Fish Fry expands menu but retains tradition

If you see a pillar of flame this weekend at Costa Mesa’s Fish Fry and Carnival, it won’t be a case of fish over-frying.

Rather, it will be the flaming cheese.

That’s the American term, at least, for saganaki, a Greek delicacy made by frying a block of cheese in a pan and then dousing it with fire-inducing brandy.

This year, as the Fish Fry celebrates its 67th go-round, the organizers have opted for a more eclectic menu than usual. In addition to the standard fish, hamburgers and hot dogs, vendor booths will offer tamales and a Greek menu that includes gyros, saganaki and baklava sundaes.

Given all those culinary choices, would the event ever undergo a name change?

“Heck no,” said board of directors president Mike Scheafer good-naturedly. “It’s still the Fish Fry.”

Whatever its title, the Fish Fry will take over a section of Fairview Park as usual this weekend, offering carnival games, rides, opportunity drawings, a baby contest and more. Oh, and beer will be available — this year marks only the third time the event has offered it since it debuted in 2012.

The event, run by the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club, has raised more than $2 million over the years for local charities. Some of this year’s proceeds will benefit out-of-town groups as well; the Fullerton Lions Club will sell tamales to help fund a summer camp for children, while the Christian charity Focus Orange County will oversee the Greek offerings.

Focus Orange County director Jacob Lee said the Fish Fry booth will be a mini-version of the Taste of Greece festival that Saint Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church, to which he belongs, puts on in Irvine every year. Proceeds from the Fish Fry will support Focus Orange County programs, which include providing back-to-school supplies and working with families who live in motels.

“The sky’s the limit,” Lee said. “We’re hoping to raise between $10,000 and $20,000.”

For some, the Fish Fry’s main attraction will always be its namesake: the battered cod recipe that restaurant owner Heinz Kaiser created in the 1940s. Scheafer, who said he owns the original handwritten recipe, has steadfastly refused to reveal it.

Come on, one clue?

“There is nothing in that recipe that would surprise you,” Scheafer said. “Except two things.”

If You Go

What: 67th annual Fish Fry and Carnival

Where: Fairview Park, off Placentia Avenue south of Adams Avenue, Costa Mesa

When: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday (carnival only), 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

Cost: Admission free; fish dinners $10

Information: https://www.cmnhlions.com/fish-fry-2