The Search For Calgary’s Best Fish & Chips

Casting Our Nets for Calgary’s Best Fish and Chips

BY LINDA GARSON

The British Chippy Mulligan’s at Valley Ridge Golf Club Pelican Pier

Sea Fish and Chips

Bobby’s Place Flower & Wolf

Fergus & Bix The Nash

Y93 Sushi Crave

Well Calgary, who

knew? Knew that we have so many excellent opportunities to eat fish and chips here in our landlocked city!

We love comfort food any time of year, but particularly in winter when we’re more often indoors, and it’s cold so we’re maybe hankering for a little comfort from our past (and who hasn’t needed comforting in recent times?), so being from the north of England,

I naturally turn to fish and chips, and even though our British Consul General,

Caroline Saunders, is from further south in England, it turns out she’s also rather an expert on underwater culinary delights.

“Fish and chips are very much part of the British culture, there is a fish and chip shop near Leeds which has been in business since 1865,” she says. “They were one of the few foods not rationed in Britain in WW2, and played a part in the D-Day landings. British soldiers identified each other by calling out ‘fish’ and waiting for the response of ‘chips’.”

We set out to find out how Calgary fared in the fish and chip world – what would we find to satisfy our craving - and embarked upon an adventure we could never have dreamt.

We asked our readers and our followers on social media and television who you would nominate for your favourite fish and chips in Calgary, and the response was overwhelming; we counted nearly 40 chippies, cafés, pubs, and restaurants around the city on your list of greats!

We can’t resist a challenge like that, so we engaged three additional expert judges to balance our Britishness – Chef Kyle Groves, culinary instructor at SAIT, who, as the executive chef of Catch for many years, well knows his way round a perfectly cooked piece of fish; Le Voyage Gourmand, aka Gabriel Hall, who has eaten his way across the world; and Tom Firth of Culinaire Magazine, who’s certainly an expert on fries (I know, I steal most of his when we lunch!) and is well-versed in running the numbers for a competition.

“I was surprised at the sheer number of fish and chip places in a city notable for its beef,” says Gabriel Hall. “People are passionate in conveying their memories of classic style fish and chips, while others blended a bit of their own personalities and contemporary experiences.”

A minimum of three judges visited each location to evaluate the fish, the chips, and the sides and presentation equally. The chips are as important to us as the fish, and we discovered a wide variety of each.

WHAT MAKES THE PERFECT DISH? WHAT WERE WE LOOKING FOR?

• The fish has to be delicious and cooked to perfection – firm, yet easily flaked, with a light, crispy batter to provide a textural contrast. Not greasy or oily, and without the oftenfound pastiness below the batter from dredging the fish in flour before battering while it is wet. • The chips (or fries) should also be crispy, cooked through, and we should be able to taste the potato. They must be hot, and may be lightly seasoned, but never greasy. “Often it was harder to judge the chips than the fish,” says Caroline Saunders. “We debated the merits of different styles numerous times. The British style chips tend to be chunky and single fried so the flavour of the potato is more dominant.” • The presentation includes how it looks on the plate, but allows for the extra accompaniments if present. It’s not usual to have coleslaw, ketchup, and tartar sauce with your fish and chips in England – malt vinegar, mushy peas, and gravy would be the norm (as well as a slice of white bread and butter to make a chip butty!), but we became accidental coleslaw and tartar connoisseurs after sampling more than 30 different variations. • And finally, our “overall” assessment was given twice the weight of each of the previous categories, and we each wrangled with “how likely would you be to recommend this to a friend”? We take this very seriously, and while we had some terrific pieces of fish and some terrific chips, they weren’t always on the same plate, and if we’re recommending the best of the best, every piece has to be good – and consistently good.

WE’VE SPLIT OUR AWARDS INTO THREE DISTINCT CATEGORIES:

• First, what we’ll call the “Authentic” fish and chips. These would be just as at home in England as in Calgary. The chips are likely to be thicker cut, and the fish is most likely haddock, cod, or halibut (although we encountered some extremely good pollock), lightly and plainly battered to allow the quality of the fish to shine. • “Classic” would be more of the pub or restaurant-style of fish and chips that many Canadians would be used to. The fish might be beer battered, the fries with more seasoning, and there may be additional flavourings in the batter or on the chips. • Our third category, we’re calling “Contemporary”. This is where wild and often unexpected things happen; the dish might be a fusion of different cultures, and the batter might be gluten-free or panko breaded, and there may be creative sides.

Ultimately, it was a hard fought and close contest; not only did we find some outstanding plates in our city that we’re very happy to recommend, we also met some passionate and proud restaurateurs, cooks and chefs, and were welcomed with some of the warmest and friendliest service. Calgary you can definitely be proud!

We’re delighted to announce the highest scoring Authentic fish and chips:

The British Chippy

(thebritishchippy.com) “Quite honestly, this was a dish that stood out clearly from a number of other restaurants. The expertly prepared fish, the perfectly cooked chips, everything done right from start to finish.” TF

Highly Recommended winners are:

Mulligan’s at Valley Ridge Golf Club

(valleyridgegolf.com) “Rarely do you expect greatness from a post-round of golf meal, but Mulligan’s amply provides. The battered haddock retains its texture and flavour due to meticulous drying and care during preparation.” GH

Pelican Pier (pelicanpier.ca) “There are five different choices of fish with your chips at Pelican Pier, as well a trio with one piece each of haddock, cod, and pollock. All expertly handled as you’d hope, as it’s a seafood market with a wide range to purchase, as well as a restaurant.” LG

Judges:

Sea Fish and Chips

(seafishnchips.com) “This friendly café has the feel of a seaside chippy and oozes authenticity. Hand cut, well cooked steak fries and a wide selection of fish. The batter is light and crispy, and our haddock was perfectly cooked. Great value too.” CS

Our highest scoring Classic fish and chips is a tie between:

Flower & Wolf

(flowerandwolfcalgary.com) “It was a joy to sample this plate, with super thick-cut chips and a curry vinaigrette to dip them into. Chef Glendinning has several tricks up his sleeve here for a really flavourful batter with an extra crispy topping.” LG

The Nash (thenashyyc.com). “I enjoyed the contemporary style of the fish and chips at the Nash. The Togarashi mayo was a welcome change from the classic tartar sauce. The citrus and the chili complemented the thick Icelandic cod nicely!” KG

Caroline Saunders Gabriel Hall Kyle Groves Linda Garson Tom Firth Highly Recommended winners are: Bobby’s Place (@BobbysPlaceYYC) “A bar/restaurant with a wonderful Scottish backstory and exceptionally friendly hosts. The batter recipe included a good measure of Guinness, and has been passed down several generations. The fish was moist and flavoursome, and the handcut chips perfectly seasoned.” CS

Fergus & Bix (fergusandbix.com) “No stranger to a pint and a pub favourite dish, what I was looking for was crisp, tasty fish, delicious fries (with a little salt), and was blown away - including by the homemade tartar sauce!” TF

And last, but certainly not least, were our innovators. Our Contemporary champs are: Y93 Sushi Crave (y93kitchen.com) “An unexpected taste sensation. Perfectly composed selection of fish and seafood fried in a crispy crumb seasoned coating. The tartar with red roe adds a great splash of colour and brings a salty touch.” CS

Highly Recommended winners are:

East Coast Market & Grill

(scotianstyle.ca) “An exceptional amount of attention was paid to every component, from mixing rice flour in the batter to ensure crispiness of the crust during transport for their takeout customers, to blending savory in their dressing to be mixed with fries and gravy.” GH

Free House (freehouseyyc.com) “This was a delicious offering. The fries cooked in beef fat were one of the stars of the entire competition. The fish was thick and the gluten free beer batter was crisp and delicious.” KG

Vegan Street (veganstreeteats.ca). “Although this can’t be strictly considered fish and chips, this homage to the flavours of the ocean packaged in fish and chip form, with heart of palm, dried seaweed, and flaxseed, presents a savoury profile, while the grapeseed oil and soy milk-based tartar sauce is almost indistinguishable from its mayonnaisebased counterpart.” GH

IntroducingSanta Margherita S.p.A. Via Ita Marzotto, 8 SANTA MARGHERITA 30025 Fossalta di Portogruaro (VE) Tel. +39 0421 246 111 Fax +39 0421 246 417 CABERNET SAUVIGNON www.santamargherita.com info@santamargherita.com from the producers of the #1 Selling Santa Margherita S.p.A. Via Ita Marzotto, 8 Pinot Grigio in CanadaSanta Margherita S.p.A. Via Ita Marzotto, 8 30025 Fossalta di Portogruaro (VE) 30025 Fossalta di Portogruaro (VE) Tel. +39 0421 246 111 Tel. +39 0421 246 111 Fax +39 0421 246 417 Fax +39 0421 246 417 www.santamargherita.com santamargherita@santamargherita.com Pinot Grigio150 - 300 m (492 - 655 ft.) above sea level Of fluviatile origin; medium texture with stones Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Glera PRODUCTION Valdobbiadene ALTITUDE: 300 – 500 m (985 – 1,640 ft.) above sea level TYPE OF SOIL: Morainic origin, with little depth TRAINING Sylvoz NTING 1,800 - 3,500 vines per hectare (730 – 1,415 per acre) HARVEST PERIOD: Second half of September ALCOHOL LEVEL: 11,50 % vol. TEMPERATURE: 8 - 10 °C (46 - 50 °F) RECOMMENDED Medium-sized, tulip-shaped glass, narrowing at the rim AGING POTENTIAL: 2 - 3 years TECHNICAL INFORMATION The base wine is put into pressurized tanks for the prise de mousse. There it ferments for 18-20 days, with the aid of selected yeasts, at a controlled temperature of 14-16 °C (57-61 °F). When the desired pressure has been obtained (around 6 bars), the wine is chilled to - 4° C in order to arrest the Cabernet SauvignonTending to clay, fluvial and lagoon origin Broad-bowled, narrowing towards the rim Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut www.santamargherita.com info@santamargherita.com Santa Margherita Wines Santa Margherita was the first company to vinify pink Pinot Grigio grapes fermentation and encourage stabilization. The sparkling wine is then kept Santamargheritawines as a white wine. In this process, the must does not remain in contact with at a controlled temperature of 8-10 °C (46-50 °F) for at least a month, in the skins, from which it would otherwise take on the rusty color. Following order to favor its natural maturation in contact with the yeasts that have The harvested grapes are crushed and destemmed before red-wine vinification a soft pressing, the must ferments for 10-15 days at 18 °C (64°). Once the fermentation is over, the wine is stored at a controlled temperature of 15 - 16 °C (59 - 61 °F) in stainless steel tanks until it is time to bottle. deposited on the bottom of the pressurized tank. At the end of this phase, filtration and isobaric bottling is carried out. with 12-14 days’ skin contact at a temperature of 24-26 °C. Malolactic fermentation is followed by maturation partly in steel and partly in French January/February 2021 | Culinaire 29