Linda’s Fish & Chips - Mad dash for food truck perfection
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There are so many food trucks out there today, each serving up their own brand of grub, that it’s hard to keep up with what’s good and what’s not. One has to look closely – hunt carefully even – for a truck that truly excites. Because nothing is more deflating than realizing that three out of six trucks in the same pod are serving tacos. So when I do happen upon a food truck that stands out I get excited; even emotional. Which is how I felt when racing past Linda’s Fish & Chips en route to Washington’s Pacific coast. My spousal/culinary partner-in-crime and I had just eaten at another gem along the way through the beautiful forests and bogs leading to Southwestern Washington's Willapa Bay and now had a pressing date with some oysters by a beach. But one glance at Linda’s and I knew we had to come back. It beckoned to me from the moment I spotted it; simple, solitary and promising of something good.
It was a rush job for food, to say the least. After overindulging on Willapa Bay oysters, both grilled and on the half, in the idyllic - if not a little M. Knight Shyamalan-esq - village of Oysterville, the drive back down the Long Beach Peninsula and inland to the semi-industrial fishing town of South Bend was wild. Seems that Linda’s was closing at 6 and we needed to go a long way at well above the speed limit on Willapa Bay’s winding country roads if we were to make it on time. We called ahead, begging the very Linda herself not to close before our arrival but, with no promise of waiting for us, I pressed the pedal harder and violated any number of traffic regulations to get there. Finally, with just minutes to spare, we reached Linda’s — and the place which quickly became our fish & chips heaven.
Set back in a dirt parking area near an old white oyster shed, Linda’s Fish & Chips is a food truck – well, trailer really – that by its very appearance fits my loosely-defined definition of a welcoming joint. It’s a simple white trailer with piles of oyster shells, knick-knacks, flowers in pails, painted signs and a random collection of fishing vessel flotsam and jetsam. And off to the side of the truck, a retired marine vessel – Ena – which once plied the locale as a water taxi by the grandfather of the foodtruck’s namesake herself.
With a simple menu of just four basic fresh-caught items – cod, shrimp, oysters and clams – Linda’s exceeded my expectations. Deep frying to perfection is no easy task, requiring not just the right control over the oil temperature but also a certain instinct by the cook. And Linda (in pink, below) is a master of both. The tensile crust of the fish gave a satisfying bite of golden panko and cornmeal – not that heavy, cloying flour batter that all too often delivers a pasty, not-quite-cooked doughy layer on the inside. Instead, this was clean and crisp, leading immediately to steaming soft white cod with a delicate, fresh taste. Her chips were not the throwaway accompaniment that too many F&C joints treat it as, but rather hand-cut fries with a crispy outer surface leading to moist potatoes cooked just north of al dente. The mouthfeel of the tender fish combined with the robust chips defined why this dish – when properly prepared – is so globally coveted.
The wonder of this little fish and chips food truck did not stop with just the fish; the shrimp, clams and oysters were equally well-prepared. When one considers the difference in texture of shrimp, freshly-shucked oysters, clams and dense white fish, the challenge of cooking each to its own degree of doneness becomes apparent. To get it right, one can’t just dump all of the items in the oil together. Each has its own texture, its own demands which, if neglected, will lead to dry, stringy shrimp, rubbery clam strips, dense oysters with an over-cooked mineralliness, and fish that is just, well, blah. And this attention to detail required of each is not missed by Linda, with each protein exemplifying its own, unique texture and taste. The shrimp were juicy and sweet; the oysters were crispy on the outside while remaining soft and creamy in the middle. Each was a standalone delight in its own right.
Sometimes (okay, always) when one sees a food spot in an unexpected place – in this case out in the middle of a dirt parking lot by a shellfishery – it justifies aggressive, scofflaw driving to try it. And sometimes (okay, almost always) the more unassuming the place, the better the food. Linda’s Fish & Chips proves that point with her little trailer, piles of spent shells and a family heirloom boat sitting beside it. It embodies the notion of memorable, unexpected eats which, once enjoyed, will bring you back for more.
Linda’s Fish & Chips, Rt. 101, South Bend, WA
