Kibbeling

Kibbeling is bite-sized chunks of white fish, battered and deep-fried until crisp, served with a garlic or tartare-style sauce for dipping. It's a Dutch fish stall snack, and it started as a genuinely thrifty dish, originally made from cod cheeks — a small, otherwise hard-to-sell cut that fishmongers battered and fried rather than discarding.

What it really is

Firm white fish cuts into small, bite-sized pieces, coats in a light batter, and fries in hot oil until the outside turns golden and crisp while the fish inside stays moist and flakes apart easily. It's served hot, straight from the fryer, in a paper cone or tray, with a garlicky mayonnaise-based sauce spooned on top or offered alongside for dipping.

The original cod-cheek version has largely given way to a more general white-fish snack. Cod cheeks are a small, specific cut with limited supply, and most kibbeling sold today uses regular cod or another firm white fish fillet cut into pieces — a practical shift as demand for the snack outgrew the availability of the original cut, though the name and format stuck.

How it's served

• Hot, straight from the fryer, in a paper cone or tray.
• With garlic or tartare-style sauce spooned over or served alongside.
• As a street food snack, sold from dedicated fish stalls and markets.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the fish, wheat and egg.
• Say what fish is used, since regular white fish has largely replaced the original cod cheeks.
• Note the sauce, since garlic and tartare versions are both common but taste noticeably different.

The ingredients, allergens and dietary notes listed here describe a typical recipe. They are not a binding declaration for any particular restaurant: recipes, portion sizes and the products used can differ.