Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 lb cod fillets
1 cup flour
1 cup beer
2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
cornstarch
salt
pepper
to serve:
malt vinegar
tarter sauce
Directions
Pour about 3 inches of canola oil into a heavy pan. Heat to 350.
In a shallow bowl or plate, sprinkle the cornstarch. Dredge each filet. Set aside.
Mix together the flour, salt, paprika, pepper and the beer, then fold in the egg whites. Dip the fish in the batter. Fry until golden brown.
Note: If you have leftovers, they reheat suprisingly well. They won’t be quite as good as they were fresh but you can heat them up and keep them crispy by baking them for about 10 minutes at 400.
CHIPS
Ingredients:
2 lb Russet potatoes cut into long, thin strips
sea salt
olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil until just barely tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Brush with oil and place on a parchment or silipat lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then toss and bake an additional 10 minutes or until crisp.
Note: This is roughly the same technique I use when making grilled potato wedges, just adapted for the oven. Again, parboiling insures soft centers while the baking gives them crispy edges.
My thoughts:
Sometimes nothing but fish and chips will do. Unfortunately there isn’t a chip shop for miles. However, it is surprisingly easy make at home and the results were fantastic. I was especially pleased with how flavorful and light the batter for the fish turned out. I’ve always had some issues making the perfect fluffy batter but I think I finally got it right. The fries were great as well, crisp and potato-y. Traditionally the fries would, of course, be fried but I find that the baked ones are quite tasty. It is easier to bake the chips while you fry the fish than to juggle frying two things at once, both of which need to be served hot.
Fish and chips – probably my favorite food (this looks good and it’s not even 7am, which should tell you something!). Have you experimented w/different types of fish other than cod? Would any flaky white fish hold up with a substantial batter like that you think? I’ll look for cod but it all depends what’s in season and freshest at the market…
BTW, this made me think of an article I just read in Times Online a/b the 10 best fish-and-chips shops, but when I googled to look for it I instead found a NYtimes article a/b how eating fish-and-chips was good for the environment. How awesome is that? nytimes.com/2009/02/22/science/earth/22cook.html
KT-
I used cod because it holds up well and is traditional but it actually isn’t my favorite fish to fry. Any sort of firm, white fish would do, I think. I’ve even had pretty good luck with fairly thick/solid pieces of catfish.
And great article, thanks for sharing!
Love your version of fish and chips! Everything looks fantastic!
Mmm – these look fantastic!! Thanks for posting the recipes. I’m definitely going to fire up the fryer this weekend. I like the idea of pairing with oven-fried fries.
These look great!! Thanks for posting this — I’m definitely going to fire up the fryer this weekend! 🙂
This is my dad’s most ordered meals at restaurants. Once we went to a Mexican restaurant in WA state and they had fish and chips: that is what he ordered!
If fish & chips are on the menu, I almost always order them – so good! The best I've had were actually made with salmon, which was a nice change. I love how the batter came out on yours – I'm going to try this!
You could use Hake as an alternative. That’s what they use a lot in chip shops instead of cod here in Europe as cod is getting rather expensive and scarce.
Oh my hubby will for sure want to try your recipe. I know we have talapia here but catfish is his favorite – he is a fish and chips fanatic. Thanks for sharing and I noticed you have a tastebook…I have one too and love that site!:)
That does look like perfect fluffy fish batter, I will have to try it! My fish and chips are always kind of greasy and soggy… 🙁
Your fish looks so good!! Perfect for a Lenten Friday.
YUMMY! I love the beer part!