Fish. Fresh and Simple: That’s What Makes It Sacred

Making a great dish can be simple. Get the freshest ingredients, prepare them in a manner that will take advantage of their best features and flavors, and serve. That was the lesson for Paul Chartier, a fishmonger, chef, and owner of the Sacred Cod food truck based here in Newbury, Mass. He began his business by serving an ambitious menu of fish burgers of all kinds – salmon, tuna, and swordfish, along with his own special crab cakes. But when he offered a simple fried haddock sandwich, he found that his customers loved it. “Turned out that’s what they wanted all along. I just kept the salmon burger on the menu and added fish and chips with my own fried haddock.”

A small fry learning on the docks

Paul grew up in Gloucester and has been literally up to his elbows in fish since his youth. Fish has been his trade since the age of 14, when he began with a summer job at a combo fish market and clam shack. “They put me in the kitchen to fry clams and shuck lobsters. From there, I worked in fish markets and then became a fish cutter. I worked on the wharf in Gloucester for a number of years, then started my own fish company,” he said. “I loved the fish business.”

Like many of the food sectors, the fish business has changed considerably over the years, he said. Government fishing regulations intended to save declining stocks but restricted the number of days that boats could go to sea. “Ultimately, I couldn’t get my hands on enough fish to keep my business going,” he added. After shuttering the business, he pulled back, worked on his farm in Newbury, and did some carpentry on the side.

Swimming with the tide

Then one day, it hit him: He could put his knowledge of fish customers to work by opening his own fish market. That market turned into the food truck Sacred Cod. He found a used food truck in Ipswich, gutted it, and rebuilt it to suit his needs. And that’s how he put his love of fried fish directly into the mouths of customers.

Though he doesn’t have his own cutting room, he knows the sources who will get him what he wants. “They know what I’ll find acceptable, and they do the picking for me: fresh dayboat haddock.” He pays attention to seasonality – what species are available during key times during the year. He would like to add yellowtail flounder to his menu, if possible. He’d add cod, but it’s usually too expensive.

(By the way, for the uninitiated in Bostonian ways, the Sacred Cod is a wood carving that’s hung for three centuries in the chamber of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.)

Freshly made and freshly cooked: that’s divine

And he pays attention when it comes to sides and condiments. He makes his own tartar sauce. His slaw consists of green cabbage, a little red cabbage and carrots cut by hand, then combined with mayonnaise, cider vinegar, honey, and his own version of Old Bay Spice (low salt). His fish tacos come with homemade corn tortillas made with organic blue masa, usually made on the morning before he serves them.

The fried fish is cooked to order. “I don’t cook it and put it under the heat lamp. I want it crispy and hot. With one fryer, it slows me down quite a bit, but the wait is worth it.” The fish tacos come with a mango salsa, and here, Paul pays attention to balance. “You want it sweet, but you don’t want a fruit salad – just some onion, cilantro, and red pepper with the fruit.”

And as for his salmon burger, it’s the same simplicity: fresh ground salmon, fresh dill, garlic, scallion and lemon zest, Dijon mustard and fresh ground pepper and salt. “I want you to taste the dill, but don’t want it too overpowering. At the same time, it’s a salmon burger, not plain salmon.”

So there you have it.  Simple, but delicious.

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