Food serves as the universal bond that unites humanity. At the table, we are all equals, and it's through the lens of food, recipes, and ingredients that the vibrant tapestry of our cultures is revealed. This recipe book embodies that spirit. Beyond...
Fish and chips have long been a staple of British tradition and culture; childhood memories of days spent at the seaside, the scent of fish and chips lingering in the air, café after café all claiming to be the home of the best fish and chips you've ever tasted.
Fish and chips were one of the few foods not to be rationed during the Second World War, it was during this time that it became a staple of many families weekly diets, a tradition continued to this day.
Instead of joining the queues that are often out of the door of your local fish and chip shop, why not have a go of making it yourself?
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ingredients
Sunflower of vegetable oil for deep frying. (Beef dripping can be used if you want to use a more traditional recipe).
Fish
● 4x175g/6oz thick cod or haddock fillets, taken from the head end rather than the tail end of the fish.
● 225g/8oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting.
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
● 300ml/10fl oz fridge-cold lager.
Chips
● For the chips6-8 large Maris Piper potatoes.
Method
● Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and preheat the dripping or oil to 120C/250F.
● Peel the potatoes and cut them to the size that you prefer and rinse with cold water. Put the potatoes in the fryer for around 8-10 minutes, until soft. Once cooked remove from pan and leave to cool slightly.
● Increase the heat of the fryer to 180C/350F.
● Season the fish and dust lightly with flour; this enables the batter to stick to the fish.
● To make the batter, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and whisk in the lager to give a thick batter, you can add a little extra beer if needed — it should be the consistency of very thick double cream and should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and thickly coat 2 of the fillets with the batter.
● Carefully place in the fryer and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden and crispy. Once cooked remove from the pan, drain and sit on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, then keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining 2 fillets in the same way.
● When all of the fish is cooked, return the chips to the fryer and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Shake off any excess fat and season with salt before serving with the crispy fish.
If you want you can add extras such as mushy peas, bread and butter or tartar sauce if you like.
Extras
Mushy Peas
● 140g frozen peas with mint ● 2 tbsp crème fraîche
Boil the peas for 3-4 mins, then drain and mash. Stir in the crème fraiche and season.
Tartar Sauce
● 200ml/7fl oz mayonnaise. ● 3 tbsp capers drained and chopped. ● 3 tbsp gherkins drained and chopped. ● 1 small shallot finely chopped. ● a squeeze of lemon juice. ● 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley. ● flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl and serve straight away or store in the fridge until needed.
