My husband flew me to London one Christmas many years ago. It was my first time in London and as expected, on our first night, he took me to a local pub. I ordered Fish and Chips, of course, right? When my order arrived and placed on our table, I looked at my husband with confusion written all over my face and asked "Where's the chips?" And so I learned that in London, Australia and New Zealand, fries are referred to as chips.
And boy was I amazed at the size of the fish! It was literally a whole fillet of a fish whereas I have been used to eating fish and chips as fish sticks. Since then, whenever I cook fish and chips at home, I use a fillet and prepare it as I remember enjoying it that one special night, and each time I prepare this dish I am reminded of that Christmas night and secretly smile to myself.
INGREDIENTS
1 to 1.5 pounds of fresh skinless fillet of Pacific or Atlantic Cod
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup of ice-cold beer
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Oil for deep frying (I use rice bran or peanut oil)
INSTRUCTIONS
Fillet
Pat dry the fillet using a paper towel.
Using a fillet knife (or any alternate sharp knife you have at home), gently slice through the fillet lengthwise about ½ inch thick to make ‘another’ fillet. This will depend on how thick your fillet is.
Repeat above steps. You will have a total of 3 fillets.
Set aside.
Beer Batter (prepare the batter only when you are ready to fry the fillets)
In a bowl combine the all-purpose flour, salt, and black pepper.
Pour the beer slowly into the bowl while carefully whisking the mixture.
Whisk until there are no formed lumps in the mixture.
Batter should have this consistency (as above in video).
When you are ready to fry the fillets
Using a deeper frying pan, heat the oil on medium-to-high heat.
While waiting for the oil to reach a temperature of at least 275 degrees Fahrenheit, get your fillets and beer batter ready.
Once oil is hot and reached desired temperature, take one fillet and dip into the batter. Make sure it is fully coated with batter.
Carefully place the fillet in the pan. Repeat above steps with the rest of the fillets.
Fry the fillets until golden brown in color--- approximately 2-3 minutes each side.
Take the fried fillets out of the pan and drain on a plate lined with paper towel.
Serve hot with French fries (chips) and Tartar sauce.
Comments