If you’re still working through festive leftovers, a local chippy has come up with the perfect way to enjoy the most divisive of Christmas sides.
Catch 22 in Airdrie dished out some free samples of its deep fried battered Brussels sprouts when they reopened after Christmas on December 27, and boss Nadar Shazad reckons they’re a winner – and will consider adding them to the menu if there’s enough interest from customers.
He said: “You think Marmite is the ultimate love or hate – but it’s sprouts I think. Some people have been buzzing to try these, others have looked genuinely shocked we are doing something with them.
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“They’re a real Christmas tradition and I just thought it could be amazing or awful, let’s give it a go.”
Would you try deep-fried battered Brussels sprouts? -Credit:Catch 22
Nad cooked the divisive veg in garlic and pepper before battering and frying, then serving with a choice of sauces – and admits he was surprised by the result.
“They’re really, really good. I’ve always been neutral on sprouts, but I would absolutely order these as a side or a snack. Even as a garnish instead of a pickle with a supper.
“The texture works, the flavour is really good and they hold up perfectly to the battering and frying. The customers were fairly split on them, and so were the staff – it’s definitely a great divide among the Scottish public.”
Catch 22 opened a year ago and has won rave reviews – and nods from the Scottish Fish and Chip Awards.
Nad stresses they’re far from a novelty spot, it’s about trying new things and offering different ideas to keep things interesting for both diners and staff – and himself.
Nad said: “We’re a wee bit different at Catch 22, we try a lot of new things and don’t really abide by a lot of the ‘rules’ around fish and chips.
“Our customers seem to like that about us – we’re always open to new ideas, as long as we can make them taste good.
“That’s the decider for us – is it good. The whole deep fried everything nonsense is a silly cliché but if we can innovate and come up with an exciting new dish or twist on an established one, we’re all over it.
“We’ve done things like a battered fish burger with mushy peas as a sauce on it – that was a real winner.
“The key is using quality, premium ingredients, exceptionally well trained staff and the best equipment – also transparency, our frying range faces the counter so you can watch your food being prepped and cooked to order.
“Nothing sits in cabinets – you order, we make what you want and fry it as you watch. That’s also why I like these experiments, we give out the results to people to try as they wait.
“We might take an extra few minutes but we believe the food is all the better for it. And you might get a couple of free sprouts while you wait too.”
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