First Look: Fishin' Ships

As I scouted the East End for striper fishing spots tonight, I ended up at the Eastern Promenade, where new food truck Fishin' Ships happened to be parked for the evening. Please note that this post is adjunct to and not a part of the mission of Haddockquest for two reasons —

1. Fishin' Ships serves, well, fish and chips. They do have a "slider" (which technically qualifies as a sandwich) on the menu, but they're still adjunct because...
2. ...no haddock on the menu — at least not tonight. This evening's preparations involved hake, redfish and pollock. 

Guidelines aside, these guys are kindred souls who are devoted to the art of fried fish, and I feel as if their new venture is worth mentioning on this blog. Not unlike what Small Axe Truck is doing with their fried haddock sandwich at the moment, Fishin' Ships co-owners Sam Gorelick and Arvid Brown (both very friendly guys) are putting a modern spin on things and expanding beyond the traditional golden fried fish, fries, tartar and lemon (they do offer this preparation; order "The O.G.").

Menu items include a bacon and scallion-battered fish served with roasted garlic and poblano aioli ("The Pigfish"), a samosa-style curry battered-fish served with curry mayo ("The Blurry Curry") and a handful of other unique takes on the classic pub staple, most of which make use of locally-brewed beer in the batter.

I ended up ordering "The High Thai'd," described on the menu as "a ginger, Thai basil and chili-battered fish made with Bissell Brothers Substance and served with crunchy sweet potato fries, paired with spicy Thai mayo and lime." This thing no doubt strays from tradition, but not far enough to lose sight of what it is — a damned good plate of perfectly-fried fish and chips.

The ginger/basil/chili came through remarkably well and paired nicely with the Thai mayo. The fries were a very nice touch, as well, providing sweet contrast to the saltiness of the fish. A squeeze or two of that lime, and just forget about it.

Let it be known at this very moment that if Fishin' Ships decides to put together their take on a haddock sandwich, it'll no doubt end up on this blog as an official Haddockquest contender. Until then, tie those shoes and seek these folks out. When you do, tell them I say "hello."