Acclaimed Asheville chef Ashleigh Shanti delivers on her promise of Good Hot Fish

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA — Ashleigh Shanti is no stranger to acclaim. Not only was she nominated for a James Beard Award during her tenure as executive chef at Asheville’s Benne on Eagle, but she also has been a contestant on “Top Chef.”

And yet, when her new restaurant, Good Hot Fish, opened in January to immediate praise and popularity, she was surprised. “I’m my biggest critic,” she said.

The restaurant is an exercise in nostalgia for Shanti, who grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where fish-fry camps were a major part of life, particularly on the maternal side of her family. “I developed a longing for that coming to the mountains,” she said.

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Historically, fish camps allowed women to leverage their culinary talent to support their families. “It was a means to freedom for women,” Shanti said. “I love that story, especially as a Black woman in Asheville, trying to find my way and make this food thing sustain me and my family.”

For Shanti, Good Hot Fish is much more than another notch in her belt of culinary accomplishments. It’s an ancestral tradition that’s been passed down for generations. “I’m bearing the torch of fish fries in my family,” she said.

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When her restaurant started as a weekly pop-up in the summer of 2021, it was in a trailer set up on the street in front of its current building. The tiny space, located next door to music venue Eulogy, has just 17 stools along two counters, but the feel is cozy, rather than cramped. The magazine Jet features prominently in the decor, with covers beneath the plexiglass countertop and Beauty of the Week spreads plastered on the bathroom walls.

The restaurant is counter-service only, and does not take reservations. However, service is quick, and the line moves efficiently. Still, finding a seat is a challenge at any time of day because the place is so small. Takeout is recommended, but if you want to grab a seat, the best time is between 2 and 4 p.m.

The space also is filled with art made by Shanti’s wife Meaghan, as well as images by renowned Asheville photographer Andrea Clark, who is a regular at Good Hot Fish.

“Those special touches were far more important than paying thousands of dollars for this shiny, fancy space,” Shanti said. “What we’ve developed does feel very campy, and you can tell it’s family-owned. A guest recently said that they felt like they were at their grandmother’s house, and I love that. That’s kind of the vibe that we want.”

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However, the vibe isn’t the reason you might find a line out the door of Good Hot Fish. The star of the show is the fish — catfish, or a rotating fresh catch — dredged in seasoned, locally-milled cornmeal and fried to shatteringly crisp perfection.

The sides play a notable supporting role. All the classics are executed flawlessly: rich greens stewed with pork and vinegar, tender-crumbed hush puppies, a golden mound of potato salad scattered brightly with paprika and chives, zippy refrigerator pickles, and creamy, tangy tartar sauce with just enough bite.

The menu also boasts creative, unexpected items, such as a trout bologna and cheese sandwich that has become a fan favorite, and the sweet potato cabbage pancake, a nod to Shanti’s time at Benne on Eagle.

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One of Shanti’s favorite dishes on the menu is the Sea Island red peas, a distinctive food that is found only on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, where Shanti has paternal ancestry.

The red peas “tell a story of … the influence of Blacks in our food culture here in the South,” she said.

Good Hot Fish now is a part of that story.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that there are not a ton of Black-owned businesses in Asheville,” Shanti said. “I love expanding that statistic. I’m a Black woman in Asheville that’s queer and I’m 100 percent owner of Good Hot Fish.”

It’s a space you want to be in and a chef you want to support. But, most of all, her restaurant delivers on its namesake promise: plenty of good, hot fish.