Where the Fish (and Chips) Are Plentiful

Living in the UK for a few years, I ate my more than my fair share of fish and chips. That crispy, golden goodness sustained my family and I through countless day trips, pub afternoons, and Now that I am home in the US, it’s a meal I only eat when I make it at home (that old Mickey D’s Filet-O-Fish just doesn’t cut it). It brings me immediately back to my time as an expat, when the fried fish was plentiful and there was a chip shop on every corner.

Now that I make my own, I am keenly aware of the fish that I cook with. I used to prefer Atlantic Cod–it was available in most restaurants or pubs, and it has a firm, white, and delicious flesh. When there was no cod, haddock was the second choice, less desired because of its flakiness.

However, I didn’t know how overfished Atlantic Cod is (Dan Barber’s book The Third Plate has an interesting section about this issue). But what type of fish should I use?

Websites abound that give suggestions for fish swaps, advising consumers on more sustainable fish to use in place of the most overfished stocks (Atlantic Cod being one of them).

The next problem you may encounter is: where do I get this sustainable fish? Unless you have an amazing fish market in your town or city (like I do), there can be slim pickings at the grocery store (and it’s not always practical to make a separate stop at the fish market).

And if you’re really adventurous and particular about the flavor of your fish, take it to another level and buy your fish alive and perform Ike Jime.

The fish and chips recipe I use is adapted from Rick Stein’s, the guru of fish cooking in the UK.