#Best fried fish sandwich near me full

His store at 5425 West North Bend Road was in a predominantly Roman Catholic neighborhood, which led to falling hamburger sales on Fridays resulting from the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays, a Western Christian custom practiced by many Roman Catholics, Methodists, Anglicans and Lutherans. The sandwich was invented in 1962 by Catholic businessman Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in Cincinnati. While the fish composition of the sandwich has changed through the years to cater to taste preferences and address supply limitations, the framework of its ingredients have remained constant a fried breaded fish fillet, a steamed bun, tartar sauce and pasteurized American cheese. It was created in 1962 by Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in Cincinnati, Ohio, in response to declining hamburger sales on Fridays due to the Western Christian practice of abstaining from meat on that day, which holds significance in Roman Catholicism, Methodism and Anglicanism. The Filet-O-Fish is a fish sandwich sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's.

#Best fried fish sandwich near me full

From here, it goes straight into a wok (or Dutch oven) full of hot oil.†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. I find the easiest method is to drop the battered fish into the dry flour, throw some more flour on top to coat, then pick it up by scooping under it and tossing it back and forth between your hands to get rid of excess dry flour. You're going to end up breading your hands, and once the fish comes out of the drippy batter and back into the dry flour, it's important to work fast before it all starts to drip off. I found that the most effective method-the one that gave the best balance between crispness and lightness was to give the fish a quick coat in the dry flour mixture, followed by a dip in the batter, then a second dip into the dry flour before lowering it into the fryer. I experimented using a few different coating methods-pre-flouring before battering, battering the fish straight up, etc. A few spots of raw flour are perfectly fine. Gluten formation is increased with excessive stirring, so for the best batter, I find that mixing it with a whisk or a pair of chopsticks just until it barely comes together is the way to go. Rather than using straight-up flour for my batter, I use a combo of flour and cornstarch, which reduces the amount of gluten formed-a protein network that can cause a batter to become leathery and tough.

The bubbles are also essential-they create the tiny, tiny pockets inside a good batter that add to our perception of crunchiness-it's really just a little boost for the baking powder, which performs a similar function. First off, sugars present in the beer will increase the brownability of the batter, while its alcohol content makes it more volatile, helping it to escape the batter and thus cook faster than a water-based batter ever could. As the exterior batter dehydrates and browns, the fish on the inside steams ever so gently.įor this to work properly, you need a batter that is light in texture, and browns relatively quickly. The idea is that a good, light, bubble-filled batter will act as an insulator, slowing down the transfer of heat from the ripping hot oil to the delicate fish. A traditional beer batter is made with lightly leavened flour and cold, bubbly beer. There's not much to a good fried fish sandwich. Is that too much to ask?įresh off a frying bender from my Korean fried chicken testing, transporting this task home seemed like a natural. Unfortunately, my search has been relatively fruitless, turning up several good-tasting candidates, but none that captures that quintessential New England combo of crisp beer batter encasing tender, flaky white cod, tangy tartar sauce, and a creamy, crunchy mayo-based slaw all on a buttery steamed bun.

I've been scouring New York for a great fish sandwich.

Coating the fish in a dry flour mixture before and after the wet batter is the most effective way to achieve a beautifully light outer coating.

Adding cold beer to the batter creates the tiny air pockets needed for exceptional crunch, while also adding sugars that heighten the batter’s brownability.

Using a combination of flour and cornstarch reduces the amount of gluten that can be formed in the batter, therefore preventing it from becoming tough.