Have you ever driven by a Pizza Hut, Taco Bell combo? Or a WingStreet, KFC combo? Yeah? How about an A&W, Long John Silver's combo? Maybe last year, but not no more. Yum! Brands, the previous owners of Long John Silvers and A&W are no longer the proprietors.
Not that they had it for that long, given that they bought it up after LJS went bankrupt, but it was their brainchild to meld, or fuse, two or more restaurants under one roof, supposedly to make it as convenient as possible to take your posse out to eat. The last time I remember eating at Long John Silver's, the great seafood escape, but no escape for the seafood, it still had that corridor-style waiting area, cordoned off with nautical rope and that bell that you could ring on your way out if you were especially pleased with your fried dish and hushpuppy.
LJS became pretty popular for that frying batter they came up with. Now a days they fry fish, chicken, clams, shrimp, scallops.. no one is safe!
I wanted to recreate the batter, which was not the problem. The difficulty was what to fry. The most logical choice, for me, became tempeh. The texture is unusual, the flavor is unique and it is reminiscent of seaweed - especially if you can find the ones made with seaweed. I think I came across that kind once in California. Besides, tempeh is the one protein I haven't used this month, mainly because hubby has a certain dislike for it. I convinced myself that he wouldn't mind anything, if it was fried. I was right.
Tempeh was clearly the best choice for recreating the Long John Silver's experience, sans the inconvenience and misery of the fast food scene.
Cost Breakdown
tempeh: $5
batter: $1
cole slaw: $1
tartar sauce: $.50
fries: $2
Total to make 4 servings:
$9.50
Their charge per serving: $4.50
Make Over cost per serving: $2.35
