"fish and chips" news and stories

Caramel Potatoes. Photo: Sarah LeTrent

Few of us want to make a complicated lasagna for solo dining -- by day six, you'll never want to see lasagna again! In this series, AOL Food staffer Sarah LeTrent taste-tests simple recipes suitable for a "table for one."

Most home kitchens are lacking in the deep-fryer department for authentic fish-and-chips, plus the process tends to leave quite a mess. And the thought of yet another lone baked potato seems painfully boring. Behold, a new combination of fish-plus-potato: oven-fried cod and caramel potatoes.

Caramel potatoes are, as the name suggests, boiled potatoes coated in a sugar and butter caramel. A traditional Scandinavian holiday dish, why save it for special meals, when potatoes, sugar and butter are common pantry staples. Yes, it may seem like a bizarre way of cooking potatoes but no, they're not sweet.

Robin, the thorn in Top Chefs' sides. Photo: Bravo.

Toby Young really missed his potatoes last night. In his return to the "Top Chef" judges' table, the snarky British author and all-purpose pundit was presented with a couple of deconstructed dishes that, at their best, would've celebrated his homeland.

At their worst, however -- and as prepared by Ash and Laurine, respectively, they were at their worst -- the two concoctions were an outright affront to the dear old Blighty: fish 'n' chips and shepherd's pie. Even guest judges Penn and Teller, chosen for their skill at deconstructing magic tricks, couldn't contain their disgust.

Credit Laurine for at least trying: Her cube of halibut, pile of zucchini relish and smear of tomato confit was what an eager community college-student might think deconstructed cuisine should look like. But the all-important tuber was merely represented by a tiny communion wafer of chewy, parsley-infused potato. Missing "what you call fries, what I call chips," Young and company summoned her to the loser's circle.

Ash's, meanwhile, was a mess of elements on a plate, ranging from inconsistently cooked lamb chops to pea puree, glopped on in a desperate attempt to make up for a potato-parsnip side dish that was "too gluey" to serve. As if that admonition wasn't enough, the young cook went so far as to confess that the only shepherd's pie he had ever tasted was his own, which brought to mind nothing so much as Jodie Foster in "Nell," living by her own special language that no one else could understand.

Fried chicken. Funnel cakes. Doughnuts. If you ever thought deep-fried foods could never be sexy, think again. This is a picture of fish and chips as taken by The Girl Who Ate Everything. She is currently making her way through various parts of Europe on vacation, but these fish and chips are from Chip Shop in New York (obviously - I can't imagine they'd serve fish and chips with Ranch dressing in England). What can I say? It's not just food porn, this baby is sexy. Maybe it's the lighting. Maybe it's the way the French fries (chips) are tumbling all over each other. Maybe it's the naughty pose of the deep-fried fish on the edge of the plate.

Ranking alongside Robin Hood, the Archers, Magna Carta and Dover's White Cliffs the humble Fish and Chips was voted as one of England's national icons. But it has always had a down-market image - fine for the hoi polloi, but not really for the likes of us.

But no longer, as this Times piece explains. Fish and Chip restaurants have gone up-market led by the growing chain of Sea Cow fish restaurants. A new takeaway fish and chip shop is to open next Friday at the mecca to London's foodies - Borough Market. The paper lists six of the best chippies across the country -

1. Hodgson's Chippie, 96 Prospect Street, Lancaster
2. Fecci's Restaurant, Lower Frog Street, Tenby, Pembrokeshire [details]
3. fish!Kitchen, 58 Coombe Road, Kingston upon Thames [website]
4. Magpie Cafe, 14 Pier Road, Whitby, North Yorkshire [website]
5. Pittenweem Fish Bar, 5 High Street, Pittenweem, Fife
6. Loch Bay Seafood Restaurant, Stein, Isle of Skye [website]

Source

Some foods are meant to go together. In fact, many of them pair so well that they have become the most classic comfort foods. In an effort to bypass the well-known, I first set out to collect the 8 worst food pairings, but was so disgusted by the idea of pickled herring and cheesecake that I was forced to stop. I realized that it is for good reason that some foods get paired: they taste great together and make such good combinations that it is hard to think of one without the other. These are definitely a few of the best:

1. Peanut butter and jelly
2. Macaroni and cheese
3. Fish and chips (or burgers and fries)
4. Bacon and eggs
5. Milk and cookies
6. Pancakes and syrup
7. Gin and tonic
8. Spaghetti and meatballs

Salt and pepper is, arguably, the ultimate combination, though they are seasonings and not exactly "food". Here are some of the runners up from the list above: Butter and toast, cupcakes and sprinkles, tomato soup and grilled cheese, cheese and crackers and Ben and Jerry’s.

I know there are lots of others. What are we missing?