Fish and chips
Posted on | March 17, 2010 | 3 Comments
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The best fish and chips I’ve ever had came from the King’s Head, a theme British style pub which was owned by a couple of Aussies in Santa Monica. The Aussies are gone, the King’s Head remains. The fish is wonderful. So are the chips.
As a result of their training, I prefer the coating on my fish to be very light and crisp, in the style of tempura, and some of the better chipper vans (can there be a “better” chipper van?) and pubs of the UK. I also like my potatoes fried properly — something that’s impossible in a van, difficult in a restaurant, and rather easy at home.
There’s a certain amount of complication in this recipe, but the extra technique is very worthwhile.
Fish and chips has been driven off it’s pedestal as the iconic British carry out by curry. Mmm, curry. While it’s not exactly fair to say that fish and chips is endangered, eat it while you can.
FISH AND CHIPS
Quantity: For four
Difficulty: Easy, but extra steps and some “plan ahead” timing
Equipment:
Fryer or “deep enough” pan set up as fryer
Brown paper bags
Ingredients:
Chips:
• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• Enough oil for deep frying – I.e., at least 2″ deep in a Dutch Oven.
Fish:
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbs double acting baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 ex-large egg
• 1-1/2 cups, ice-cold club-soda or seltzer, or bottle of lager beer, divided in halves
• 1 or 2 ice cubes
• 1-1/2 pound firm white fish fillets, the standards are cod, haddock, halibut and plaice; catfish is surprisingly good but not very British
• 1/2 cup rice flour, or corn starch
Technique:
A proper chip is no small thing. Peel your potatoes, and cut them into chips about the size of your index or driver’s finger. Cover the potatoes with water, discard the water, and cover again with fresh water. Potatoes should soak at least 45 minutes, and up to 8 hours. The soak is important. You won’t get the right textures on the skin and the interior without it.
While (or, “whilst” if you’re from the Empire) the potatoes are soaking, begin the batter. Sift the flour baking powder and salt together. Beat the egg and add it and about 3/4 cup liquid and stir to combine a very smooth batter. Cover with cling wrap, and hold in the refrigerator. The partially completed batter should be held for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.
When ready to cook, Wash and thoroughly dry your fillets (did I mention that they should be dry?). Portion into long triangular wedges, each about 4 oz. (English style is skin on; American is skin off.) Alternatively, if you’re feeling dainty, you may cut the fish into goujon aka fish fingers. Dust the fillets with enough rice powder or corn starch, so they are fully covered, and completely dry. Shake off any excess and reserve the fish on a rack.
Heat the oil to 325. Drain enough chips to fill the fryer without crowding, reserving three for later. (You may have to work in batches.) Dry them thoroughly with a towel. Cook the potatoes through, about 5-6 minutes. They will either not brown at all, or only brown slightly.
Set the potatoes aside to drain on paper. A brown paper bag works better than paper towels for draining oil.
Raise the oil temperature to 375.
Remove the batter from the refrigerator. Add the ice cube and the remaining liquid, and stir until just combined. Dip the fish in batter until coated.
If you only have one smallish fryer cook as follows: Fry the fish until done, about 5 minutes. While the fish is frying drain, dry and reserve the remaining three chips. As soon as the fish comes out of the oil, add those chips, and let them cook for 60 seconds only. Then remove and discard. (Their purpose is to clean any fish taste that got into the oil.) Immediately, return the partially cooked chips to the oil, and cook until they pick up some color, about 5 minutes. Remember, they are already cooked
One big fryer: If your fryer is big enough to handle the temperature shock, you may fry the fish and “par-fried” chips at the same time. If you do so, chips on the bottom, fish on top.
Two fryers: Fry the fish and the partially fried chips simultaneously.
Drain the fish and the chips on fresh brown paper. Salt lightly while still very fresh from the fryer and very hot.
Plate the fish and chips with lemon wedges. Serve with malt vinegar
on the side. Some people like tartar sauce as well.
The Fish and chips by Cook Food Good, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Tags: catfish > chips > cod > Fish > fish and chips > french fries > Frying > haddock > halibut > malt vinegar > plaice > tartar sauce
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WHO IS BDL, Boar D. Laze, or whatever the hell his name is?
A Brief Biography:
Ex-Navy Seal; Ex-Victoria’s Secret model; Turned down a three-way with Sophia Loren and the young Marlene Dietrich (as in the Blue Angel) because had other plans; Knows who killed everyone in The Big Sleep, and why; Chaired the work-group which invented Time, Space, Gravity, Fire and Holiday Sweaters; Prefers Dickel to Jack.
What is Cook Food Good?
What’s this site about? It’s about a lot of thingsForcing myself to work out issues relating to writing a cookbook: COOK FOOD GOOD: American Cooking and Technique for Beginners and Intermediates.
Getting feedback on my work from you.
Discussions on basic and not-so-basic techniques. The recipes here are very technique driven. Similarly, the idea behind the book is to be far more about the how than the what – with the goal of teaching you to create your own recipes and tweak other people’s, confidently and successfully.
How to cook better, as it relates to you (and me too). That is, taking a beginner or advanced beginner to good, restaurant quality. Mostly this will be (more or less) French technique and (more or less) American food. But only mostly, more or less.
Recipes for this, that and the other.
Knives and all about sharpening them (which have somehow become a subject on which I frequently get asked for advice): How to choose and how to use.
The first Cook Food Good Blog was hosted by the website, Chef Talk. However, CT, removed its blog section. If you’re interested in bad writing, poor punctuation and ancient history, you’ll find the old CT posts archived here. One thing about posting on CT, was that it acted as a sort of language and attitude super-ego. Don’t count on it here. This is naked id.
March 17th, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
I just made some catfish po’boys the other day at work…terrific indeed!
But now, fish n chips? I simply have GOT to try this recipe.
There are so few places that do a good fish and chips, you would think I would stop ordering it. I just can’t help myself. If the place seems to fit the whole pub type look…and they have fish n chips on the menu I am somehow drawn to it. I just can’t help myself.
It’s similar to the way I’ll always order the same thing when going to a Mexican restaurant for the first time, steak tacos with onion and cilantro only.
I hope I can pull the fish and chips off
thanks!
dan
May 20th, 2010 @ 7:55 am
Chips are best cooked twice.
A great english method, rinse under a running tap for about 10 mins, then plunge the chips into unsalated boiling water. Simmer for 10 mins. Don’t over boil them, gentle simmer until the chip is easily pieced with a knife. Remove chips and drain them, place in fridge. Once cold, they firm up.
Then heat your oil, or even better beef fat (dripping) to 250F. Cook for 5 mins or so, make sure they don’t colour. Remove from heat and let cool.
then re heat oil/fat to 350f and cook until golden brown. Cook for 8/10 mins.
Salt vinegar chips= good times!
May 25th, 2010 @ 4:03 am
I love fish and chips but only have them very occasionally as they are so calorific. What amazes me though is how many fish & chips shops produce really awful fish and chips. Thats practiaclly all they make and yet they get it so badly wrong -why? Thankfully there are plenty who get it right.Whitby is a great place to eat fish and chips.