GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Fish fry season is here and it’s like you can smell the bubbling oil while walking along the streets of Grand Rapids. But one place in particular offers a more permanent fish fry feast. And it’s a cuisine you might not expect to see in Michigan.
The History
At a restaurant tucked between a barber shop and a carpet store on Wealthy Street, you can forget waiting for Fridays. The fryer at Southern Fish Fry? It takes no days off.
“My family origins is from Texas. So we bring that Southern cooking here into Michigan," said Carmie Burnett.
Carmie, standing in front of the counter, follows behind in just one thing.
“I'm the daughter," she smiled.
Her mom’s footsteps.
“The idea spawned with my mom and my dad, may he rest in power," she said.
Her father passed away in late January. The restaurant could feel empty for some, but not Carmie.
“I begin the day, I put on old school music so I feel his presence in here," she said. "It gives me great joy to know that I could come in here and I can say that I participated in my parents’ vision.”
This kitchen is ruled by this little family. Mostly, their family’s littlest.
“Amari Kai," Carmie said, gesturing to her five-year-old nephew standing beside her. "He is the greeter. He's here in the front, asking 'Hi, how are you? What can I do for you today?'”
Maybe it's all that love back in the kitchen that keeps it running. Maybe it's their tried-and-true fried concoctions. Either way, it's kept Southern Fish Fry going for nearly two decades.
“We've been here 17 years, and we're going to continue to move forward," said Carmie.
Behind the Counter
During Lent, there are plenty of fried fish in the sea. But with a taste like this? It's easy to get hooked.
“Can’t go wrong. Can’t go wrong," Carolyn said, loading seasoning onto a basket of chicken and fries.
Southern Fish Fry is known for their baskets, with a protein of either fried chicken (called "Wing Dings") or fish. You can get anything on the side, from fries to gizzards to okra.
Back in the kitchen, Carolyn takes the hand-breaded chicken out of the fryer and puts it into their fine China: plastic checkered serving boats covered in parchment paper. There, she works her magic.
“Seasoning is Southern. It is a cultural aspect of the community," Carmie said. “In the Black cultural community, we season our food.”
Their top seller on any basket is called 'The Works.' Upon further inspection, that title checks out.
Carolyn coats the fried chicken or fish in garlic vinegar, a hot sauce of your selection, then works down the line of her personally selected seasonings: salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and Cajun seasoning. She tops it off with her favorite, lemon pepper.
One thing notably missing from the kitchen: a measuring cup.
“I come from a family of cookers. And so I was brought up in knowing how to cook, how to prepare meals. My mother, she is one of those types of cooks that doesn't measure anything. Whatever tastes good to you, it's gonna taste good to someone else,” Carolyn said.
The Taste Test
On every 13 Eats trip, I ask for the most popular menu item. Surprisingly, that item at Southern Fish Fry was not fish at all — but chicken.
I got the Wing Ding Basket ($8.95), which is their fried chicken wings and a bed of fries coated with 'The Works.'
The dish, once extricated from a paper bag with napkins stapled to it, was big enough to feed two hungry people at lunchtime. That first bite of the chicken is the most delectable crunch. Same with the fries, a magnificent fried coating and soft interior. One thing I knew upon leaving the restaurant: Carolyn truly knows her way around a deep fryer.
But the chicken and the fries leave room for the star of the show — those seasonings. The garlic is the strongest flavor, with an acid of the vinegar there to back it up. The hot sauce is not overpowering but packs a savory punch. The lemon pepper adds the most incredible little zing to every bite.
Those seasonings, like the people behind the counter, are what make that little restaurant on Wealthy Street so special.
The Verdict
At Southern Fish Fry, cooks sprinkle seasoning by heart. And heart is sprinkled by seasoned cooks.
“My favorite aspect of coming into Southern Fish Fry is communion with the people," Carmie smiled.
Over 17 years in business, and the family behind the counter never get tired of plastic serving boats with greasy fish and French fries. Why? To them, it's more.
“It’s way beyond just serving food! It’s the unification," she said. "It feels like we're therapists because people come through the doors and they feel like the loving presence that is within here.”
“They go out different. They come in one way and then they leave being their true selves," she said.
While what’s coming out of that fryer is pretty tempting, the best item on the menu may just be food for thought.
“We are healing the souls of people," Carmie smiled, "Through fish and through chicken!”
►Southern Fish Fry is located at 1117 Wealthy Street SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They're open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and on your phone.