With Fats Tuesday and Ash Wednesday behind us, the Lenten season is underway.
Catholics historically abstain from meat on Fridays till Easter, and which means higher demand for seafood. Our meals supervisor visited this week with a seafood specialist in Portage Park who’s approaching 80 years within the enterprise.
In 1946, a pair of Scandinavian immigrants moved to the Northwest Facet from Door County, Wisconsin. They introduced with them expertise in sourcing, smoking and frying fish. The corporate remains to be owned by the identical household and is now in its fourth technology.
Don't name the hearth division, it's simply one other day on the oldest working fish smokehouse on the town. Hagen's has been a fixture in Portage Park because it opened its doorways in 1946.
“My great-grandfather and his spouse, his brother and his spouse; and so they each got here from Door County,” mentioned Eric Johnson, fourth-generation proprietor of Hagen’s. “We smoke, we fry and we even have a contemporary produce division.”
There are additionally loads of contemporary seafood salads, nevertheless it's the smoked and fried ones that are likely to take up many of the menu. The smoker is old-fashioned; There are not any shortcuts right here.
“As a substitute of simply utilizing pellets or sawdust, mainly only a cinder block room within the again with an enormous metallic field, I begin a hearth and ship the fish on prime. We’ve salmon, whitefish and mackerel coming in a few instances every week,” she mentioned.
In addition to sturgeon and salmon fillets. Salmon fillets are seasoned in two methods: grilled, with garlic and pepper, and confit.
“We brine it in a single day in brown sugar, maple syrup and salt water; “We'll take it off the warmth after which glaze it with honey,” Johnson mentioned.
Fried fish can also be plentiful.
A shrimp sandwich or po'boy, however principally simply fried and served in a easy paper boat. Two of the preferred: plump shrimp and Alaskan haddock. The method is mechanized, however nonetheless fairly easy.
Haddock, for instance, is totally submerged within the seasoned batter; then it emerges and is roofed with a skinny breading, the surplus is shaken off after which dropped right into a bucket, the place it’s transferred to the fryers and cooked till crispy and golden. Johnson says that beginning this week the fryers will likely be working time beyond regulation.
“Lent is without doubt one of the busiest instances of the 12 months for us, except for the Christmas and vacation season. Each Friday, this complete retailer is stuffed with individuals on the lookout for fried fish,” he mentioned.
Like pizza, fried fish is greatest cooked sizzling, so be ready to warmth it up at dwelling or, higher but, eat it within the automobile. However, smoked fish – particularly confit salmon – is nice at any time.
Right here's the place you possibly can go:
Hagen fish market
5635 W. Montrose Ave.
773-283-1944