Alabama Fish Bar:

Fish Fry season is almost upon us. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, some beloved options like Bridgetown Finer Meats are no longer on the table for many. That said, there are still some fabulous options in town and we’re happy to share one of them with you.

Alabama Fish Bar has been in business for almost three full decades now, on the corner of Liberty and Race. It’s still cash only, and you can still smell the mouthwatering aroma of peppers and onions being cooked on the flattop over a block away.

The options are fairly simple on the menu. Which of the three types of fish (perch, whiting and cod) you'd like and whether you want peppers and onions (spoiler alert, you do). Sides are fries (krinkle cut!) and bread. The three types of fish are all enjoyable for different reasons.

After waiting in a fairly socially-distanced line, we used a warmer afternoon to our advantage and walked North just a few blocks to Findlay Market, where we used many, many Purell wipes on our fingers and dug in at a table outside.

The perch was the “Goldilocks” of the three – not too fishy, not too mild – in smaller, skinnier pieces, with excellent crunchy breading-to-fish ratio.

The whiting, on the other hand, was a bit more "oceany," in long pieces that were a bit flatter. It's a good choice if you are fan of bolder flavors like catfish or mackerel.

The cod was our favorite, clean and mild in flavor, but firm and flaky, in larger cubic pieces.

Any of these three are absolutely wonderful on their own, but they would also be a great basis for a fantastic fish taco with some fresh avocado and salsa verde, though cod and perch might be the easiest to fit in a tortilla if you want to give that a try.

I'll end with one last Alabama Fish Bar piece of trivia. You've probably noticed that Snoop Dogg is a busy dude these days. Between hosting the Puppy Bowl with Martha Stewart, dishing out Cameos, and being a spokesperson for Corona Beer, he seems to be everywhere.

But did you know that Alabama’s is near and dear to the D-O-Double-G’s heart, too? It’s true. Just listen to Snoop’s outro in Hi-Tek’s in “How We Do it.” If these pictures and our endorsement isn’t reason enough to give it a try, hopefully that’s enough to pique your curiosity and to get you in the door.

You won’t regret it.

“What's the name of that fish spot in the 'Nati I like goin’ to?
You know what's happenin'
Yeah, Alabama's; that the name of it?
Get me some nephew, that three-piece dinner
Yeah, and tell Bootsy I'm back.”