A Coleman's-Like Fish Sandwich
Coleman's Fish Market at the Centre Market in Wheeling, West Virginia has been making fish sandwiches since 1914. The sandwiches are part of the nostalgia for those who of us left Wheeling and return to visit, and they are regular fare for many lifelong residents of the area.
The simply delicious fish sandwich is deep fried fish on white sliced bread.
Inquiring minds have wanted to know the recipe, but that information is never forthcoming from any of the Coleman's employees.
The Centre Market website reveals that the fish they use for the standard fish sandwich is pollock, which is not readily found in Louisiana. And, anyway, getting the fish is no help if the recipe is not known.
ENTER BOB AND LOIS MOORE OF IDAHO.
On a recent visit to Wheeling, I met with Bob and Lois, who left the Wheeling area half a century ago. They return annually and invariably eat at Coleman's. They, too, have wanted to know how the sandwiches are made, and this year they achieved that goal.
Over the years, they gleened bits of information about the preparation, but this year they know enough to call it a recipe!
After Bob and Lois saw a fish box in a trash recepticle at Coleman's, they knew where Coleman's gets the fish: Atlantic Sea Pride, Inc., Boston, MA.
Next, they figured out the process: Dip the fish in water, shake, dredge in flour, dip in egg wash, dredge in cornmeal/crackermeal breading. - Coleman's sells the breading in plastic bags.
The fish is cooked in Canola Omega3 oil.
The bread they serve the fish on is from Nickles Bakery.
SO, today, I made my first Coleman's-like fish sandwich.
Atlantic Sea Pride said they only deliver to businesses, so I ordered ten pounds of pollock from Always Fresh Fish in Tom's River, NJ. It arrived via FedEX and was "somewhat" cool to touch upon arrival. Probably best to order in the depth of winter, rather than when it is 100 degrees here.
Lots of places have pollock, especially in the north, and it can be bought inexpensively. It was expensive to order from New Jersey because of the shipping, which was almost as much as the fish. But I saved by buying 10 pounds.
We don't have a Nickles Bakery in Baton Rouge, but our "Bunny Bread" brand worked just fine.
I followed the Bob and Lois' "recipe" and I have to say that the result was excellent! REALLY.
posted by Linda @ 3:36 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
Do you eat yours with ketchup or tartar sauce? When Paula visited last week, Donna sent Coleman's fish, complete with a separate baggie with wrapped slices of the "approved" bread and packets of the tartar sauce they give you with the sandwiches. I don't have a deep fryer anymore... but that's OK... I can wait for Coleman's, and all my focus was on the DiCarlo's. It must be genetic, if you're born in the area. We gave Ryan a dozen slices of the pizza, and he rationed it out so he could take some to work for lunch every day that week. :-)
I sold Coleman's fish at the bar from 1981-85 (I didn't sell fish earlier), and Eddie and Nora's sold it from at least the 1960s until they sold the place in like 1978. They may well have sold it from the time they opened in the 1950s. Coleman's called it "Canadian White," which may have just been a marketing name for Pollock. By the way, Ronnie's daughter, Tam, worked for Coleman's for quite some time.
While everyone liked that fish, "Huch's Cafe" got rave reviews for their fish, including from most of those who liked the fish marketed by Coleman's. My grandparents and parents preferred Huch's, which I remember to be "Jackfish," which they bought from some place in Cleveland. They rented freezer storage and made the trip to Cleveland like once a month. When I was really little in the 1950s, I think they sold fish on both Fridays and Saturdays, but later changed to just Fridays. My grandparents lived just around the corner from "Huch's." The average weekly amount (in lbs.) now escapes me, but that little place sold a tremendous amount of fish and outsold Eddie and Nora, to my recollection, and they had a much larger place. When I was a kid, I didn't really much care for fish, but "Huch's" fish browned up much better, although that would have been due to the batter, and maybe the oil and cooking temp.
I was searching for Huch's Cafe and stumbled across this! My great-grandfather owned Huch's Cafe. So exciting to see this mentioned!
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