(This is stop No. 2 of my CNY fish fry tour, a search for a great fish dinner during Lent. Over these 40 days and 40 nights, I’ll visit at least 15 places that serve the fried fish Central New Yorkers love but might not know about. These are places other than the heavyweights that everyone knows such as Doug’s, Fish Cove, Atlantic Seafood and Jim’s Fish Fry. Each stop I make will be chosen by syracuse.com and Post-Standard readers. Send me your choice via email at cmiller@syracuse.com, text at 315-382-1984 or the form at the bottom of the story. If I pick your spot, I’ll invite you along for a meal.)

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Cortland, N.Y. — When it comes to fresh fish, Cortland Seafood does it all: They clean it, they package it, and they sell it. And if you want, owner Phil Niver Jr. will cook it just how you like.

“I’m not a fish place; I’m a seafood market,” Phil said. “But I’ll make you some great fried fish.”

That much is true. He’ll also make you some sweet onion rings, crispy fries and tasty pressure-fried chicken.

The cinderblock building is a few blocks east of downtown Cortland. Phil’s father bought it 48 years ago, and it’s been in the family since.

Cortland Seafood is a true family-run business, especially during the Lenten season. “You’re not going to get more ‘Mom & Pop’ than this,” he said.

Phil runs the store. His wife, daughter and cousin pull shifts here on busy Fridays. His 23-year-old son, Phil Niver III, opens and closes the store and cooks in between.

“Everyone turns Catholic on Good Friday, so we’re all here,” Phil Jr. said. “When it’s go time, it’s go time. This business is fast.”

Cortland Seafood on Pendleton Street.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com

A truck from Boston delivers fresh Atlantic seafood to the store three times each week. Phil loads up on shrimp, clams and dry sea scallops to sell from his coolers. For Fridays, he orders hundreds of pounds of haddock. This week and on Good Friday, he’ll go through 800 pounds of haddock.

Over the next six weeks, Cortland Seafood also will sell haddock wholesale to nearby civic organizations and volunteer fire departments that raise money through fish fries. The Cincinnatus Fire Department, just east of Cortland, is one of the bigger fish fries.

Today (Ash Wednesday) and Friday will have customers lining up at Cortland Seafood to get their haddock fried on the spot at $9.69 per pound. Alan Smith, 29, of McGraw said he first came into this store with his father when he was two days old.

“I’ve had fish all over the country, and nothing stacks up to this,” he said.

At a reader’s suggestion, I ordered a basic haddock fillet. So did my colleague, syracuse.com food writer Jacob Pucci. Both of our fillets weighed just under a pound, and we couldn’t finish them. They were about an inch thick at the meatiest point, just before the taper.

The youngest Phil left the fish in the oil for just a few minutes. Cooked until just done, we got fillets that broke off in healthy segments, not stringy dry flakes.

Phil coats the fish in Golden Dipt, an all-purpose breading, and cooks it with the skin on in canola oil.

“There’s no secret recipe here; it’s just quality fish,” Phil Jr. said. “My standards are higher. Buying a fresh product carries a premium, but it’s worth it. It tastes better.”

His fish comes out of the fryer with a uniform light brown color because he filters his oil so frequently. Old oil, he said, makes the fillet darker.

The store also sells a sandwich for $4.25. That’s about a third of fillet, which should be plenty of food if you get a salad or fries.

The haddock at Cortland Seafood was more than a foot long and an inch thick at the meatiest part.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com

Jake and I shared a few side dishes. The sweet batter-dipped onion rings ($3.75) came in a box and could’ve been a meal on their own, but they served as a nice complement to the fish. Jake packed his leftover fish in the onion ring box to save to dinner.

We also had seafood salad ($3.50 for a half pound) and macaroni salad ($2.10 for a half pound). Phil makes all the salads each morning. Both had just enough mayonnaise, unlike some store brands.

The seafood salad (left) and macaroni salad at Cortland Seafood.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com

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Broasted (pressure-fried) chicken (starts at $3.05 for two pieces): Phil Niver III makes trays of this throughout the day. He coats each piece of chicken with a light breading and drops it into a pressure fryer. The chicken is submerged and sealed in the oil so it stays moist on the inside while maintaining a crispy coat.

Since Cortland Seafood has no indoor seating, I suggest getting a couple drumsticks for the ride home. (We ate our meal in the car. Good thing the food wasn’t greasy.)

Phil Niver III puts out a fresh batch of broasted chicken at Cortland Seafood.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com

The Details

The restaurant: Cortland Seafood, 65 Pendleton St., Cortland, 607-756-5225

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Credit cards? Yes

Access to disabled? Yes

Inside seating: No

Parking: On- and off-street.

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CNY Fish Fry Tour

Stop 1: CJ’s Seafoods has remained the same since 1963

Stop 3: Smitty’s takes fresh approach to fish in an Auburn strip mall

Stop 4: Could the Village Burger haddock be the best I’ve had so far?

Stop 5: I went for fish at the Valley American Legion and found a neighborhood party

CNY fish fry guide: 37 places offering fish this year with locations, times, prices

Events: Add your fish fry to our calendar | Find a fish fry near you

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Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com.

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