@ElideInto Some would swear "proper" means fried in lard-oil rather than vegetable oil, but that's something of a regional thing, and anyway a matter of taste.
It would also exclude vegetarians who would otherwise eat fried fish.
No, it is not "unhealthy" food, although the frying temperature heat might destroy the vitamins in the potatoes. It is overall diet that is healthy or not, not individual foods.
I spent a month in Ohio one week and was bemoaning how few home comforts I'd taken, Marmite, Tea Bags, etc,.) so as a special treat my host decided to take me to a "[b]Genuine English Fish and Chip Shop[/b]". We sat at a table (which surprised me for a start - 'cos in the UK fish and chips are usually a take-out meal) but to my surprise when the waitress came she spoke with the same regional accent that I do.
When the meal arrived I don't mind admitting I was disappointed. The chips were all wrong, and the fish was a miserable looking pre-processed triangle with barely any batter. The waitress must have noticed my perplexed state because she looked at me and asked what was wrong.
I looked her in the eye and all I said was "I'm from England too".
[b]"OMG!"[/b] she says [b]"I'm so sorry!" [/b]and off she fled back to the kitchens never to bee seen again.
For the uninitiated, [b]these[/b] are fish and chips; [b][c=#BF0000]accept no substitutes[/c][/b]! 😁
I should define “proper” as being fresh fish, lightly battered and seasoned, and chips that are cooked in fresh oil. For me, it’s got to have salt and malt vinegar, plus loads of lemon juice and a smidge of tartare sauce as well.
Sounds good to me. There used to be a place here that did fresh grouper. Delicious!!@Oneofthestormboys
SW-User
Being English I've certainly tried it, very many times.
By proper I take it you mean from a true British fish n chip shop fried in the big deep fat fryer, the fish in ab egg batter served hot immediately wrapped in paper as a take away meal.
Obviously I love it but the amount of fat isn't good for and since I had my gallbladder removed fatty foods aren't great for me so it's a rare treat now normally when at the seaside as eating it on a pier or seafront with the sea salt in the air and seagulls screaming overhead.
I do make an oven baked healthier version. That's fresh cod fillet coated in egg and breadcrumbs oven baked with fresh made chips oven baked in light coating of vegetable oil. Less fat and nearly as nice plus quick to prepare and cook.
@SW-User OK. I must admit I'd not thought of doing that.
[Pauses, goes to the freezer to see what additives are in the fillets I have there.]
The ingredients for the coating on the ones I bought have as additives only pepper, a couple of vitamins, iron and calcium carbonate. Certainly nothing to worry about - if anything, to welcome, though some people might need actively avoid any other ingredient such as the breadcrumbs' wheat-flour.
The carbonate might be a binding agent and pH adjuster, but if you live in a hard water area you take a fair amount of it in, every day, anyway.
SW-User
@ArishMell I just like to prepare from fresh stuff as much as possible.
Many times, but define "proper" beyond personal taste or quality of cooking.
One of the best fish-&-chip suppers I have ever had was in a late-night farmhouse café called "Polly's", somewhere in Derbyshire's Peak District, probably 30 years ago now. I've never really found where it or was as I was a passenger in someone's van after a pint or two (oh, all right, probably four) of fine ale in the Bull I' The Thorn!
Big serving, everything cooked completely to order, thick slices of bread and butter, fresh lettuce and huge brown tea-pots of fresh tea. Yumm!
"Proper" fish and chips, with fresh fish, non-greasy batter and crispy chips, two slices of white bread and butter and a pot of tea are absolutely delicious (but quite hard to find!)
That practice ended many years ago for hygiene reasons, though some shops used (still use?) paper printed with something like "Fish and chips" all over to look like newspaper!
The food is wrapped in cleaner, slightly less absorbent and thicker paper.
