"Food & Culture, Hon.": #11. Lake trout. And for those of us who watched "The Wire," have a grape soda with it.

Fun Fact: laketrout is neither trout nor from a lake.

But if you are from Baltimore, you probably couldn’t care less, as long as you get some extra hot sauce on the side. “Laketrout” in Charm City refers to any fried white fish fillet, served in a similar manner to the chicken box with 2 slices of white bread and french fries. The fish should be cheap, fried fresh and crispy, and the purpose of the bread is to soak up the grease. It sounds gross but trust me, there is no better Baltimore street food.

Laketrout was made famous by the popular television drama “The Wire” which was set in Baltimore, and by my idol Anthony Bourdain on his show “No Reservations.” Laketrout is truly a Baltimore phenomenon; this particular cultural cuisine does not exist outside the Baltimore Metropolitan Area. Despite its popularity, laketrout’s etymology is a mystery. Some people say it was just a catchy moniker started by roadside vendors. In his book Chesapeake Bay Cooking, author John Shields claims the name comes from a mix up of yell “Late trout! Late trout!” Baltimoreans misheard this as “Lake trout!” and the rest is history.

My favorite place to get laketrout is this hole in the wall called JJ’s Carryout right before the city line on Route 1. It’s run by the cutest and nicest Asian lady I’ve ever met in my life who has a major soft spot for my little brother and his chicken box habit. She always throws some free candy and extra hot sauce in our bag during check out. The inside of JJ’s is really simple and almost cluttered; there’s a counter for food and the store has the usual assortment of convenience store items and lottery machines. The food is made fresh and fast right in front of you and comes in huge quantities for ridiculously low prices. A 5-wing chicken box with fries, two laketrout meals (3 fillets and 2 slices of bread) and 3 cans of soda barely cost $13. My brother eats like a linebacker and it’s a struggle to feed only him for less than $15, let alone him, my sister and me. The laketrout was thin, crispy, flaky and hot; perfect between the white bread and drenched in hot sauce.

Regardless of how it got its name, laketrout is a cheap and easy-to-find local favorite with origins in working-class kitchens. It’s a simple, local favorite and there’s not much to say about it than pass the hotsauce, hon.