It's the first dish I made with the fryer that Jonas got me for Christmas 2023 and, (humble brag here) it was just as good as the best fish and chips we've had seafood restaurants.
The key to light and crispy fish is to use a combination or AP flour with rice flour or cornstarch for the batter. When I made this, we didn't have any rice flour, so I used cornstarch. I also used frozen cod filets that I thawed because they are budget friendly and just as good.
INGREDIENTS
For the fish
2lbs of white fish (cod or halibut are classic)
1 cup All Purpose Flour for dusting
1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour for batter
3/4 cup cornstarch or rice flour
1 pint of lager beer (MUST be a lager)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Canola or vegetable oil for frying
For the classic "chips"
1 1/2 lbs (5-6 good sized) Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes
Salt to taste
For the tarter sauce
1 cup good quality mayonnaise (Best Foods is my fave)
2 medium sized dill pickles, chopped
2 T. capers
2 T. dill pickle juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Minced fresh dill (no worries if you don't have it-I didn't when I made it)
DIRECTIONS
We will make the fish and chips in 3 stages: Fries, fish, fries (oh sorry-chips). I learned from watching Beat Bobby Flay, the best fries are made in 2 separate fry stages, so that's what this recipe instructs. These steps include the order that I did everything:
Make the tarter sauce by mixing together all of the ingredients and keeping in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Make the beer batter by first whisking together the AP flour and rice flour or cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, and salt and pepper. Then while whisking vigorously, slowly pour in the lager until you get a smooth, yogurt consistency for your batter (you may not use the whole pint). Then cover and let cool in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Cut your fish filets into the desired sized pieces and pat them as dry as possible using paper towels.
In a flat dish (I use a small pyrex) use a fork to mix up the flour for dusting with some salt and pepper
Peel your potatoes. Pro tip-to keep them from browning, place the peeled potatoes immediately in a bowl of cold water right after peeling. Then, once they're all peeled, take one out at a time and cut in half lengthwise and then slice into thick steak fry slices. Place back into the cold water until they are all sliced.
Heat the oil into your fryer or heavy Dutch oven to 320 degrees Fahrenheit for the first round of frying.
Take out half of the fries from the water and sandwich them between layers of paper towels to get them as dry as possible. When the oil is heated to 320, carefully drop them into the fryer and fry for 2.5 minutes, just until they begin to soften. Take out of the fryer and place them on a cooling rack sitting over a rimmed baking sheet (to collect the oil and not make a huge mess on your counter). Repeat the cycle for the second half of the fries.
Increase the temperature or the oil to 360ish. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the size of your pieces of fish, prepare anywhere from 2-4 pieces at a time for frying. First, place the fish in the dish of flour for dusting. coat all sides and then shake off the excess. Dip the fish into the batter, making sure they're completely coated, and then carefully place into the fryer. Fry for approximately 4-5 minutes until the fish is a beautiful golden brown. Take out of the fryer using the fryer basket or stainless strainer ladle and carefully shake up and down to get as much oil off as possible. Transfer to a cooling rack sitting over a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm and crispy in the preheated oven. Repeat process until all of the fish is fried, making sure the oil increases back up before frying the next batches.
When all of the fish is fried and in the oven, it's time for the second fry for the chips. Increase temperature of the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry half of the fries/chips at a time for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Immediately after they are removed from the fryer, sprinkle kosher or sea salt over the fries. Drain again on the cooling rack or paper towels and keep warm in the oven.
Serve with a side of coleslaw or mushy peas and some lemon wedges and malt vinegar.
Enjoy!
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