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Fish and Chips CaloriesChip Shop Portions, Sides and Smarter Orders
· 2 min read
Fish and chips is the Friday night classic, and on its own the fish is a decent source of protein. The calories come from the batter, the frying oil, and the size of a chip shop portion of chips. Here's the realistic picture.
The quick answer
| Order | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Small cod and small chips | 700-900 |
| Regular cod and regular chips | 900-1,300 |
| Large cod and large chips | 1,300-1,700 |
| Add mushy peas | +100-150 |
| Add curry sauce or gravy | +100-150 |
The fish
| Fish (battered and fried) | Portion | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Cod, regular | ~200 g | 400-550 |
| Cod, large | ~300 g | 600-800 |
| Haddock, regular | ~200 g | 380-520 |
| Plaice, regular | ~200 g | 450-600 |
| Scampi (breaded) | ~150 g | 350-450 |
The fish itself is lean. A 200 g fillet of plain cod is only about 160-180 calories. Most of the rest is batter and the oil it soaks up. Taking the batter off saves 150-250 calories, if you can bring yourself to do it.
The chips
| Chips | Portion | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Small | ~200 g | 400-500 |
| Regular | ~300 g | 550-750 |
| Large | ~400 g+ | 800-1,000 |
Chunky chip shop chips actually soak up less oil per gram than thin fries, but the portions are big. A regular is often enough for two.
Sides and sauces
| Side | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Mushy peas (regular pot) | 100-150 |
| Curry sauce (regular pot) | 100-150 |
| Gravy (regular pot) | 60-100 |
| Tartare sauce (1 sachet / 2 tbsp) | 80-140 |
| Battered sausage | 250-350 |
| Pickled onion | ~10 |
| Buttered bread roll (chip butty) | 200-300 |
| Can of fizzy drink (330 ml) | ~140 |
Smarter ways to order
- Share the chips. One regular portion between two saves 300-400 each.
- Small fish, extra peas. Mushy peas add fibre and protein for few calories.
- Ask for no salt and vinegar added if you're watching sodium, then add your own.
- Skip the chip butty. Bread plus chips is a lot of starch on one plate.
- Haddock or cod over plaice and scampi: slightly lighter for the same size.
- Eat in or plate it up. Eating from the paper makes it easy to finish everything.
Logging it
Generic "fish and chips" entries in database apps assume a small portion and often leave out the sides. In DietTracker you can say "regular cod and chips from the chippy with mushy peas" and it estimates that exact order, and you can adjust if you only ate half the chips.
Fancy something heartier on Saturday morning? See the full English breakfast calorie breakdown, or try DietTracker free.