Fish & Chips
14/09/2012 09:43
FISH & CHIPS
Serve up some Homemade Fish in Beer batter and Chunky chips for Fish Friday.
Serves 4
4 fish fillets - cod, haddock, pollack or any other firm-fleshed white fish, skinned & boned
Sunflower oil for frying
4 large King Edward or Maris Piper Potatoes
* ( Floury potatoes are best- They are high in starch so fluffy once cooked. They are the best potatoes to use for ~ Mashing, Baking, Roasting and for Chips.)
BEER BATTER
225g Self-raising flour
Pinch of Salt
300ml Beer
Put the flour and salt into a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the beer a little at a time to make a smooth batter. Cover and chill the batter for at least 30 minutes before using.
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2 . Pop a couple of baking tray in the oven to warm.
Peel the potatoes and cut into short chips about 1.5cm thick. Pop them into a bowl of cold water.
Fill a large pan or deep fryer one third-full with sunflower oil. Heat to 120C or until a small piece of bread dropped in sizzles. Drain and pat dry the chips with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper. Quarter fill the chip basket with the chips ( if you try to cook to many at once, the chips will steam, rather than fry.) and lower the basket into the oil. Cook the chips for for about 8 minutes or until soft when pierced with a knife. Drain and put onto a plate lined with kitchen paper, whilst you cook the rest.
Increase the heat of the oil to 180C or until a piece of bread dropped into the oil browns in 20 seconds.
Dust the fish with a little flour and dip into the batter mix to coat thickly. Fry in the hot oil for 8-10 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove and put onto the warmed baking trays to keep warm while you cook the rest.
When all the fish is cooked, add the chips to the oil, in batches and cook until crisp and brown. Drain on kitchen paper, then serve with the fish, mushy peas, a dollop of tartare sauce and a sprinkling of sea salt and vinegar.
QUICK MUSHY PEA
Boil up 140g fresh peas with 350ml vegetable stock. Add a crushed garlic clove to the mix and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the stock from the cooked peas and set aside. Add a tablespoon of cream to the peas, a little salt & freshly ground black pepper, and 150ml of the drained stock. Using a hand-held stick blender, blend the peas to a mushy consistency.
