We were choppin’ it up over dinner in Atlanta, trying to come up with new ideas for Friday Food Fight, which is not as easy as it seems after more than three-and-a-half years of weekly columns, when my daughter said, “Hey, you should do fish sandwiches at two fast-food places.”
I packed the idea away for down the road. Its time has come.
Instead of featuring high-profile chains (MacD’s, BK, Wendy’s), I thought it better to try places with lower profiles and introduce them to you, dear readers.
Contestant #1: Culver’s, a burger-centric brand that has only been in the Tampa Bay market for a decade but has built a strong presence. Its fish sandwich gets strong grades online. Contestant #2: For a local angle, Salem’s Fresh Eats, which first opened in Tampa in 1988 and has 14 locations clustered mostly around the Bay area, the farthest away being Winter Haven.
We ate at locations in St. Pete. Rather than bring the sandwiches back to the the FFF Lab + Photo Studio™ and risk them getting cold, we ate on site.
CULVER’S
At 7:15 Tuesday, we opted to dine outdoors, with woosh-woosh-woosh of 4th Street traffic on one side and a spectacular sunset on the other.
This Culver’s has servers that are friendly and seem to really care about their jobs. We ordered at the drive-thru: a North Atlantic Cod Sandwich combo with fries and a drink ($12.69). And I couldn’t resist a milkshake ($5.79, large) A young guy brought our meal out, and said we should let him know if we needed anything.
Appearance
I hadn’t eaten fast food in a while, and this meal looked the part. The sandwich came in a small box, which beat a paper wrap. The cod inside the roll was impressively thick.
Taste and Texture
I first took notice of the delicate crust, which offered a mild crunch but was well short of crispy. Kudos to Culver’s. I’m not a fan of fish sandwiches that hide the actual flesh amid a mound of deep-fried breading. The cod was meaty and tender (but not flaky), and not the least bit “fishy”-tasting.
The soft bun lacked personality but, like a classic role player, it supported the fish. The cheese was subtle, as was the tartar sauce, both pluses. (I’ve had the misfortune of sitting down to $20 grouper sandwiches that were sloppy with cheese and tartar sauce.) The fries were solid, not over-salted, another plus.
All told, the Culver’s North Atlantic Cod Sandwich looked like fast food but didn’t eat like it.
SALEM’S FRESH EATS
For our first ever visit to a Salem’s, Bonnie drove westward through a driving rainstorm. The downpour had abated by our arrival at 12:45 Thursday, and we walked into the place to the smell of fresh rain on asphalt. A sign on the window touted a deal on gizzards, which would not be part of our dining experience at Salem’s.
We decided to eat in — because there’s no place to eat outside. The restaurant’s interior is beige-y and nondescript, but comfortable enough. I ordered the fish sandwich platter, with fries and a drink ($12.59). The manager, Craig, explained that I could get the sandwich with mayo, tomatoes, onion and pickles. “The works,” I said. He waived the $1 fee for a small container of tartar sauce.
Appearance
This presented more as a meal than what we had at Culver’s. Two slabs of fried tilapia protruded from the bun, and the plastic plate was filled out by basic fries.
Taste and Texture
The fish was nicely breaded, with a touch of crunch. The tilapia was a tad nondescript but was not beset by the dessication that can plague a sandwich like this. There was a lot stuffed into this beast, but it never fell apart and became an unholy mess.
I especially appreciated the briney punch provided by the thin dill-pickle slices and the crunch of the onion and lettuce. Add in the juicy brightness of the tomato and it amounted to a winning combination of flavors. The fries were solid.
And the Winner of the Fish Sandwich Skirmish Is …
Salem’s Fresh Eats.
A close one. I tilted toward the fuller flavor of Culver’s cod, but as an overall sandwich the Salem’s version had more character. Overall, the meal was surprisingly unlike fast food, which might seem counterintuitive here because the premise is based on fast food. The best way I can put it is that the Salem’s version came off as more made to order (and served hot).
As someone who rarely eats at fast-food joints, I was pleasantly surprised that, in each case, the meals were well thought out, well prepared, flavorful and — while not exactly salubrious — neither were they unhealthy gut bombs.
I’d eat them again — but probably won’t.
