Do the best fish and chips in a waterfront town come from a trailer? TNT readers say yes
The best fish and chips in Pierce County begin with fresh cod, picked up no more than a day before being fileted by hand, battered to order and fried in the confines of a 14-by-8-foot trailer.
A TNT Diner survey that amassed more than 2,000 responses over the course of 10 days in August resulted in an emphatic victory for The Frying Dutchman, a food truck with a regular rotation in Milton, Puyallup, Edgewood and Sumner.
That’s right: You can only get these highly sought-after fish and chips four days a week, served through a window a few feet off the ground.
“I can no longer eat anyone else’s fish and chips,” said one respondent. “The fish is superior — in the preparation and freshness, plus they have perfect batter-to-fish ratio.”
The flavor and texture of the batter takes this fish over the line: “The fact that it’s light and still has that golden crispiness just makes it so flippin’ tasty!”
Loyal fans adore the tartar sauce, a house recipe of eight ingredients, only a few of which Trent Jurgensen, The Frying Dutchman himself, would disclose:
“The tartar,” he said before pausing, “is a secret.”
Definitely in there: onions of some varietal, pickles, a prodigal lacing of dried dill, mayonnaise. We know that it’s whipped the day before service — “let it bloom overnight,” said its creator, an important step to allow the oils of the dill and the essence of the onion permeate the base.
Jurgensen opened the truck in 2015, maturing from the seasonal Federal Way farmers market to a pretty regular schedule of parking lots across East Pierce County. Watching other upstart trucks at the time rove in a way that seemed impractical for customers, he wanted to do things differently. So he looked for food deserts — areas where a quick lunch might be a few miles away. He religiously places signs advertising the location and hours so that cars passing by any day, any time, will know they can return on a given day, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., for fish and chips.
“No signs, no lines,” he said after a sell-out day at Sterino Farms off Pioneer Way East in Puyallup. He estimates that customers who saw the sign buy another $150 to $200 in food — 20 additional orders of a two-piece platter at The Frying Dutchman.
BEST FISH & CHIPS WINNERS
Of the 2,600 votes, Jurgensen’s truck snagged 455 (17%) in the TNT Diner survey. In second place with 302 votes (12%) was Tides Tavern, the 50-year-old Gig Harbor waterfront haunt. Polishing the bronze with 244 votes (9%) was Paya Thai Fish and Chips, a humble outpost serving out of Freighthouse Square since the late 1990s.
The Ram Restaurant and Brewery, with eight locations in Washington, ended in fourth place with about 150 takers. Black Fleet Brewing, which harnesses the power of its home-brewed beer in its batter, took fifth with 134 — the last to crack 5%.
Northern Fish Co., The Fish Peddler, Anthony’s and Fish House Cafe rounded out the winners.
“To be considered the best, that’s a great honor,” said Jurgensen when we revealed the results to him on Aug. 30.
A longtime hospitality professional but always in the front-of-house, Jurgensen left his job of 15 years at Anthony’s to build The Frying Dutchman. He was never a cook, but he had always been into food, so to speak. He recounted a story his family loved to tell of 4-year-old Trent, ordering eggs at a diner. “I order an egg over easy,” he recalled, the server looking perplexed. When the egg arrived, he apparently picked it up by its stiff whites, held it over his head and said, “You call this over easy?!”
Asked why his fish is so special, he offered nothing but pragmatism — and, I might add, attention to detail and sincere customer service.
He described the batter as “straightforward” and “simple,” a standard 5:1 flour-to-cornstarch recipe with baking soda, salt and pepper, plus The Immortal IPA from Elysian Brewing. “It’s fairly thin, a little bit more like a tempura batter,” as opposed to a “doughy” beer batter.
Maybe that’s the secret.
Or it might be that he picks up the cod (and white shrimp, also on the menu here) from Lusamerica in Fife twice a week — every Monday and either Wednesday or Thursday. The truck serves lunch Tuesday through Friday. He fillets it himself, removing the bones, cleaning and cutting each piece. It’s battered and fried to order, which means you’ll wait at least 10 minutes after you pay before you hear your name, but meantime you can sip on a tangy fruit lemonade with add-ins like blueberry, mango and peach. Don’t skip the $2 order of ginger slaw that happens to be vegan and just shouts of fresh root.
Try the Cajun shrimp, marinated in spices before battered and fried, and if they have the means that day, the off-menu Cajun fish is equally enticing.
At Sterino Farms on Aug. 30, the line held steady at eight or so people from 1:30 p.m. until the last shrimp was sold a half-hour later.
“We’re outta fish!” yelled Megan Bitseff, running orders that day from the window.
“Awww, man!” replied the customer, Thomas Sauers, who had just emerged from his vehicle. He settled, contentedly, for the shrimp and also house-breaded chicken tenders.
“I come here as often as I can,” he told me while waiting in line. “I usually order the fish. It’s a different type of fish and chips — he takes the time to prepare it.”
THE WINNERS
What makes fish and chips top-notch? According to hundreds of responses to our request for additional seafood commentary, the word “crisp” or “crispy” showed up 45 times. Fresh fish must be perfectly cooked, consistently, and the batter should not overpower our ocean friend. “No one likes squishy fish and chips!” affirmed one eager reader.
Here’s a quick guide to where and when to enjoy the Top 5 fish and chips in Pierce County, as voted by readers of The News Tribune.
THE FRYING DUTCHMAN
▪ Multiple Locations, 206-713-2210, eatthedutch.com
▪ Tuesday at Milton City Hall, Wednesday at Sterino Farms (Puyallup), Thursday at Edgewood City Hall, Friday at Dillano’s Roasting Plant (Sumner); 11 a.m-2 p.m., usually
▪ Details: food truck with regular stops; fish and chips $15 for 3-piece or 2 for $10, fried shrimp $14 for 6, fruit lemonade $3, ginger slaw $2
TIDES TAVERN
▪ 2925 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor, 253-858-3982, tidestavern.com
▪ Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
▪ Details: classic waterfront seafood tavern, no minors; cod and chips $19.99 for 2-piece or $23.99 for three; halibut starts $25.99/$33.99
PAYA THAI FISH & CHIPS
▪ Freighthouse Square, 420 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253-627-8432, facebook.com/PTFishNChips
▪ Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.
▪ Details: friendly counter-service in food court; cod and chips $11.95 for 2-piece or 3 for $15.95, halibut $14.95/$18.95; also serves fried shrimp, scallops, oysters and clams
THE RAM
▪ 3001 Ruston Way, Tacoma, theram.com; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday (until 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday)
▪ 103 35th Ave. SE, Puyallup; 10019 59th Ave. SW, Lakewood; 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday (until 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday)
▪ Details: restaurant with house beer; 3-piece fish in Hefeweizen beer and fries $19.99
BLACK FLEET BREWING
▪ 2302 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253-327-1641, blackfleetbrewing.com
▪ Friday-Saturday 3-8 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.
▪ Details: brewery with full restaurant, all ages; beer-battered fish and chips 2-piece $13.95
This story was originally published September 3, 2023 at 7:05 AM.