Fish and chips

Name: Fish and chips
Cook time: 76 min
Total time: 76 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Británica
Ingredients: 200 g Wheat flour; 1 kg Potato; 1 u Lemon; Salt; 2 teaspoons Baking Powder; 2 l Sunflower Oil; 50 g Cornstarch; 330 ml Beer; Malt Vinegar; 700 g Cod

Pescado con patatas fritas

Medium

Contains allergens

Cereales con gluten

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 76 min
Servings: 4

Summary

Fish and chips as served in British chippies: cod fillets in a light, crisp beer batter with thick chips fried twice. Served with salt, malt vinegar and lemon.

Ingredients

4 servings

Add to Bring!

200 g Wheat flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 kg Potato (floury, such as Maris Piper or King Edward)
1 u Lemon (cut into wedges)
Salt (to taste)
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 l Sunflower Oil (for deep-frying)
50 g Cornstarch
330 ml Beer (lager, well chilled)
Malt Vinegar (to serve)
700 g Cod (fresh, 4 skinless, boneless fillets)

Instructions

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick chips, about 1.5 cm across. Rinse and soak them in cold water for 30 minutes to draw out the starch. Drain and dry them very well with a tea towel: water makes the oil spit.
30 min
Heat the oil in a deep pan or fryer to 140 °C. Fry the chips in batches for 7-8 minutes, until tender but still pale. Lift onto a rack and leave them while you prepare the fish.
16 min
Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and season lightly with salt. In a bowl, mix the flour, cornflour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Just before frying, add the ice-cold beer and whisk only until you have a thick batter, like double cream; a few lumps don't matter.
5 min
Bring the oil up to 180 °C and turn the oven on to 100 °C. Dust each fillet in flour, shake off the excess, dip it in the batter and let it drip for a moment. Lower it into the oil slowly, away from you, and hold it for a few seconds before letting go so it does not stick to the bottom.
2 min
Fry the fish two pieces at a time for 6-7 minutes, turning halfway, until the batter is golden and crisp. Drain on a rack and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest.
14 min
With the oil back at 180 °C, fry the chips a second time, in batches, for 3-4 minutes until golden and crunchy. Drain and salt them straight away.
8 min
Serve the fish with the freshly fried chips and lemon wedges, with malt vinegar on the table so everyone can add it to taste.
1 min

Notes

Sephardic Jews who came to England from the Iberian Peninsula were already frying battered fish, and by the mid-19th century someone had paired it with chips: the birth of the country's most famous takeaway. In the north of England and in Scotland, haddock is the fish of choice; hake works very well too. Ice-cold beer and a batter mixed at the last minute are what make it crisp; for an alcohol-free version, use chilled sparkling water. The classic side is mushy peas: dried marrowfat peas soaked overnight and simmered until they collapse, or a quick version with frozen peas, butter and mint. For safety, don't fill the pan more than a third full of oil, use a thermometer and never leave hot oil unattended.