Favorite Dishes #82: Whit’s End’s ‘Fuckin’ Bluefish Dip’

Whitney Aycock has a filthy mouth, and a menu littered with profanities to prove it. It’s one of the many reasons we love his edgy Rockaway Park pizzeria Whit’s End (97-14 Rockaway Beach Boulevard).

Funny, then, that we found ourselves uttering a few expletives of our own after tasting Aycock’s velvety smoked-fish dips, which hit the table next to a towering stack of salted pizza-dough breadsticks. The chef aggressively smokes his catch behind the restaurant, which tames the oily fish (locally caught bluefish or mackerel, depending on what’s in season) and produces a wildly flavorful dip.

A touch of imported olive oil, a sprinkle of chopped scallions and freshly cracked black pepper, and you’ve got yourself some of the most rugged and refined beach cuisine around. Spread the pâté over a slab of charred pizza dough and you’ll wonder why Domino’s wasted everyone’s time with cheesy bread when they could’ve been selling this stuff like figurative fishy hotcakes.

The Village Voice is counting down to our Best of New York City issue in October. We’re combing the city every day, one dish at a time, to guide you to the most delicious food in NYC. These are our 100 Favorite Dishes for 2015, in no particular order, save for the top 10.

Here’s our countdown up to now:
#100: Laminated Blueberry Brioche at Dominique Ansel Kitchen
#99: Egg Shop’s Golden Bucket Fried Chicken
#98: Ramen Lab’s Torigara Shoyu
#97: Cannoli at Ferdinando’s
#96: Breakfast Sandwich at Dimes
#95: Banana Royal at Eddie’s Sweet Shop
#94: Fletcher’s Burnt Ends
#93: Almayass’s Mante
#92: Empellon Taqueria’s Fish Taco
#91: El Rey’s Sardine Tostada
#90: General Tso’s Pig’s Head at the Cannibal
#89: The Vegetarian at Meat Hook Sandwich Shop
#88: The 21 Club’s Creamy Chicken Hash
#87: Deep-Fried Olives at Via Carota
#86: Pougi at Loi Estiatorio
#85: Shelsky’s Hot Pastrami Sandwich
#85: Pearl & Ash’s Smoked Bread with Chicken Butter
#84: Gluten-Free Pizza at Rossopomodoro
#83: Perry St’s Chocolate Pudding With Candied Violets