OT - Fish and Chips

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It is not always the case, but from coming back to this area from Scotland, the fish you get in fish and chip shops here is very often frozen, which is always skinless. I much prefer fish from fresh fish, which does mostly have the skin on, but not always. The difference is that frozen has a drier texture to the fish, whereas fresh is much more moist.
 
East Yorkshire, haddock with skin on? Where? Nearly everywhere I have been in East Yorkshire doesn't have skin on. Thank heaven.

Nearly all chippies in Hull and the surrounding villages (majority of shops in East Yorkshire are in the Hull area) serve skin-on haddock.

A few offer skinless as well.

But my original post is as a general rule . There will be exceptions in all areas.
 
Also darn sarf you tend to get fish without the skin! mental! I'm guessing that's why all northern chippys are better?

What the **** are you on about? I dont think Ive ever had fish up north with skin on. And why would you want that? It's just a part you dont eat.

And haddock every time. Only an amateur would eat mad cod.
 
Not quite John - it's Dogfish (squalus acanthus)

Skinned dogfish backs. Can be caught off the West coast of Scotland but the vast majority are imported from USA and Canada.

Still popular around London and the Home Counties.

I know Dog fish, and it is not available all the year round. When I was on the market usually dog fish came in for one month a year, from memory early spring time. Actually Rock Salmon was a mask for using various species. According to the fish merchant I spoke to the vast majority was Coley, but Dog fish might have been used on some occasions, though you could sell Dog fish to Germany at a higher price than it would get in UK. I had fish and chips in the south once, and never again, and this was definitely Coley, and was called Rock Salmon.
 
I know Dog fish, and it is not available all the year round. When I was on the market usually dog fish came in for one month a year, from memory early spring time. Actually Rock Salmon was a mask for using various species. According to the fish merchant I spoke to the vast majority was Coley, but Dog fish might have been used on some occasions, though you could sell Dog fish to Germany at a higher price than it would get in UK. I had fish and chips in the south once, and never again, and this was definitely Coley, and was called Rock Salmon.

Which market and what did you do? Just curious.

Most of the dogs sold now in shops are imported frozen from the US and Canada. So no problem getting them all year round. Fresh dogs use to go to the continent where they made more money as you say.

We'll just have to disagree on the coley/rock salmon issue :smile:
 
Which market and what did you do? Just curious.

Most of the dogs sold now in shops are imported frozen from the US and Canada. So no problem getting them all year round. Fresh dogs use to go to the continent where they made more money as you say.

We'll just have to disagree on the coley/rock salmon issue :smile:

I worked on the Hull fish market for a trawler owner for 30 years, so was one the fish market auctioning fish daily. I just looked on a web site, and found this, which confirms that we are both right, and what I said that Rock Salmon is just a posh word for the cheapest fish that was available at the time.

Quote.

There is no fish defined as "rock salmon" and it can mean pretty well anything the fish shop wants it to mean. Traditionally, it refers usually to catfish or dogfish, which is also called "huss", or in some areas it traditionally refers to "coley", which is another name for saithe.

If the fish is flaky then it's probably saithe. If it's not flaky then it's probably dogfish.

Unquote
 
Are you sure you're from Hull?

I lived in Hull for 23 years and mustve had fish and chips hundreds of times. i dont ever remember having skin on. I've since lived in Leeds for 15 years and again never had it with skin on, so where this 'they remvoe skin down south' notion is from I dont know.
 
I lived in Hull for 23 years and mustve had fish and chips hundreds of times. i dont ever remember having skin on. I've since lived in Leeds for 15 years and again never had it with skin on, so where this 'they remvoe skin down south' notion is from I dont know.

When I was a kid, everywhere served it with the skin on, now it's mixed and some do all skinned, some all with skin on and some will do it skin on/skin off by request. Go to many of the top places, like Trenchers or The Magpie in Whitby and it's all skin on.
 
When I was a kid, everywhere served it with the skin on, now it's mixed and some do all skinned, some all with skin on and some will do it skin on/skin off by request. Go to many of the top places, like Trenchers or The Magpie in Whitby and it's all skin on.

Ive had it in Whitby without skin on too. I honestly dont know why anyone would want it, it's just a piece you dont eat. Why is that good?

I'm trying to think of the 'fanciest' fish and chips Ive had to see what they did but I cant recall.
 
I lived in Hull for 23 years and mustve had fish and chips hundreds of times. i dont ever remember having skin on. I've since lived in Leeds for 15 years and again never had it with skin on, so where this 'they remvoe skin down south' notion is from I dont know.

If you've lived in Leeds for fifteen years then your mind must have been altered they still think they're Champions of Europe, oh and they don't remove the skins down south, the fish don't need they're skins here as the water is warmer. <ok>
 
Ive had it in Whitby without skin on too. I honestly dont know why anyone would want it, it's just a piece you dont eat. Why is that good?

I'm trying to think of the 'fanciest' fish and chips Ive had to see what they did but I cant recall.

The reason why you might never get it with the skin on is they take one look at you, realise you're now from Leeds, think right here's some whoopsy he'll want it with the skin off <cheers>
 
The reason why you might never get it with the skin on is they take one look at you, realise you're now from Leeds, think right here's some whoopsy he'll want it with the skin off <cheers>

Well the OP was about them taking it off down south so that doesnt make sense!

Whoever knew that skin on / off was such a minefield. I didnt even know having it on was an option!

Because many people do it eat it.

That has actually made me feel a bit quesy.