Deep Fried Pizza
The Scots like to deep fry things. They, like their English and Welsh neighbors, have battered and fried fish. And of course they have their chips. Chips go with the fish. They also go with pretty much everything else served in Scotland. I had macaroni and cheese (another dish popular in the Scottish Highlands) at a nice Inverness diner and it came with a huge side of chips. You can even get a chip butty at your local chippy. What's a chip butty? Why, it's a chip sandwich! Talk about carb overload!
But the Scots go a bit further with the frying than others. They have deep fried Mars bars. And they also have the deep fried pizza. I had heard of this intriguing dish long before we moved to Scotland, and it's been on my radar since we arrived. There's a local chippy called The Codfather that offers this dish and last night I gave it a go.
The pizza is just a basic ten-inch pie that you buy frozen from most supermarkets. You can have your deep fried pizza battered or naked. I decided to have the full experience and had mine battered. The serving size, at least at The Codfather, is half the pizza. I've read that other places fold the pizza in half.
Here is my deep fried pizza:
It probably doesn't look too appetizing, but it was actually pretty tasty. The batter kept the pizza crust soft. The cheese was the perfect melty gooey-ness. So it was an interesting sensation in the mouth: You had the crunch of the batter, the gooey cheese, and the soft crust combining into an enjoyable bite. I liked it and I will have it again. Though probably not often because neither my waistline nor arteries would appreciate it being a regular thing.
My one criticism: The batter had zero seasoning, so it was tasteless. I find that a lot, actually. No one bothers giving the batter any flavor. C'mon people, at least add some salt! But seriously, if someone would make the batter specifically for the pizza and add some garlic and Italian herbs to it, this would be a phenomenal dish.
But the Scots go a bit further with the frying than others. They have deep fried Mars bars. And they also have the deep fried pizza. I had heard of this intriguing dish long before we moved to Scotland, and it's been on my radar since we arrived. There's a local chippy called The Codfather that offers this dish and last night I gave it a go.
The pizza is just a basic ten-inch pie that you buy frozen from most supermarkets. You can have your deep fried pizza battered or naked. I decided to have the full experience and had mine battered. The serving size, at least at The Codfather, is half the pizza. I've read that other places fold the pizza in half.
Here is my deep fried pizza:
It probably doesn't look too appetizing, but it was actually pretty tasty. The batter kept the pizza crust soft. The cheese was the perfect melty gooey-ness. So it was an interesting sensation in the mouth: You had the crunch of the batter, the gooey cheese, and the soft crust combining into an enjoyable bite. I liked it and I will have it again. Though probably not often because neither my waistline nor arteries would appreciate it being a regular thing.
My one criticism: The batter had zero seasoning, so it was tasteless. I find that a lot, actually. No one bothers giving the batter any flavor. C'mon people, at least add some salt! But seriously, if someone would make the batter specifically for the pizza and add some garlic and Italian herbs to it, this would be a phenomenal dish.
Comments
Post a Comment