The short answer is yes. I've never lived in the South but I'm pretty widely traveled through much of it. I've spent weeks, not days, at a time at maybe a dozen different locations too, some multiple times.

Edit - I just remembered, I had a 3 month stay in Texas too. I know many Texans don't consider themselves to be Southerners. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Just drop it. Fried fish is not exclusive the South. You're only coming across as stubborn and ridiculous

" and delicately cups her hand under her chin to catch any bits that fall out. "

I do that too, and it's nothing to do with taking big bites - it's to catch any sauce/oil/flakes that are still on the fork from falling on to my chest. Maybe she did it because she took big bites (I don't know), but taking smaller bites doesn't solve the problem of things dripping off a fork (like salad dressing).

" Just drop it. "

Take your own advice and learn to accept that others don't always agree with you.

Growing up, we ate lots of home-fried fish in our family - and nobody's from the south. Living near the water had a lot to do with that, I think. My mom often used matzoh or cracker meal, BTW. She grew up near Lake Michigan, and always said she preferred saltwater fish to freshwater.

Never had ketchup on fried fish - doesn't seem like too bad an idea, tho...

Elmer, I wrote my last post just for you.

carol, the further back in time one looks, the more is found foods and habits with distinct regional identities. People ate what was available locally. And seasonally. Especially true before rapid transportation offered by interstate highways and widespread use of flash freezing foods.

An interesting snapshot of the 1930s can be seen in Kurlansky's book "Food of a Younger Land". During the Depression, the federal WPA agency came up with make-work projects to give people employment. Most of this book comes from files Kurlansky found from a work project given to unemployed writers - assignments were given to each to describe the food and eating practices of different US regions.

I agree with your mother - I love saltwater fish and seafood of all kinds but can't eat any kind of freshwater fish (other than crayfish) - the flavors don't appeal to me.

And then there's catfish...

Last word elmer, never disappoints. Always has to have the last word. Can't follow the advice he dishes out 🤣

" Always has to have the last word "

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ask a friend to get you a mirror for your next birthday present.

Bye

If it's not ok to say ugly thing about Jewish people, black people, etc. then lay off South people. And we are people. Your ugly broad strokes are completely unwarranted.

And good riddance if it's really bye. Of course, we all know it isn't bye.

Just to correct your mistake, I said nothing about "people" of any sort.

I'm from northern Indiana. I used to love fried walleye with a jalapeno tartar sauce.

Oh, I haven't had catfish in ages......I love catfish!

Everyone calm down.

They eat fried fish in Britain. With vinegar.

British food ways-the cook got left over fat to sell so they tended to not like to fry food which used it up. Other servants would bitterly complain about the lack of fried food. Strange but true.

Frying was a popular Medieval cooking technique for all sorts of food.

Now why so many fried foods in the south-well it doesn't heat up the kitchen as much as say baking. It is quick and pigs were common because they free ranged them. In the lightly populated south there was plenty of space to run pigs without too much damage. Fences historically were to keep animals out, not in. Pigs were raised to a larger size than now to maximize fat content.

No fresh water fish? No trout or perch or bass or blue gill? Oh well.

Catfish is of course a definite flavored fish as is salmon. I can see some people not caring for it. More for me.

Catfish tastes to me like the mud they ingest.

Here's one version of a favorite that puts British cooking tradition in its proper place. That's been a topic of conversation here before and my views versus those of floraluk (and many others) greatly differ.

Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the mechanics German, the lovers Italian and it's all organised by the Swiss.

Hell is where the chefs are British, the mechanics French, the lovers Swiss, the police German and it's all organized by the Italians.

I don't know what fish they use in other parts of the country/world, but in the west, fish and chips usually uses cod or halibut. Both are fried and on the west coast, fish and chips are ubiquitous, especially in coastal towns.

Catfish tastes to me like the mud they ingest.

Not farm raised. They're incredibly sweet.

https://www.tastingtable.com/865387/the-difference-between-farmed-and-wild-catfish/

Catfish do not eat mud. The odd muddy flavor is generally believed to be a part of the reproductive cycle. Since we dont eat the intestines where mud might be found that is not the reason. Pigs do not taste like mud for instance Pond raised fish are tasted before harvest according to people I have known who raise fish. Having eaten plenty of wild caught catfish It may or may not have that taste. People used to believe it to be seasonal. There are methods that supposedly remove the taste but you wont have it with farmed fish. Still catfish is a distinctive flavor. It does not have to be fried, baked and sauteed are both good if you like catfish.

Elmer, I know you are generally dismissive of English cooking. They were historically the kings of roasting.

I do know that non-castrated male pigs can have a very funky taste, known as 'boar taint'...

" Elmer, I know you are generally dismissive of English cooking "

So too are my very closest friends. They're a "very English" professional couple we met when living in the same Continental European city with a well known food tradition, with whom we have remained in regular contact. We've been to their homes (in London and in the country) regularly over the years and they the same to ours.

They've been back in England for many decades and often joke about their local food traditions while noting (as I have mentioned, they're the source) that the best thing that happened to UK food was the entry into the EEC (now EU). It produced more exposure to much better food for Brits moving abroad and more access at home to same from Continentals moving to the UK, both of which made great changes in what's available, expected and preferred there.

" but in the west, fish and chips usually uses cod or halibut. Both are fried and on the west coast, fish and chips are ubiquitous, especially in coastal towns. "

I've never heard of halibut being used for fish and chips. I would think the meat is too thick and heavy. Cod, yes, but Pacific cod from Alaska is not the same fish as the Atlantic cod of renown traditionally used in better cuisine and still available in Europe.

I wouldn't consider the fried fish served to tourists at beachside restaurants as the best possible preparations or even a reasonable one of Pacific seafood. Or any fried fish for that matter.

My Mom used to fry fish back in the day, we were in the south back then but today when I fry fish I'm in the Mid-Atlantic.....the same place in Va ;-)

No Ketchup on fish, but add a little horse radish to it and Wa-la, cocktail sauce for the shrimp & oysters. If the fish tastes fishy then tartar sauce does help.

I've never heard of halibut being used for fish and chips. I would think the meat is too thick and heavy.

Nope!

AnnT was a prominent member of the Cooking forum here for decades.

https://thibeaultstable.com/2021/05/02/halibut-fish-and-chips-4/

https://thibeaultstable.com/2012/09/02/halibut-fish-and-chips-2/

Thanks Patriciae:

No fresh water fish? No trout or perch or bass or blue gill? Oh well.

Just wanted to add grayling !

Hi Judi. The conversation was about restaurants and or typical preparations. Do you live on the West Coast?

Heck, you could batter and deep fry salmon. Why would you want to? I'll say the same about halibut.

Fish used in restaurants for fish and chips tends to be cheaper and more available types. Alaskan cod, haddock, pollock - much of the same stuff found in frozen fish sticks. Halibut doesn't fit that profile as an added reason for why uncommonly deep fried.

Not bye?

Since you seem to forget what you just said, I'll repeat it.

I've never heard of halibut being used for fish and chips. I would think the meat is too thick and heavy.

Can you ever admit that you're wrong?

Btw, AnnT is an amazing baker and cook. I'm sure you could learn much from her.

https://thibeaultstable.com/

Everything can be cooked any way where there's heat. It wasn't the topic.

You can cook salmon in a dishwasher. Put it in a water tight container and check after the rinse cycle. Let me know how it comes out.

The topic was what irks you. How many times have you and everyone else veered from it? Dude, that's called having a conversation. You're so full of yourself.

I love fried catfish. It is perfectly fine with me if others don't, but I am somewhat irked that instead of a polite 'I don't care for it', some would compare it to mud; even a 'yuck' would pass, but really, mud?. (How much mud do they eat anyway, that they could make that comparison?)

lucille, catfish I've tried just a few times seemed to have a muddy flavor. The flavor of things that are consumed, whether plant or animal, is affected by what's in the environment where located.

I tend to maybe speak with more specificity than others do.

The most popular fish and chip restaurant in my area, mid peninsula, offers cod and halibut, the halibut being more expensive. I miss my days in London and the newspaper wrapped fish and chips (some wrapped in grease proof paper first) and the Chinese yellow curry. So delicious.

I'm sure I will regret this.

"all fried food tastes predominantly like fried food to me"

Well, it is fried so...... I think you meant that it taste like the breading or batter. You should try a deep fried twinkie and see if it taste like fried catfish.

I have a pet food peeve.

I have a pet people peeve as well 😄

I agree with your mother - I love saltwater fish and seafood of all kinds but can't eat any kind of freshwater fish (other than crayfish) - the flavors don't appeal to me.

lucille, catfish I've tried just a few times seemed to have a muddy flavor. The flavor of things that are consumed, whether plant or animal, is affected by what's in the environment where located.

Where do you think crawfish live? Why do you think they're also called mudbugs?

The topic was about flavor. Do crawfish ingest mud? Or are they cleansed like other critters (escargot) to prepare them for market? Or maybe what I’ve had in France were raised or treated differently.

Honest question, I don't know.

Why? Will you apologize for saying fish eat mud?

Elmer:

Cod, yes, but Pacific cod from Alaska is not the same fish as the Atlantic cod of renown traditionally used in better cuisine and still available in Europe

Can you provide any more info about Atlantic cod being superior to Pacific cod? I hadn't heard that one.

Ivars, a famous chain in the PNW(acres of clams) will serve you fried Halibut or Salmon or what ever. So Elmer you are wrong. Sorry to be forced to point that out.

I did not actually absorb the comment about crayfish. Gad. Mudpuppies indeed. If any shell fish on earth ate mud, and I am not saying they do, it would be Crayfish. In marshy areas the area will be covered with the mud towers around their holes. I am not sure how they build them. Now they also live in streams-fresh water by the by. I am sure the store bought stuff is farmed. I am not a fan. They taste muddy to me and tough but I know lots of people who love them, good for them. When I was a kid you caught one by tying a piece of bacon rind to a string and dropping it down the hole. Big hole big crayfish. We always put them back. Southern Mississippi. You could net them out of streams in southern Kentucky.

My two teenaged kids went, aka were forced, to go to a Tony Robbins seminar. All my son came back with was, " I will never eat shrimp again." I didn't ask him why since I like shrimp.

Seems apropos for this thread and so many others:

I'll add another irk, in an attempt to bring the discussion back the actual topic. Regarding small children and food. It irks me to see parents let kids serve themselves in a large group setting or in public, like say a buffet or a party. I am not talking about 8 or 9 year olds, or around that appropriate age that they are able to with some decorum. I mean like, very small kids. I do not know if they think it is cute or what, or if they think that they are teaching a life lesson, but it irks me. They make a mess, small children do not think about hygiene practices, and it slows everyone else down. Also, as a former foodservice worker. forcing kids to order for themselves when they are shy or because you think you are teaching them some sort of life skill. DO NOT come in at lunch rush and try to get your terrified 4 year old to order their own food. Here's a tip: It does not matter how cute the kid is. Your server is NOT amused, they are busy and do not have time to decipher your kids order. And the people waiting in line behind you with a set lunch hour are not either. Just order for them. Its RUDE. My parents NEVER forced me to order in restaurants, until I was old enough and confident enough to do so. I was a VERY shy child. And guess what, I do JUST fine now ordering for myself. No need to irritate others in childhood to be just fine as an adult. Why parents do that baffles me. Everyone is upset at the end of it.

After doing a little mucking around looking for fish and chips on menus of seaside restaurants up and down the coast, it appears that what is the most common practice in my state (to not offer a choice of fish, or to not name what it is, or to say it is Alaskan cod) differs from what's done in the Pacific Northwest. I looked at restaurants in areas and some with which I was specifically familiar with, from Half Moon Bay to Monterey and in the OC south-> border coast of SoCal.

So on that score, my comments were wrong. I will also add that at these places, most of which are good/adequate and cater to visitors (and far from being the better restaurants in their areas), grilling fish seems to be the most common preparation approach. I will admit in my own defense that in trying to minimize eating fried food, I don't pay as much attention to menu sections about fish and chips as with other preparations I'm interested in. I've never seen halibut or salmon as a choice for fish and chips and I'll stick with that comment.

I remember on numerous visits to Seattle being struck by the plethora of choices of salmon on menus. On my last trip in particular I remember one restaurant where the menu must have had 5 choices of different salmon varieties, not different preparations. Do you want Alaskan Coho or Sockeye, or local this or that, or whatever. That was interesting. In my area, at most, a menu might offer the choice of farmed or wild if there is more than one kind.

😄

There are in fact multiple sorts of salmon. No kidding. They not only taste different, the texture is different. Those of us who live here are not overwhelmed by the choice. People are pretty pointy about which ones they like or do not like.

If you do not know what the offerings are in fried fish then it would behoove you to not be so dogmatic about a subject you know very little about??? You say you don't eat fried fish. Don't opine about fried fish. Simple. Now if I were going to fry salmon it would be chum aka dog salmon. Soft, less flavorful. Pink? I would not fry Chinook or Coho or even Sockeye.

In case your salmon comment was directed to me, I'll respond by saying that we eat salmon regularly and are quite familiar with the differences in types. Maybe my words were unclear, what I was sharing was my surprise of finding many different kinds on a menu at the same time. My area tends to be rather foodie-oriented and yet even in better restaurants, that's something I've never seen. As for types, I've never seen chum or pink types in a fish counter or restaurant. On canned salmon labels, yes.

Patricia, what I saw as above and as regards fish and chips suggests to me differences in the Seattle area and perhaps other parts of the PNW from other places where practices seem to be quite different. My only opinion about fried fish is that if someone wants to enjoy the flavor of the fish, deep frying it is not the way to have it prepared. Nor is adding ketchup or tartar sauce.

Your post about the salmon tasting in Seattle was unclear..,if you tasted all five species that means chum and pink were present along with the coho, chinook and sockeye? unless it included atlantic salmon? and yes, some must have been previously frozen.

anyway, a new thread about salmon would be fun !

With an abundance of salmon, fried is a delicious occasional change of pace and is often seen on menus in Alaska - yes the foavor comes through beautifully. Fried halibut is often on menus as an optional upgrade from cod.

My county has a major salmon river. We get all the kinds plus can buy farmed Atlantic in the stores. We can fish for them ourselves and used to do that. We dont get to take King but can buy it. The varieties are seasonal. And then there is Steelhead which while it is trout tastes like a very mild salmon. I agree that frying is not ideal for showcasing the flavor of salmon which is why I would use the less desirable kinds. Catfish I think is enhanced by frying though as I said earlier sautéed with a pecan crust is not to be rejected. My favorite use of salmon is salmon jerky. You get hard dried salmon from the local tribes. Amazing stuff. We try to take some with us when we visit in Europe.

I remember buying salmon jerky when I was visiting family in CA - from TJs. It was really tasty, but a bit hard on the teeth.