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Recipe Detail Page
Fried Fish
Winter 2016
When it comes to fried fish, haddock is my favourite choice. I grew up with it in Scotland and it still resonates in my taste buds. This is a great favourite amongst young kids too—a real step up from fish sticks. Serve with British Chips, recipe follows.
Serves 4
1 lb (500 g) haddock or cod
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Seasoned flour (as in All-Purpose Beer Batter, recipe follows)
All-Purpose Beer Batter (recipe follows)
Salt
1 Cut fish into pieces that are approximately 2 x 3 inches (5 x 8 cm) each. Heat 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in a wok or deep pot to 350°F (180°C).
2 Lightly dredge fillets in seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. Working in batches, dip fillets one at a time in the batter. Remove from batter with tongs, allowing excess batter to drip off, and place fillets into hot oil, cooking for 4 minutes or until puffed and golden brown and fish is cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon, letting excess oil drain over pan for a few seconds, then place on paper towel. Season with salt to taste.
Serves 4
ALL-PURPOSE BEER BATTER FOR FRIED FISH, CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES
It’s very important when you’re deep-frying to make sure the batter is kept very cold so it becomes crisp when cooked. Refrigerate before using and pop an ice cube in just before dipping the ingredients into the batter.
ALL-PURPOSE BEER BATTER
1¼ cups (310 mL) India Pale Ale
1¼ cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (60 mL) cornstarch
1 egg
1½ tsp (7 mL) sea salt
1 ice cube
SEASONED FLOUR
½ cup (125 mL) flour
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 Whisk together pale ale, flour, cornstarch, egg and salt in a large bowl. Let sit refrigerated for 15 minutes. Don’t worry about lumps. Add ice cube into batter just before coating ingredients.
2 Season ½ cup (125 mL) flour with salt and pepper, and place on a plate for dredging.
Makes about 3 cups (750 mL) batter
BRITISH CHIPS WITH BEER AÏOLI DIP
I grew up on British chips—thick and crunchy on the outside and soft-centred. But it was not until I tried the chips at chef Heston Blumenthal’s award-winning restaurant in Berkshire, England, that I found out how to get the same texture. This is an adaption of his recipe.
3 lbs (1.5 kg) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Kosher salt
1 Peel potatoes. Cut into about ¾-inch-wide (2-cm) batons. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes. Place in a pot of fresh cold salted water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook with lid off 10 to 12 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain and return to pot over turned off heat to dry with lid off, allowing potatoes to steam off excess moisture. Place potatoes on a rack over a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until needed. This makes sure they are really dry.
2 Heat oil in a wok or deep fryer to 250°F (120°C) or until a piece of bread turns brown in 1 minute. Add chips and fry until a pale creamy colour, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain well on paper towels over a rack. Allow to cool in refrigerator. They can be refrigerated until needed.
3 Reheat oil to 375°F (190°C). Return chips in batches, frying until they are brown and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not crowd the pan. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve with Beer Aïoli Dip (recipe follows).
Serves 4 to 6
BEER AÏOLI DIP
This dip has everything in it for a great dip for fries—citrus, spice, fresh herbs and a zesty mayonnaise-beer base. It will make ketchup a thing of the past. It also pairs well with vegetables and fried chicken.
1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise
¼ cup (60 mL) pilsner
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped garlic
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon zest
½ tsp (2 mL) Sriracha
¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Whisk together mayonnaise and pilsner. Add garlic, lemon juice, zest and Sriracha. Slowly beat in olive oil. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve with chips.
Makes 1¼ cups (310 mL)
