Today’s recipe: Fried fish

I have been bad yet again and have only posted 3 times this month, oh dear. Seeing as I seem to have started 3 post in the 3rd month, I think I shall continue with this and post 4 in the 4th month, 5 in the 5th month, 6…I think you get it!

Today’s post is the last in my South African Adventure series and (just in case you didn’t read the title) is about fish and chips. Joerg and I adore fish and chips and we spend unhealthy amounts of time looking for GOOD fish and chips. You can find fish and chips on every street corner, some good, some bad and some really ugly, but great ones can be hard to catch.

We spent a lovely day with my wonderful Uncle Terry and Aunty Helen, driving along the coast and walking along the beach – is there a better way to spend a day I ask you? She made a fantastic tuna lasagne which I will post another time, but they also told us about a fantastic fish and chip shop about 25 minutes from where I grew up.

So Joergi bear and I slithered out of the house and shimmy shamed our way up there and my fish and chip world changed forever. They did not serve pre-packed tiny chips that are so often almost hollow in the middle. Oh no, their chips are hand peeled and chopped and are fat and full of flavour. The photos do not do these delicious morsels any justice, but it’s hard to shovel food in one’s mouth and take proper photos…

And the fish, the fish! Be still my beating heart. The batter was crisp, not thick and oily like in those other places. The pieces were huge, tender, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth types. We had cod one time and gunnard the next. We also had the fisherman’s basket which contained calamari strips and fish nuggets. Sigh, I now can’t decide which I miss more - the weather or those chunky nuggets.

And to make the experience even more memorable, Dorothy is the friendliest, happiest and prettiest person I have met in a long time. And she gave Joerg and I an exclusive tasting of their olive selection – amongst other things, they have smoked olives, something I have never tried before and they were delicious. The olives come from a Stellenbosch (if memory serves me correctly) – you’ll just have to go there and find out for yourselves.

The owner Joz is equally nice and studies languages in his spare time. Hey, I like to get to know the people who fry my fish! They also sell Glass Art and will soon open a wine tasting section in the store. Joerg would go to the bottle store next door and buy a six pack of cold Castle (beer) while I chatted to Dorothy, grabbed my hot parcel. Then we would drive like crazy to the beachfront and sit in the car eating our catch, downing a cold lager and watching the waves roll up the beach. Heaven all round.

THE RECIPE
I was going to give you my recipe for fried fish, but just last week I discovered a fellow blogger had done a post on fried fish so click here ( http://www.aduckinherpond.com/2010/03/fish-fry/ ) to try her recipe. This lovely lady is called Blonde Duck – you’ve got to like someone with such a cool title! She also fries Twinkies (okay so I won’t be joining her with this one), writes short stories and she has the cutest Chihuahuas, Bitty and Bear – she just gets better and better! So pay her blog a visit and then remember to come and see me again. And please say Hi to Dorothy and Joz from me when you get your fish and chips.

Fish Finder
6 Buffelsfontein Road
Mount Pleasant
Port Elizabeth
South Africa
Tel: 041-368 6855