View Full Version : Haddock or haddock?
I am quite partial to a good plate of fish and chips once in a while but there is never any choice of fish on the menu.
I do not dislike haddock but there are times when a piece of plaice or cod would not go amiss.
Is there any particular reason why only one fish seems to be cooked at all the chippies?
Invisible
03-Jan-10, 23:05
No salmon on offer?
There are limits on catch size with cod now due its rarity now because of overfishing. Traditionally there has always been a north/south divide anyway with cod/haddock - anywhere Manchester or further north tends to be haddock, further south cod. Or that is what I have experienced anyway...
Plaice is just wrong for battering - doesn't work :(
Pollack is supposed to be a tasty alternative - never had it myself though.
ShelleyCowie
04-Jan-10, 00:41
Cheapness.
you are likely right to be honest.
im not really keen on fish, but a fish supper from Robins always goes down well with me! :Razz
Dont mind cod either.
Mars bars!
I never knew they swam!
Cheapness.
Yes I'd agree. I used to work in a chippie and we called them 'skits'. Thin haddies covered in batter.
I am quite partial to a good plate of fish and chips once in a while but there is never any choice of fish on the menu.
I do not dislike haddock but there are times when a piece of plaice or cod would not go amiss.
Is there any particular reason why only one fish seems to be cooked at all the chippies?
go catch it if ur fussy ,na didnt think so,[lol]
Tugmistress
04-Jan-10, 08:01
go catch it if ur fussy ,na didnt think so,[lol]
lol knowing lizz she probably would!
Amy-Winehouse
04-Jan-10, 09:49
I am quite partial to a good plate of fish and chips once in a while but there is never any choice of fish on the menu.
I do not dislike haddock but there are times when a piece of plaice or cod would not go amiss.
Is there any particular reason why only one fish seems to be cooked at all the chippies?
Haddock is the top seller, it tastes better than worm riddled cod, its cheaper than Cod-sometimes & its easier to catch than cod or plaice. Or there are certainy more Haddies around than Coddies
Lizz to be honest , what yer saying is Blasphemous - Haddock is King of fish, long live the king :D
peter macdonald
04-Jan-10, 10:42
"Plaice is just wrong for battering - doesn't work "
Leanne Apologies for disagreeing here but it does work A lot of the fish and chip shops in East Anglia used to have small plaice as 1st choice in their fish and chips and it is very good at the right time of year Its also used by the Dutch as well
The English chippies used to sell gurnards as well and they were the best of all
Im not knocking the chippies at all with this ...but at certain times of year some fish are perhaps not as good as others A dab around harvest time is excellent eating and I used to prefer a winter herring to that caught in early autumn (blast from the past that one!)
Amy is right about the cod though .....
PM
There was a time when fish used to be a cheap tea for a family, now you need a second mortgage to be able to afford it once a week. I recently bought lemon sole for four people, about two average sized pieces each and it cost me £26. Definitely a luxury nowadays. It seems salmon, even the smoked variety, is much cheaper to buy now.;)
Don't like pollack at all very soft and tasteless Give me haddock every time. I used to like finnan haddie but seldom see it now:roll:
Are you sure it was pollack you had and not pollock or coalie? I find pollack has a good taste and texture. Nice battered too.
Are you sure it was pollack you had and not pollock or coalie? I find pollack has a good taste and texture. Nice battered too.
Not had it myself but I'd heard it had a firm texture too...
Don't like pollack at all very soft and tasteless Give me haddock every time. I used to like finnan haddie but seldom see it now:roll:
Oh now there is a problem, suddenly I crave Finnan Haddie, but it's not to be had for love nor money in the USA.
Bruce
This any use?
Recipe for Finnan Haddie:
http://www.rampantscotland.com/recipes/blrecipe_finnan.htm
A chip shop fish supper just has to be haddie. I used to enjoy a fish supper out of Houston's when I was in Wick but the owner now doesn't understand that it's obligatory to serve haddie and dishes up some cheaper alternative which tastes disgusting. Never go there now.....have even spotted the staff in a rival chippie;)
Surely if it's cheap, it should be skate!
ShelleyCowie
04-Jan-10, 19:18
Are you sure it was pollack you had and not pollock or coalie? I find pollack has a good taste and texture. Nice battered too.
Coalies are brilliant to catch. Nice and easy!
My OH's granny likes mackrel, when we go til Skye she always asks us til keep e big ones and take them back to her :Razz
George Brims
04-Jan-10, 20:12
The older generations in Caithness would shun a chippie that served anything other than haddock. I remember my dad using an apologetic tone when coming back from the fish shop with something else if the haddies were sold out. Whiting was considered a poor alternative, though we were all fond of plaice.
Here in the US most frozen white fish is pollack from Alaska. It's quite tasty too.
Anyone else remember the year (I think it was 1963) when there was a glut of salmon, and you could get salmon and chips in Peachies?
chef4celebrations
04-Jan-10, 23:18
Cheapness.
well jox if you think that £50 per stone for fresh haddock is cheap, i would love to have your bank balance,
there are a few suppliers who are offering frozen haddock now, £20 per stone, that is cheaper than any other fresh fish on the open market, so if you are wondering why there are so many chip shops selling haddock it is because they are doing what the rest of the country are trying to do and that is make some money to pay the bills, and the bills are going up all the time, quicker than the price increase in the chipshops, remember 17.5% VAT now...
Amy-Winehouse
04-Jan-10, 23:30
well jox if you think that £50 per stone for fresh haddock is cheap, i would love to have your bank balance,
there are a few suppliers who are offering frozen haddock now, £20 per stone, that is cheaper than any other fresh fish on the open market, so if you are wondering why there are so many chip shops selling haddock it is because they are doing what the rest of the country are trying to do and that is make some money to pay the bills, and the bills are going up all the time, quicker than the price increase in the chipshops, remember 17.5% VAT now...
50 quid a stone for Haddies ????!!!!! Where on earth are you buying it from ? That would mean 400 quid a box & theres no way on gods earth are the buyers paying the producers anywhere near that for a box of Haddock- ever!!
I do know that the frozen fish is cheaper, was it no the big supermarkets were buying in bulk orders @ low prices, processing the fish & then seeling them on for a profit.
Shellie, your right, the cuddings are good fun to catch but Im afraid I would not eat them, It s not haddock & it is king of fish suppers for me.
Anyone ever try Roker ?? Lovely fish to eat.....Ill go an get my rod out I think tomorrow :D All this talk is making me hungry
ShelleyCowie
04-Jan-10, 23:32
Shellie, your right, the cuddings are good fun to catch but Im afraid I would not eat them, It s not haddock & it is king of fish suppers for me.
Anyone ever try Roker ?? Lovely fish to eat.....Ill go an get my rod out I think tomorrow :D All this talk is making me hungry
I wudna eat em either! Just fun til catch...
Made me hungry too! Fish supper anyone?! [lol] Bobinovich is paying!!!
purplelady
04-Jan-10, 23:35
A chip shop fish supper just has to be haddie. I used to enjoy a fish supper out of Houston's when I was in Wick but the owner now doesn't understand that it's obligatory to serve haddie and dishes up some cheaper alternative which tastes disgusting. Never go there now.....have even spotted the staff in a rival chippie;)
we used haddock for a while last yr i work there by the way but went back to hake do not really know why x
buggyracer
04-Jan-10, 23:41
50 quid a stone for Haddies ????!!!!! Where on earth are you buying it from ? That would mean 400 quid a box & theres no way on gods earth are the buyers paying the producers anywhere near that for a box of Haddock- ever!!
I do know that the frozen fish is cheaper, was it no the big supermarkets were buying in bulk orders @ low prices, processing the fish & then seeling them on for a profit.
Shellie, your right, the cuddings are good fun to catch but Im afraid I would not eat them, It s not haddock & it is king of fish suppers for me.
Anyone ever try Roker ?? Lovely fish to eat.....Ill go an get my rod out I think tomorrow :D All this talk is making me hungry
a box of chipshop size haddock will sell for £60-£130, when you process it you loose half the weight so the product price is doubled so is now costing £160-260 for your box, not taking into account the labour to process it etc you will be left with around 3 stone of haddock fillet.
well jox if you think that £50 per stone for fresh haddock is cheap, i would love to have your bank balance,
there are a few suppliers who are offering frozen haddock now, £20 per stone, that is cheaper than any other fresh fish on the open market, so if you are wondering why there are so many chip shops selling haddock it is because they are doing what the rest of the country are trying to do and that is make some money to pay the bills, and the bills are going up all the time, quicker than the price increase in the chipshops, remember 17.5% VAT now...
I pay £60.00 a stone for haddock!
Whitewater
05-Jan-10, 00:24
The best fish and chips I remember was form John Cormacks chipper in Wick, he had coal fired fryers and used haddock most of the time but you could also get skate wings.
peter macdonald
05-Jan-10, 00:32
Amy whats in a box 45 kilo??? used to be 7st in real money ....This is from Caley fisheries site
FISH PRICES AT PETERHEAD MARKET
boxes landed 4647
21 December 2009
SPECIES TOP PRICE BOTTOM PRICE £ per kilo £ per kilo
COD A1/A2 1.90 1.30
COD A3 1.80 1.30
COD A4 1.60 1.00
COD A5 1.50 .90
HADDOCK G A1 1.60 1.20
HADDOCK G A2 1.60 1.20
HADDOCK G A3 1.80 1.40
HADDOCK G A4 1.50 1.00
HADDOCK whole 1.10 1.00
WHITING G A1 1.00 .90
WHITING G A4 1.00 .90
WHITING whole .90 .90
SAITHE .50 .44
MONKFISH 5.50 3.50
LING .70 .70
LEMS 6.00 1.00
LYTHE .50 .50
MEGRIM 1.50 .80
HAKE 3.40 1.50
PLAICE 1.00 .70
MACKEREL
Prices went as low as 10 pounds a box for whole haddock in the august and varied higher throughout the year as can be seen below http://www.fishnewseu.com/prices/1741-friday-fish-prices.html
Friday Fish Prices PDF Print E-mail
Friday, 21 August 2009 08:53
Friday 21st August 2009
Fraserburgh
17 Boats landed 1519 boxes
Cod - £58-£80
Haddock (Round) - £10-£15
Haddock (Gutted) - £40-£60
Lemon Sole - £60-£70
Monks - £150-£200
Whiting (Round) - £20-£25
Plaice - £10-£15
Witches - £50-£60
Codling - £-
Squid £30-£250
Line Mackerel - £55-£60
Ling - £40-£60
Boats that landed were: Heather Belle, Ocean Pioneer, Gratitude, Press On, Vision, Boy Ian, Antaries, Achieve,Shaulora, Rebecca, Guide Us, Loyal Friend, El Shaddia, Sardonyx, Liberty, Denarius, Lindisfarne
Consignments -
we used heddock for a while last yr i work there by the way but went back to hake do not really know why x
Wished I had tried it when you were serving haddie because the chips are really good there. Thanks for letting us know what they serve too as I couldn't identify it as hake, I just knew that I couldn't swallow it. I presume that it's a cheaper alternative to haddie.
(Forgot to mention that the staff are very pleasant there too. Does that get me back in the good books then?!?)
chef4celebrations
05-Jan-10, 09:50
well actually the fish i get for the mobile chip shop is from scrabster seafoods, and £47 for 1 stone of haddock fillets (35ish X 5-6oz fillets)
just spoke to my supplier (south) and they offering 3X 1 stone £70, it is frozen at sea, from russia, so a great huge factory ship processing the fish and the fish is machine cut and then blast frozen in the box, minimal human contact keeping the production cost minimal.
so when i pay £6.50 for a fresh fish supper i am pleased it is not £8.50 now the VAT has gone back up to 17.5%.
most food production buisness make an average of 67% gross profit, for the mathematical ones between you all maybe someone can tell me what a single fish should be then, remember chips are £1.50 per portion on average.
makes you think when you do the maths....
thebigman
05-Jan-10, 11:25
Here in the US most frozen white fish is pollack from Alaska. It's quite tasty too.
The Alaskan fish is the Alaskan Pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) which is a different family from our pollack (Pollachius pollachius). Just to confuse things further the Coalfish or Saithe (Pollachius Virens) is also known as th Pollock on the east coast of the US.
Amy-Winehouse
05-Jan-10, 15:13
well actually the fish i get for the mobile chip shop is from scrabster seafoods, and £47 for 1 stone of haddock fillets (35ish X 5-6oz fillets)
just spoke to my supplier (south) and they offering 3X 1 stone £70, it is frozen at sea, from russia, so a great huge factory ship processing the fish and the fish is machine cut and then blast frozen in the box, minimal human contact keeping the production cost minimal.
so when i pay £6.50 for a fresh fish supper i am pleased it is not £8.50 now the VAT has gone back up to 17.5%.
most food production buisness make an average of 67% gross profit, for the mathematical ones between you all maybe someone can tell me what a single fish should be then, remember chips are £1.50 per portion on average.
makes you think when you do the maths....
So the Russian frozen block fish, Is it really Haddock or is it a substitute for the King of Fish ??
One of my former workplaces had a contract with the Russian fish importer & although it was described as Haddock, It wasnt Haddock but it was Nearly Haddock :D tastewise after being in a freezer for a wee bit.
I have seen even in Tesco, substitute fish for smoked Haddock imported from Thailand & the far east, I did try some but no, it just wasnt for me
purplelady
06-Jan-10, 00:09
Wished I had tried it when you were serving haddie because the chips are really good there. Thanks for letting us know what they serve too as I couldn't identify it as hake, I just knew that I couldn't swallow it. I presume that it's a cheaper alternative to haddie.
(Forgot to mention that the staff are very pleasant there too. Does that get me back in the good books then?!?)
yes it does we are a pretty friendly lot if not a bit mad at time lol but i do like working there x
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