Red Snapper is a fish and chip shop and seafood retailer at 25a Wakefield Avenue, Sumner, Christchurch, on the corner of Wakefield Avenue and Nayland Street. It holds a 4.3 Google rating from 398 reviews. The website says it opens six days a week from 11:30am and is closed on Tuesday. It describes an on-site filleting room, fresh and frozen seafood, paua patties, a refurbished outdoor dining area and wholesale supplies, with some specialty fish available subject to supply and cooked to order. Customers often mention hot dogs, gurnard and blue cod, and a reviewer notes a range of wet fish such as bluenose, turbot and trevally.
A good fish and chip shop is judged on its fish: fresh fillets cut on site, cooked to order in clean oil so the batter is light and the flesh is moist. A shop with a filleting room and wet fish counter lets you choose a species, so ask what is freshest that day, since availability depends on season and weather. Eating close to the beach is a classic, but fried food loses its crispness quickly, so collect and eat promptly. Sunny weekends in a beachside suburb bring a queue, so a quieter time gives a faster wait.
For Sumner locals and beachgoers, Red Snapper i