How We’re Thinking About Scoring Fish Fries

We’ve spent way too much time on this. Here’s where we landed.

One of the questions that kept coming up as we were putting together the Fish Fry Bracket was: how do you actually compare one fish fry to another? Not just “which one is more popular” — that’s what the bracket is for — but if you were really trying to figure out which fish fry is the best, how would you even think about it?

We went back and forth on this more than we’d like to admit. At one point we were seriously considering building a full editorial bracket — a separate track where we’d send reviewers to score every matchup on a detailed rubric. We scrapped that idea for two reasons.

First, there are over 100 fish fries in Westmoreland County. Even if we had twice the number of people available to eat fish on Fridays, we couldn’t come close to covering all of them in a single Lenten season. The math just doesn’t work.

Second, the more we thought about what actually makes a great fish fry experience, the more we realized how many dimensions there are to it. It’s not as simple as “which fish tastes better.” A great fish fry is a combination of things, and some of the most important ones are hard to put on a scorecard. That complexity is exactly why we went with the simple one-person, one-vote People’s Choice bracket for the main competition. Asking people to fill out a multi-category scoring sheet was going to limit who participated, and we wanted this to be something everyone could be part of.

But we still think about this stuff. We can’t help it. So here’s how we’re breaking it down.

The Fish

This is the headliner. The thing you came for. How does the fish taste? Is it fresh? Is the breading or batter well-seasoned and crispy, or is it soggy and bland? If they offer a baked option, is it actually good or just an afterthought? The portion — is it generous? Does it hang off the bun? The fish is the single most important thing, and it carries the most weight in how we think about a place.

The Atmosphere and the Community

This is the thing that makes fish fry culture in Westmoreland County special, and it’s the thing that’s hardest to score but maybe matters the most.

When you walk into a fire hall or a church basement on a Friday night during Lent, there’s something happening that goes beyond food. Families are there. Regulars are there. Volunteers are running around. There’s a energy to it. Some places have that dialed in — you walk in and you immediately feel like you’re part of something. Other places, the food might be fine, but it feels like you’re just picking up a to-go order.

We’re paying attention to that. The vibe, the people, the sense of community. Whether the volunteers seem like they’re having fun. Whether the place feels like it matters to the people who are there. That stuff counts.

The Supporting Cast

Here’s where a lot of fish fries separate themselves, and it’s something that often gets overlooked.

An excellent piece of fish on a forgettable piece of bread is a letdown. It just is. The bun matters. The condiments matter. Is the tartar sauce homemade or straight from a jar? Is the coleslaw something you actually want to eat? These things don’t need to be fancy, but when they’re done well, they elevate the whole sandwich.

And then there are the sides. This is where places can really set themselves apart. Homemade pierogies. Homemade haluski. Mac and cheese that somebody’s grandmother clearly had a hand in. Good sides can take a fish fry from “that was a solid sandwich” to “we need to go back next week.” We’re paying attention.

The Bonus Points

Some fish fries do things that you just don’t expect, and we think that deserves recognition even if it’s not something every place needs to have.

When the Youngstown Whitney Fireman’s Club is offering lobster bisque — that’s the kind of thing that makes us go, “Alright, we gotta go check that out.” When Madison Fire has an all-you-can-eat fish option, that’s pretty cool. When a place has a specialty item that they’re known for, or they’re doing something creative that nobody else is doing, that adds intrigue. It doesn’t make or break a score, but it gets our attention and it gets us in the door.

So What Are We Actually Doing With This?

We’re not following the bracket with our editorial coverage. The bracket is yours — it’s a popularity contest, and the community decides the winner.

What we’re doing is using the bracket and the conversation around it to help us identify places that sound like they might score high across all of these categories. Then we’re going out, eating fish sandwiches, and thinking about them through this lens. We’ll share our experiences — the good, the surprising, the places that blew us away that we never would have found otherwise.

By the end of the season, there will be a People’s Choice Champion from the bracket. And separately, we’ll share our own picks for the best fish fries we found based on our tastings. They might be the same. They might not. Both stories are worth telling.

Do This Yourself

One more thing: this is not something we’re trying to hold as our own. We’re just a few people who love food and thought this would be fun.

If you’re reading this and thinking “I want to do the same thing” — do it. Go to a fish fry this Friday. Think about the fish, the sides, the atmosphere, the whole experience. Take a photo. Write a few sentences about what you thought. Post it. Tag us. Tell your friends where to go.

If you want a framework, we put together a simple scoring rubric you can use: Fish Fry Scoring Rubric

You don’t have to use it. But if you’re the type of person who wants to get serious about evaluating a fish sandwich — and honestly, we respect that more than you know — it’s there for you.

The whole point of this is to celebrate these communities and have fun doing it. The more people who are out there eating fish, sharing their experiences, and telling these stories, the better.

Now go eat a fish sandwich.

The Greensburg Times is a community project based in Westmoreland County, PA. Find us at greensburgtimes.com and on Facebook.