be going downhill, unfortunately. The Tetley pub you referred to is The Waterloo and in its Festival Ale House heyday was one of Wakey's better boozers. A shame it's now a chavvy lager barn. I was also a regular at the Beer Engine when Bob Hunter had it and of course there was nowhere else like it at the time. It's reverted back to being The White Hart again, but is a shadow of its former self. Still at least Bob is brewing some great beers these days. Cheers.

[Crossste]

I've just twigged. Did you have the name of 'kerching3' on the 'other site'?

St Michael's F&C is still doing brisk business opposite The Redoubt, but the pub itself appears to be going downhill, unfortunately. The Tetley pub you referred to is The Waterloo and in its Festival Ale House heyday was one of Wakey's better boozers. A shame it's now a chavvy lager barn. I was also a regular at the Beer Engine when Bob Hunter had it and of course there was nowhere else like it at the time. It's reverted back to being The White Hart again, but is a shadow of its former self. Still at least Bob is brewing some great beers these days. Cheers.

Yeh. Bit of a mistake that one. Around the time of joining the other forum i was new to all things internet related and having joined another non beer related forum by entering my password and usernames in the wrong boxes i decided to stick with them that way round on other forums to save confusion for myself. Wished i hadn,t i felt it gave the impression i was some kind of flash git. It was a nickname some Geordie lads gave to me when they came to work in the area and made my pub their local. Use to have some good banter with them but if they were getting the better of me apparently i would say "you keep making the till go kerching you can call me what you want". As there could be a dozen of them it helped trade during the week. Excellent lads and good fun.

If you are/were part of Wakefield,s CAMRA i,m sure you would have been in our pub when we had it. We were in the GBG for the 7 years we were in the pub,90-97, plus we had a few meeting and a couple of pub of the season award nights. Quite a few of the members often called in for a few scoops on their travels and became quite regular (as most people did after drinking my beer, before anyone else says it), in fact one night myself and couple of members got a regal b*****king off plod for sampling one of Thwaites seasonal brews into the early hours. If your real name is Kev or Duncan? you could be one of em.

[aleandhearty]

If you are/were part of Wakefield,s CAMRA i,m sure you would have been in our pub when we had it. We were in the GBG for the 7 years we were in the pub,90-97

If your real name is Kev or Duncan? you could be one of em.

I am a CAMRA member now, but wasn't at the time. Not really drunk much in Ossett over the years, so I'm not sure I would have called into your pub. Out of interest, what was it called? (If you're uncomfortable about revealing the name here PM me, as I'd be curious to know). I'm definitely not Kev or Duncan. :)

[Crossste]

No not uncomfy at all. Little Bull on Teall St. The last time i met Kev, about 5 years ago, he was still involved with CAMRA and i think he was doing a bit of work at Fernandes. The more i think about it the other lad was called Darren not Duncan. Kev tends sticks in the mind, Max Wall haircut, very loud and you knew were you stood with him which is not a bad attribute IMO. Top lads.

[Wittenden]

Good thread this! Not too sure about the beer in the batter mix: my culinary skills don't extend this far.Good fish'n' chips is something to be proud of:my all time favourite must be the chippie in Southwold. My fuddled memory says that it was close to the church and or Adnams Brewery, however this was about 37 years ago, and I remember that we couldn't find it when we were last in the 'Wold a couple of years back. More realistically, my best F& C in a pub must be from the Britannia at Dungeness: proper fish, decent Sheps and the unearthly hum from the HT cables all around.
They're not bad from a van on occasion-we particularily commend the van that makes its way up Swaledale on a Friday night, especially as it means we can sit waiting in the poor old Punchbowl: it really winds up the miserable buggers who run it when the pub leaves en mass to collect their grub. Wonderful.

[aleandhearty]

No not uncomfy at all. Little Bull on Teall St. The last time i met Kev, about 5 years ago, he was still involved with CAMRA and i think he was doing a bit of work at Fernandes. The more i think about it the other lad was called Darren not Duncan. Kev tends sticks in the mind, Max Wall haircut, very loud and you knew were you stood with him which is not a bad attribute IMO. Top lads.

Sorry 'Crosste', never darkened your door. If I'm honest I can't even remember the name from the GBG at the time. Don't know Darren, but am on nodding terms with Kev G. He looks even more like Rasputin these days! Has an encyclopaedic knowledge of beer though.


They're not bad from a van on occasion-we particularily commend the van that makes its way up Swaledale on a Friday night, especially as it means we can sit waiting in the poor old Punchbowl: it really winds up the miserable buggers who run it when the pub leaves en mass to collect their grub. Wonderful.

Ah yes, I'd forgotten you're as big a fan of the Punchbowl as I am. I'd love to see the mass exit. :D