Rock takes role as cheap choice for fish and chips

Cheap rockfish could soon replace cod as chippies face a battering from the cost of living crisis.

Soaring prices alongside sanctions on Russian boats have seen chip shops looking for inexpensive alternatives.

The industry is eyeing rockfish and hake, which are abundant off the US west coast. Pacific perch, a type of rockfish, is said to taste like cod.

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said the huge surplus in the US could “take the pressure off”.

Mr Crook, who was in a recent industry delegation to Oregon, said: “Most people know what they want before they come through the door. And getting people to change is very difficult”.

But he added: “We’ve got to explore alternatives because it’s the right thing to do to protect the fish and chip industry.

“The entire system needs a rethink and we need to ­create a strong, independent ­hospitality industry.”

Mr Crook, who runs Skippers Fish & Chips in Euxton, Lancs, called for government help.

He said: “Independent businesses are just about keeping their head above water. If we lose these businesses, we’ll never get them back.”

Prices have skyrocketed since a tariff on Russian white fish was imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. The country had supplied around 40 percent of cod imports.

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Cod, which peaked at £240 for 18kg, has fallen to around £206 while potatoes are up from £8 to £25 for 25kg.

Vinegar firm Sarson’s has warned that half of our 10,500 chippies could shut in three years due to rising costs.

It comes as Essex University warned of a growing mismatch between the fish we catch and the fish we want to eat could impact “our future food security”.

Researchers found if we ate more local species, such as herring and mackerel, UK seafood production would still not meet domestic demand or the Government’s healthy eating recommendations.

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