BY KAREN BOSSICK

It started as cod caught on a hook with a long line off the coast of Alaska. And now it’s in its second incarnation—as fish and chips served from an On the Hook Fish and Chips food truck.

One of those trucks will pull up in Hailey today.

The On the Hook Fish and Chips food truck will be parked at High Desert Sports, 201 N. River St., from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today—Wednesday, June 23. On the menu: three good-sized pieces of Alaskan cod fried in homemade beer batter with a bed of fries, homemade tartar sauce and homemade siracha mayo sauce.

“It’s delicious,” said Blaine Rasmuson, chief analytics officer for On the Hook. “The batter on the fish has a nice thin and flaky layer with a soft crunch. The inside is meaty and juicy, yet firm. The fries are also beer-battered and have a nice crunch. Our homemade beer batter is our secret recipe with a bold garlicky taste accentuated by its beer base.”

On the Hook Fish and Chips is based in Laramie, Wyo. It’s the brainchild of two engineering students from the University of Wyoming--Ocean Andrew and Hunter Anderson--who took advantage of their special access to Alaskan cod through Andrew’s father who captains a codfish boat.

Since its inception in May 2016, the business has grown from one truck to nine with more being built.

The trucks make their way from city to city in Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri and Iowa. In Idaho it stops at Hailey, Boise, Pocatello, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Mountain Home and Jerome. This is the third time it will be in Hailey.

“We do one meal and we like to think we do it well,” said Rasmuson.

The boat reels out 50 miles of line each day. Each fish is caught on a hook set every 42 inches on the line.

Long lining guarantees that fish aren’t going to be sitting around, possibly developing a fishy flavor, as they might if caught with hundreds of other fish in a net.

Each is taken off the hook immediately. Each is then beheaded and gutted and flash frozen with liquid nitrogen within minutes of being caught so they keep their freshness.

The fish are sent from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to be processed in Seattle before heading to a cold storage facility in Laramie and from there to the trucks.

Want to know when On the Hook Fish and Chips will be in Hailey next? Sign up for notifications at https://onthehookfishandchips.com/find-us