Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Year of the Fish

Year of the Fish is a fish-and-chips food cart located near the corner of SE 47th and Hawthorne in Portland, Oregon. As of late October, they have only been around for about 2-3 months, so they are still technically a newbie to the Portland food cart scene. Ed MacGregor runs this food cart, and from what I gathered, he chose to run a fish and chips cart after seeing a similar cart (likely Frying Scotsman) become a success in downtown Portland.

UPDATE (11/10/11): Year of the Fish has moved to the A La Carts Food pod (SE 50th and Division)



I ordered the cod and chips basket with a side of cole slaw ($7.50 total). The cole slaw is a blend of green cabbage, purple cabbage, onion, likely some celery, and his house-blend cole slaw dressing (which contains horseradish). Ed also makes his own tartar sauce, which includes pickles, capers, herbs, and other tasty ingredients. The chips are cut in plank form and are the fresh, natural-cut variety...no frozen crap here.

Fish (cod) and Chips (Year of the Fish)
Tartar sauce in the bottom left corner
Cole slaw in the back right corner
The cod was just perfectly cooked here. The cod has a delicate, mild flavor. More importantly, it was extremely moist, easily flaking into my mouth. The crunchy fried breading was not too greasy and provided a welcome contrast to the cod itself. The chips were also very good. Crispy and firm on the outside, soft on the inside, just how I like it. The tartar sauce had a wonderful creamy consistency, with ingredients like the pickles and capers adding some chunky identity to this one. Squeezing the lemon over the fish and chips cut through all that fried heaviness. And yes, I thought the breading was a bit thick for my liking.

Inside of the cod...very moist fish!
I'm not used to seeing cole slaw minced up like that, but I enjoyed it. Good flavor, great fresh crunch from all the vegetables.

Year of the Fish has a myriad of condiments to choose from. I'm personally a fan of spicy condiments, like the cayenne pepper sauce and the Tiger Sauce. They also have soy sauce, sriracha, malt vinegar, Frank's Red Hot sauce, tapatio, cholula, sweet chili sauce, Worcestershire, and Tabasco.

Condiments!
Year of the Fish also offers red snapper, halibut, and prawns instead of cod. According to Year of the Fish's Facebook page, you can even get a combo platter of any 2-4 pieces (cod, halibut, red snapper, or Tiger prawns). And Ed even caters to the gluten-intolerant population, offering a GF option (fish coated in a rice flour batter).

If you don't care for the fried foods, Ed can saute the meal for you. Or heck, if you want something raw, try the Oyster Shooters ($2).

For the upcoming colder weather months, Ed will continue to sell his house-made clam chowder ($3 cup; $5 bowl). It's the same chowder he made at Kay's Bar in the Sellwood District of Portland.

If you're in SE Portland and craving something fried for lunch, look no further than Year of the Fish! 7.75/10

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