4.) Cod Squad: On duty when it comes to fish and chips in Boston
The Cod Squad has an imposing name but serves up alluring food to patrons in Boston.
Captain Marden’s, a Wellesley, Massachusetts-based wholesaler and retailer and seafood restaurant, started the Cod Squad food truck three years ago primarily as a marketing device. But the truck’s instant popularity has made it a viable and enduring part of the company’s business, according to Donna Raad, director of food truck operations for Captain Marden’s.
“We move around through the week, but wherever we go, from Harvard to the Boston Public Library to the Innovation District, people just love it,” Raad said.
The Cod Squad offers diners many seafood options, including clam chowder, fried calamari, crab cake sandwiches and tuna melts, as well as green salad with a choice of poached salmon, tuna salad or lobster salad. But its most popular offering is its version of fish and chips, according to chef Andrew Livingston.
“We used to offer a lot of different menu items, but we pared it down once we figured out what everybody wanted, which was just fish and chips,” Livingston said. “Two pieces of fish, about four ounces each, plus fries for USD 10 (EUR 8.88).”
Livingston says the perceived simplicity of fish and chips downplays the effort his truck puts into the dish. The preparation process is involved: the fish is dipped in milk, then run through a Fis-Chic breader and fried. It’s served with a homemade tartar sauce and coleslaw, and fries made from potatoes cut in the truck.
As for the fish, the “Cod Squad” moniker is a bit misleading – the truck typically uses pollock.
“At first, we worried about using pollock instead of cod,” Livingston said. “But we get the pollock in fresh from the Atlantic at 4 a.m. the same day we serve it up for lunch. With that level of quality and freshness, it tastes so amazing our customers don’t care what kind of fish it is.”
