Cod Damn!

by

Seamus Gibney

How does the east coast favorite fish and chips get translated for California tastes? Chef Seamus Gibney shows you how at the Cod Damn Fish and Chips pop up at Hidden Cafe in Berkeley—and it’s amazing.

Seamus has lived in the Bay Area for 10 years and, due to Covid 19 was furloughed from his job at the Proper Hotel. When he heard about The Hidden Cafe’s chef-centric pop-ups from his friends who do the wildly popular MICHOZ Peruvian chicken at the same venue, he wanted to try serving an upgraded fish and chips at his own pop-up. He says of the cafe’s owners, “Andy and Asako have done an amazing job creating a space for culinary artists in their cafe. They have great advice and insight and are so supportive.”

He adds, “Pop-ups are a great opportunity to keep things simple while executing a singular vision. If you want to concentrate on just making apple pie you can. I think it allows chefs to really nerd out on one dish. For me it's Fish and Chips. I love creating a Fish and Chips that satiates and challenges one's perception of what a Fish and Chips can be. Fish and chips, growing up, were crinkle cut fries, battered haddock, coleslaw, tartar sauce and lemon wedges. I use that as my baseline. I have a lot of great memories around Fish and Chips and I very much enjoy curating Fish and Chip memories for others. Pop ups are challenging. You have to build a small scaffolding of infrastructure to support your concept while not going too far down the rabbit hole; you have to keep it simple. There are many of the same challenges you would face opening a new business, just scaled down. I enjoy the freedom to face those opportunities my way, on my schedule.”

Seamus’ vision for his west-coast-i-fied fish and chips starts with the fish. “I’m using Rock Cod now. It's cost effective, as well as being local and super fresh. I like the meatiness of rock cod and the flake.” The pieces of cod are coated in a yeasted batter, deep fried and sprinkled with flaky sea salt.

As far as sides go, Seamus has re-envisioned every element to please everyone from hardcore traditionalists to the most refined of California palates. Fries are hand-cut Russet potato that are blanched, then double-fried for extreme crunchiness. In lieu of coleslaw, he offers a cabbage and kohlrabi salad with kewpie mayo, Meyer lemon supremes, and Poke kaki and shiso as garnish, with a lemon vinaigrette. Two dipping sauces (a “chippy sauce” and a curried tartar sauce) complete this delicious picture.

Not deluxe enough for you? Seamus also includes his Rhode Island style chowder, featuring large pieces of cod in a cream and dashi soup with mirepoix, bacon and sake.

It’s garnished with salmon roe, fine herbs, and croutons and includes a furikake Kaiser roll served with salted smoked butter.