Fish and Chips

A Classic Dish

Fish and Chips. That’s it. Fish. Chips. Nothing more. Nothing less. Funny enough, my first experience with having fish and chips was at the local Long John Silvers. A far cry from anything authentic but in my little corner of the world, it hit the spot several times over the course of my early y ears.

And then a trip to my Mexico, my family had fish and chips from a local street vendor. But instead of french fries, it was actual potato chips (crips to my UK friends). Obviously, something was definitely lost in the translation. 😉 In order that my recipe did not have the same mishap, I made sure to include actual chips.

Ingredients for the batter

• 1 1/2 cups of All purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups of ale beer
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1 Cod filet

Ingredients for the dredge

• 1/2 cup of corn starch
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Ingredients for the tarter sauce

• 8 oz of mayo
• 2 gerkins diced (1 diced pickle, relish can be used as substitutes)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh dill
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of capers
• 1 garlic clove grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the french fries

2 russet potatoes

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the batter and then place in the fridge for when it is ready to use. Remember, the thicker the batter, the thicker the outside crust will be. Cut the potatoes into french fries, I made them a little thicker than normal. Placed in pot of cold water with a tablespoon or two of vinegar then brought to a boil and cook for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Almost until the point of falling apart. Dry and set aside in the fridge

Combine all the ingredients for the dredge in a small baking sheet. Cut the cod filet into pieces about 2 inches wide. Make sure to thoroughly coat the filets in the dredge to ensure the batter adheres to the fish not leaving any bare spots. Remove the batter from the fridge and and I heated canola oil to 375°F and fried the filets for about 5-8 minutes until the internal temperature reached 145°F. Since the fish holds up better I fried it first followed by the fries. The fries took about 8 – 10 minutes to cook. After taking them out of the oil, I seasoned with Lawry’s seasoned salt and a little bit of freshly cracked black pepper.

While, the fish and fries cooled, I made my tartar sauce then eagerly devoured my latest recipe, making sure to wash it all down with the remaining beer.

Enjoy!