The Impatient Chef Stops by South Bay Wild Fish House, Astoria, Oregon

In these last years before the roaring twenty twenties, The Impatient Chef has embarked on the Quest for Fish and Chips at various times and places.  This undertaking has continued apace, although I have not been posting as much lately.  Some of you will recall that I began this blog with the following words:

“And on the seventh day God created fish and chips, and there was much rejoicing.  And God did say unto to the fry cook make them golden brown and crispy, not soggy or cakey.  The heavenly host seated customers on high, and the strumpets made cooing noises.  And then God spake, ‘Go ye fry cooks and cut potatoes lengthwise, and baptize them in hot oil.  Get them not from the freezer.  Get them not from Food Services of Judea, lest ye be unto snail dung in my sight.  Fryeth them likewise to a golden brown, and resteth them with the fish upon the crinkly paper in the plastic basket.  God looked upon his lunch and sayeth he, Let there be tartar sauce.  Let it not be too sweet, or I shall afflict thee with a plague of hipsters.  Instead, with thy mayonnaise and relish, add lemon, and maybe dill, and a dash of the heavenly green Tabasco sauce, and thou shalt dwell in the kingdom of the lunch counter, on this, our greasy spoon of paradise.’

Amen.”

All sacrilege aside,  this is still a quest worth undertaking.  And with that, I bring you my newest fish and chips review: the South Bay Wild Fish House in Astoria, Oregon.  

The Cap'n and Crew

South Bay Wild is located in Astoria’s historic downtown.  As the first American settlement west of the Rockies (not counting the natives who were already here), there’s quite a bit of history, mostly involving fish, canneries, the (very suggestive) Astoria Column https://astoriacolumn.org, and the Columbia River Bar.  

The Columbia River Bar is not a fine drinking establishment where locals drink away the fishy odor.  No, it is instead the place where the Columbia River and the pacific Ocean meet, and they are not on friendly terms.  In bad weather (most of the time), they can become downright testy.  In years gone by, the Bar ate ships like jelly beans, but in this day of oceangoing zip codes, not so much.  Although, occasionally, rescues are necessary.  

South Bay has a clean, friendly, if sparse, atmosphere.  The walls have the prerequisite nautical theme, but it isn’t kitschy, or sentimental.  Only a few of its decorations washed in from the ocean.  A sign over the doorway to the lower dining room (there's one upstairs too) reads, “Not all those who wander are lost.”  Any restaurant that quotes JRR Tolkien is okay by me.  

The Lower Dining Room at South Bay

The waitstaff are sometimes also the cooks, and they are helpful, and attentive.  They checked up on us  (my wife and I) 4 times after the meal was served.  I didn’t find it distracting, or needy.  

We started with the clam chowder, as one must, before the fish and chips.  The cup of soup arrived with oyster crackers, and on a saucer with a doily.  The consistency was not thick, but it was not runny either.  It was made using a roux - a good, honest, no frills roux made of butter and flour - and not guar gum, or corn starch.  I don’t have to ask.  I can tell.  This soup hit all of the high points: diced potatoes; bits of clam; a mildly clammy taste; and no need to add anything.  Some clam chowders cry out for salt and pepper, or have funny tastes.  The best clam chowders all work within the bounds of the basic recipe, like a poet finds creativity in a sonnet, to create the best chowders.  South Bay Wild’s chowder is worthy.  I give it an 8 on the Sea Hag Scale (readers will note that I base my 1 to 10 scales on the places where I have had the best of a given dish.  For clam chowder, that is Gracie’s Sea Hag in Depoe Bay, Oregon).  

Next came the main course.  The fish and chips are appetizing to look at.  

The Main Course

The breading is golden, and crisp, as are the fries.  I got the sole, which the server said was the most popular.  

So, here goes:

The fish:  the breading has no oil taste, which means that they keep their fryer clean, and don’t overuse their oil.  I’ve tasted fish and chips where the dominant flavor is the oil, and that’s not good.  At South Bay, that was not a concern.  At first taste, the fish was fresh, and not too fishy (an oxymoron, I know).  I like the taste of fish, but if it tastes fishy, it’s usually old.  The types of fish used for fish and chips tends to be on the lighter side: cod, halibut, sole, and rock fish, so it’s easy to tell how fresh it is.  The one complaint I have is that the breading falls apart with the first bite.  It reminds me of a gluten free breading.  I have nothing against that.  They can be delicious.  However, when served in a metal basket like this on top of the fries, it’s hard to eat when the breading disintegrates.  I ended up repurposing a napkin as a plate.

The tartar sauce:  Good, and not too sweet.  They used a quality mayo, and the right amount of other ingredients.  I was into the second fillet before I remembered to rate the sauce, so there was nothing in it to throw off the flavor.  

The Fries:  Crisp, and delicious.  They pass the Salt Test, whereby they are just fine with only salt from beginning to end.  I can add ketchup if I want to, but I don’t have to.  

The Coleslaw:  This was the only unusual part of the meal.  The cabbage had an unusual business partner: sliced olives.  It also tasted fermented.  I asked the cook, and she said that it was a 24-hour marinade.  I liked it.  It wasn’t cloyingly sweet like some coleslaws, but the unusual flavor was hard to get used to at first.  

Overall Rating:  I give South Bay Wild a 9 on the Rose and Thistle Scale.  If you are Passing through Astoria, give this place a try.  The service will snag you by the mouth, and the food will set the hook.  

The Impatient Chef.