Coupeville welcomes new fish and chips shack

By LUISA LOI

Special to the News-Times

A new restaurant that offers casual and nostalgic food has nestled in Coupeville.

Osprey Fish Co. joined the flock of local food establishments named after birds last month, when Ben and Sophia Jones turned the building that once housed Gordon’s Fusion Cuisine into the “fish shack” of their dreams.

The idea first came to be from a simple craving. Ben recalled looking for a “fast and casual” fish and chips restaurant in town as he and Sophia were in the process of taking over the Oystercatcher in 2023, but couldn’t find what they were looking for. On top of that, he said, a lot of places would be closed by the early evening.

When Gordon’s closed in January, the Jones jumped on the opportunity to fill what they saw as a need for a laid-back seafood place in town.

Osprey, located at 103 Northwest Coveland Street, is the kind of place that gets “loud and rambunctious” when busy, as Sophia said, filling up with the chatter of adults and children as they stand in line to place their order and wait for food at the table. It’s a place where guests are encouraged to eat with their hands and don’t have to worry about not being dressed up fancy or their kids messing up the table with the coloring menus and crayons.

Ben, the culinary director, said the great majority of the menu can be made gluten-free, except for some breads and pastas. All of the batter is gluten-free and fried in a dedicated fryer, Sophia said, though she added that dishes may contain a “trace amount” of gluten due to the dehydrated malt vinegar powder used for the French fries.

Still, Sophia said many have been surprised and thrilled to finally eat fried comfort foods from their childhood without worrying about getting sick.

According to Ben, the most popular pick is fish and chips, consisting of tempura-fried Pacific cod, shoestring malt vinegar fries, Cajun remoulade and lemon. Compared to traditionally fried food, tempura uses a lighter batter.

Raw oysters have also been a popular choice, but those who are not fans of the texture can opt for the Oyster Po’ Boy, a dish that comes with fried oysters, house slaw, pickled fennel and Cajun remoulade on a hoagie roll — with a gluten-free bread alternative available.

The fried goodness category also includes mushroom tempura and chips (which replaces the cod with tempura battered lions mane mushrooms), the fried chicken sando (served with fried chicken, house slaw, peperonata and chili crisp aioli on regular or gluten-free bread) and the popcorn shrimp (buttermilk-fried shrimp served with Cajun remoulade mezcal cocktail sauce).

Ben, who is Indigenous and has spent several years living in Panama, takes inspiration from what the Pacific Northwest has to offer, as well as from East Asian and Latin cuisine.

“I wouldn’t call it fusion,” said Sophia, who has the final say in the menu selection. “He takes a global mindset to a hyper-local cuisine, which is really cool.”

The couple, along with Chef Nathan Sanchez, highlighted the crab and shrimp ceviche and the campechana — which Ben described as a Mexican-style shrimp cocktail, consisting of Dungeness crab and shrimp, with a sauce of spicy tomatoes, puya chili, avocado and cucumbers. The menu also includes ahi poke tostada, French onion miso soup, crab cakes, dungeness crab mac and cheese, cioppino, Penn Cove mussels and more.

The drink selection includes cocktails like the aperol spritz, margarita, gin and tonic and, to fight the incoming summer heat, slushy margaritas and piña coladas. Children and designated drivers can opt for a frozen strawberry lemonade or soft serve ice cream, with flavors like vanilla and strawberry.

The Jones will spend most of their time at the Oystercatcher, and Sophia may also be spotted at Goldie’s and the Roost, a restaurant and bar she opened last year in town with Tyler Hansen — owner of the Little Red Hen Bakery — and Sedrick Livingston.

For more information, visit ospreyfishco.com.