Did I mention there was a backlog? This is something that can happen when a daily blog converts into posting just two times a week after a longer than expected hiatus.
Hopefully you remember Emily L. She’s been writing guest posts on the blog for several months, and today’s submission she sent in all the way back in July 17, after my final tour through downtown Albany.
One of the reasons it took so long to share is that there was a factual error in the post. Emily and I talked about it in person, but let’s see if you can find it. I’ll let you know at the very end.
The Albany Fish Fry
by Emily LInspired by a conversation during Daniel’s Tour de Albany on Sunday night, I am dedicating this post to my confusion of what is known is the ‘Fish Fry’ in the Capital Region.
When I first moved to the area, I started to see signs and advertisements for Fish Frys in the summer. This greatly confused me. In the midwest, Fish Frys are associated with Catholic churches on Fridays during Lent. These church fundraisers offer fried fish (usually frozen), french fries, and coleslaw to patrons for about $10 during Fridays leading up to Easter. Each diocese tends to be known for their take on this dish (one church is well known for their homemade tarter sauce while another is known for having big, flaky pieces of fish) and many patrons Fish Fry hop, trying a different one each Friday.
So enter my confusion when I saw ice cream stands offering Fish Frys during a non-Lent time. The boyfriend laughed and explained to me what a Capital Region Fish Fry is. It is essential a long piece of fish, fried and served on a hot dog roll with ‘chili sauce’. As Daniel explained to me on Sunday, this piece of long fish was a haddock fillet since it was easily attainable in the area and the large Italian immigrant population was already familiar with this fish. Even today, the fish is always served in this long form, even when it is not haddock.
But here is where I take offense. This ‘chili sauce’ is not the delicious red, spicy, and sweet Thai version I have come to know and love. Instead, the Capital Region’s ‘chili sauce’ is essentially ketchup, sometimes mayo, and chili powder. I simply cannot understand it. I have tried several different versions of the sauce, but find myself befuddled. But Daniel has convinced me to give it another go. While he did the original version of the Tour de Fish Fry in 2011, some new establishments have popped up. Even Innovo Kitchen offered an upscale version of this beloved area treat last summer. So he has convinced me to try it all again, primarily Gene’s for their twist on three fish fry sauces.
Jem B. is organizing the tour de fish fry 2019; this tour will even include Gene’s, the original Ted’s, and even a stop to try a Chinese fish fry to compare to the Capital Region.
So what other locations should be on this tour? What are we overlooking?
To be fair, there was a lot of drinking on the Tour de Downtown Albany. It’s very possible I spun Emily a story about haddock. But the real answer is cusk. Well, “real” might be a step too far. But I did hear anecdotally from a Capital Region old timer that the original Albany Fish Fry sandwiches were made from cusk, and it was the shape of those filets that produced the signature long and narrow Fish Fry we’ve come to know and love.
With Bob & Ron’s gone for good, I couldn’t tell you of another Fish Fry stand making sandwiches out of cusk anymore. But regardless of the type of fish, in the 518 we still cut the filets long and thin to replicate the regional original.
Or at least that’s how the story was told to me. I’m not sure about how the piece about Italian immigrants fits in, but that’s neither here nor there. We have more important fish to fry.
As far as the chili sauce goes, I don’t get that either. To my palate, it always tastes like ketchup mixed with relish. Maybe there’s some variation among different establishments. But Ted’s is the spot where chili sauce is the default, and I find that to be absolutely perplexing. But Emily is right that I did find Gene’s in East Greenbush to be delightfully different.
The big question on the table is whether or not Jem B. is still up for organizing a 2019 Tour de Fish Fry. We may have missed the window on that one. School has started up again and Gene’s is a seasonal business. With the current temperatures in the Capital Region, they may have already closed up shop for the year. Hopefully Jem can be convinced to take this on in 2020.
Man, I love the idea of mixing in a Chinese fish fry spot for the sake of comparison too. I know that spring seems like a million years away at this point in the season. But perhaps a Tour de Fish Fry could be the light at the end of the tunnel.
Stay warm. Stay hungry. And there will be more Fussy next week. Cheers!
