One of the many ways the late Ken Hoffman left his mark on Houston was through food. Whether it’s a Hoffy Burger at Demeris BBQ, the Hoffy Twist at Shipley Do-Nuts, or Ken Hoffman is Totally Nuts ice cream at Winfield’s Chocolate Bar (formerly the Chocolate Bar), the man created some undeniably delicious dishes.

Hoffman, who frequently traveled to England as part of his obsessive fandom for anything related to The Beatles, wanted to showcase his Anglophilia with a proper fried fish sandwich, which he created in 2019 in collaboration with The Union Kitchen. The comfort food restaurant has brought back the sandwich through July 30 at all five of its Houston-area locations. It is priced at $13.95 and is served with homemade potato chips. (Update August 4: The special has been extended from August 5-31 as part of the restaurant's Month of Gr8 Giving menu. It will also be available a la carte for $15.95.)

As Hoffman explained in his column, size matters when it comes to fish sandwiches. “I wanted the fish filet to stick out all sides of the bun, so customers get a good deal,” he wrote.

To fulfill the requirement, chef James Lundy uses a hefty, six-to-eight ounce Pacific cod filet. The sandwich is topped with cole slaw, red cabbage, pickled red onion, and a malt vinegar tartar sauce. In the new iteration, the restaurant swapped the original pretzel bun for a brioche bun.

“It took about two weeks to get the sandwich exactly where he wanted it,” owner Paul Miller tells CultureMap. “The oversize fish filet was ‘obnoxious’ just like the wrestlers that Ken loved. Cole slaw and tartar sauce added the perfect amount of moisture to the crunchy fish and soft bun.”

Miller says he and Hoffman struck up a friendship at The Union Kitchen’s original location on Bellaire Blvd. that closed in 2020. The columnist, a proud West U. resident, would bike to the restaurant for lunch. Miller and Hoffman developed a friendship over a shared affection for sports — Miller played college football at Purdue — and professional wrestling.

“In his self deprecating style, he said ‘it will probably be the worst seller on the menu.’ It was not, and remained on the menu until we closed during Covid,” Miller adds. “He was very proud to have his name on the sandwich, although he would never admit it. He brought a lot of friends by to share lunch.”

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Ken Hoffman died suddenly at his home in Lake Conroe on Sunday, July 14. Go here to read memories from friends and colleagues.