Our choice for Tauranga's best Fish 'n Chips

Zelda-Mae Watt, Greerton Fresh Fish Market. Photo/John Borren

If you're considering fish 'n chips for dinner tonight, it might be worth a drive to Greerton to get some of the Bay's best.

A 48 Hours unscientific survey of eight fish 'n chip shops across Tauranga this week has found the Chadwick Rd shop not only serves up the best tasting fish 'n chips, but the largest helpings as well.

A panel of two men and three women sampled a scoop of chips and portion of fish from the eight shops. The panel sampled and discussed the pros and cons of each meal and gave each store an overall rating out of 10.

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The panel judged The Fresh Fish Market Greerton the best overall, rating it nine out of 10.

Owner Phillip Palmer said the accolade was "awesome" but he was concerned how his elder brother - Tauranga fish 'n chip king Bob Palmer - would take the news.

Bob Palmer, who owns Bobby's Fresh Fish Market in Dive Crescent, gave his youngest brother the Greerton shop to run eight years ago and Phillip Palmer collects the fresh fish and batter from Dive Crescent each morning.

The opportunity to run their own shop has given Phillip Palmer, his wife, Adrienne, and two of their three children - Iesha, 17, and Bradley, 25 - a full-time job they enjoy.

Building a reputation for great fish 'n chips hasn't come without plenty of hard work and Phillip Palmer hasn't had a holiday in those eight years.

"We try to survive there because if we didn't do what we do, we'd be gone. We just put all the effort in. Hard work and perseverance, there's no secret formula for that."

Customers now come from far and wide for fresh fish and great fish 'n chips. "We're not doing it for profit, we're doing it because we need a job. We try to have quality at a reasonable price," Mr Palmer said.

Manager Phillip Palmer. Photo/John Borren

48 Hours purchased one scoop of chips and one piece of tarakihi from fish 'n chip shops from Papamoa to Cambridge Heights, aiming to capture a snap shot of what's on offer in Tauranga.

The top three shops - Greerton Fresh Fish Market, Bobby's Fresh Fish Market and Master Fish 'N' Chicken in Bureta all had one thing in common - they sell fresh fish on the premises.

Bobby's offered a 180g piece of tarakihi in fresh, light batter. The panel viewed the chips as "flavoursome, well-seasoned and cooked to perfection".

Relative new-comer Master Fish 'N' Chicken offered light, fresh batter and a large, flat-cut chip.

Third equal went to 15th Ave Takeaways, located on the busy intersection with Fraser St, which offered tasty fish - that certainly appeared fresh - covered in a light batter, and soft tasty chips that were seasoned well.

Papamoa Domain Takeaways & Fast Food scored a middle of the road five. The panel "craved an extra sprinkling of salt", and considered the chips "oily" but said they had " good texture". Despite being the smallest piece of fish - weighing 100g - it cost $4.70 - just 10 cents less than Greerton's fresh fish, which was double the size.

Close to the bottom of the ranks was Shell Seeker Takeaways at Cambridge Heights whose greasy, heavily seasoned fish scored them a three.

Slightly better were Brookfield Fish & Chinese who were ranked four for their watery fish and thick, heavy batter. The chips ranged from well-cooked to overdone.

The lowest score went to Mount Fish and Chips on Maunganui Rd which scored a two.

Winner of the Bay Times fish and chip shop survey the Greerton Fresh Fish Market, Manager Phillip Palmer. Photo/John Borren

The Chip Group industry standards:
Use chips that are at least 13mm in width.
A standard scoop of uncooked chips is about 330g.
Cook chips at a temperature of 175C for 3 to 4 minutes.
After frying, bang or shake the basket vigorously two times. Hang the basket for at least 20 seconds.
Keep the fryer topped up with fresh oil and filter it every day. Source: The Chip Group (aims to improve the nutrition of deep-fried chips in New Zealand)

Note: This is an unscientific survey based on the opinion of five panellists, based on one serving. The fish and chips were all purchased from each outlet on the same day. The subjective opinions reported are of the five panellists alone based on their experience. The Bay of Plenty Times Weekend accepts that this is not the only opinion or experience.