Not Your Usual Fish and Chips: Fish Shop in Blackrock Market

Blog update: Fish shop isn't operating at this location anymore

Ah Dublin in the sunshine, don't you just love it? Every time the weather is glorious I want to walk along a beach or a pier to soak up the sun, which leaves me with a craving for fish or seafood. As I was meeting Y. for lunch on Good Friday, I suggested we go to Blackrock to try out Fish Shop which has been on my (blogging) radar for a while.

Fish Shop can be found in the Blackrock Market on George’s avenue and is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 9pm.

It’s possibly the cutest wooden shack serving food in Dublin, the place is owned by a young couple who serve locally caught beer battered fish and grilled seafood. On the day I visited they had a choice of hake or haddock for the fish and chips (€7.50), grilled mussels (€5) and their filet o’fish shop (€7).

There is a sitting area with three wooden picnic tables along a blue painted wall, as well as some stools and benches just in front of the shack. The weather was so lovely when I was there that it felt like I was away on holiday. Even some guy asked me if I was "just visiting" Ireland when he saw me taking pictures. Yes, I still get this after living here almost 10 years.

Now, I usually only eat fish and chips about once a year on National Fish and Chips Day but this might change since my visit to Fish Shop.

We both ordered the beer battered haddock with chips and loved it. It wasn’t the greasy heavy kind served with soggy chips you find in some chippers. The batter was very light, the fish fleshy and incredibly fresh. The chips were cooked perfectly and there was just the right amount of them.

I bought their homemade tartar sauce (€1) which was zingy and included big chunks of gherkins and capers.

While we loved our fish and chips, we both had massive dish envy when a young fella passed by our table with his filet o’fish shop. The bun looked amazing (a toasted brioche bun from Arun bakery) filled with beer battered hake, garlic mayo, baby gem lettuce and fennel, mint and apple slaw. This is definitely what I’ll have on my next visit but I don’t think it’s always available so you’d better check out their Facebook or Twitter for their daily menu.

After lunch, we walked to Dun Laoghaire, enjoying the weather, admiring the blossoms and of course we ate our first 99 of the year from Teddy's while walking along Dun Laoghaire's pier. Pure bliss!