taste

Best Thing I Ate: Fanny Bay’s Sablefish Collars Will Ruin Regular Wings for You

Korean BBQ–glazed, deep-fried and unapologetically two-handed, these crunchy collars are pure happy-hour chaos.

By Kristi Alexandra /

Call me crazy, but I’ve never thought I’d unironically be singing the lyrics of the deceptively catchy ’80s novelty song “Fish Heads” by Barnes and Barnes—but after tearing into Fanny Bay Oyster Bar’s sablefish collars ($19), all I hear melodically echoing in my brain is, “eat them up, yum!” And it’s no joke.

These tender collars are definitely worth singing about. Whereas some cuts of seafood discard whole parts of the fish, the soy-marinated, fried black cod collars at the Michelin-recommended seafood restaurant don’t waste much. The sablefish collars here, entirely awash with an umami-rich Korean BBQ glaze, are served up with fins and all.

How does one even eat a fish collar, you might wonder, if you haven’t grown up with such a delicacy: Gingerly, with a fork and knife? Picking away at them with chopsticks? Nope. These deep-fried collars demand a two-hand experience, much like a chicken wing—and, surprisingly, the texture is similar. A crispy, crunchy exterior gives way to tender and juicy meat on the inside, the cheeks of which provide quite a bit of substance.

So while wings are flying (no pun intended) off happy hour menus across the city, I’ll keep coming back to the sablefish collars that just make me want to sing. fannybayoysters.com

Photo by Leila Kwok
Kristi Alexandra

Kristi Alexandra

Kristi Alexandra is the managing editor, food and culture, at Canada Wide Media. She loves food, travel, film and wine (but most of all, writing about them for Vancouver Magazine, Western Living and BCBusiness). Send any food and culture-related pitches to her at [email protected].