Crispy Cod and Chips
I love making fish and chips at home, it can be expensive to make so I always wait till either cod or hake are on special offer to get my fish otherwise I couldn’t afford to eat things like fresh cod.
There are a few stages to this recipe, I recommend you get all your ingredients and cooking equipment ready, then follow the method. It will make it so much easier on you.
You can also use smoked cod or hake for this dish. Hake is a little cheaper than cod.
To keep your oil clean and make it last longer I suggest you strain the oil or use a small sieve to get any little bits of batter that remain after your remove the fish.
Ingredients
Allergens : Contains Gluten
For the Battered Fish
Fresh Cod from near the head not the tail – 500g (125g was enough to feed me)
Self Raising Flour (plain will also do) – 225g
Cornflour – 25g
Cold beer or Cold Sparkling Water (Tap will do) – 300ml
Pinch Salt
Pinch Black Pepper from a mill
Zest or 1 Lime (optional)
For the Chips
2 – 3 Medium Spuds per person
Pinch Salt
Mushy Peas (optional) – 1 tin
Instructions
1
Getting Started…You will need… 1 Deep fat fryer, 1 sharp office knife and peeler for the chips, 1 bowl to make the batter, 1 small bowl to flour the fish, 1 bowl to fill with water and soak them when cut, 1 baking tray to put the cod on to keep it hot in the oven and 1 side plate or saucer.
2
Preheat your oven to 100c / GM2
3
Peel the potatoes, cut them into any size chips you like, though not too thin, put them in to bowl then fill with cold water till covered. Leave to one side.
4
Heat the deep fat fryer to about 100c, go for the lowest setting you can. Remove all the water from the chips then when the light goes out on the fryer place the chips in the basket and drop into the oil. Be really careful as if there is water on the chips the oil will bubble and could easily burn you.
5
Make sure you don’t overfill the basket, you want the oil to cover all the chips.
6
Cook for about 5 minutes, depending on the size you cut them. Lift the basket out of the oil and pierce one with a fork to ensure they are cooked. You don’t want them to go brown just yet.
7
If cooked dry out the bowl you soaked them in then place the chips back in the bowl, set to one side for later
8
Turn the fryer up to 180c
9
To make the batter for the fish…
10
Sieve the flour, cornflour and salt into the other bowl, add the lime zest if using it, then add the beer and mix really well. It should be a little thicker than pancake batter or double cream. Add more beer if too thick or more sieved flour if not thick enough.
11
Place the extra flour in a little bowl then add a pinch of salt and pepper, mix then roll a piece of fish in it until it is completely coated in flour. Place the fish into the batter, hold the saucer or side plate underneath the fish as you move it from the batter to the fryer to prevent mess.
12
When putting the fish into the batter it is best to remove the basket. After removing the fish from the batter hold it by one end as you hold the other end in the hot oil for about 10 seconds. This will stop the fish from sticking to the bottom of the fryer. Be very careful doing this as you can easily burn yourself with scalding hot oil.
13
Cook the fish for about 6 minutes depending on the size.
14
Place on the baking tray (use grease proof paper if you like) then place in the oven
15
Finishing the chips and putting it all together..
16
If you are having peas with yours now is the time to pop them into a bowl, cover with cling film, pop a little hole in the top then into the microwave to heat. 1-2 minutes should do it depending on the power of your microwave.
17
Place the chips back into the fryer basket, give it a little shake to separate the chips, then, when the light has gone out, place them back into the hot fryer.
18
Stay with them to ensure they don’t burn as it can easily happen. Give them a little shake after about 1 minute then cook for about 1 minute more. If golden brown and crispy, remove and place back in the same bowl, sprinkle with salt the toss them around in the bowl.
19
Serve with the chunky crispy cod, mushy peas and tartar sauce.
I love fish and chips and would like a nice gravy recipe to go with it
Gravy with fish and chips is just wrong. I am afraid you are on your own there, I would never dream of serving gravy with this dish and would, honestly, question a chefs skills if I seen them do it.