Fish and Chips
Ingredients
900
g potatoes
sunflower
oil , for deep-frying
225
g white fish fillets , skin off, pin-boned, from sustainable sources
225
g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
285
ml cold beer
3
heaped teaspoons baking powder
MUSHY PEAS
a
few sprigs of fresh mint
1
knob of unsalted butter
4
handfuls of podded peas
½
a lemonFACEBOOKTWITTEREMAILPINTEREST
TAP FOR INGREDIENTS
Method
Preheat
the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Peel
and slice the potatoes into chips.
To
make the mushy peas, pick and finely chop the mint leaves. Place the butter in
a pan over a medium-low heat, add the peas and mint, pop the lid on and simmer
gently for 10 minutes.
Add
a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper –
you can either mush the peas up in a food processor, or mash them by hand until
stodgy, thick and perfect for dipping your fish into. Keep them warm until
needed.
Pour
the sunflower oil into a deep fat fryer or a large sturdy pan and heat it to
190°C/375°F.
Mix
½ a teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper together, then use it to season
the fish fillets on both sides – this will help to remove any excess water,
making the fish really meaty.
Whisk
the flour, beer and baking powder together until nice and shiny – the texture
should be like semi-whipped double cream (i.e. it should stick to whatever
you're coating).
Dust
each fish fillet in a little of the extra flour, then dip into the batter and
allow any excess to drip off. Holding one end, gently lower the fish into the
oil one by one, working carefully so you don't get splashed – it will depend on
the size of your fryer or pan how many fish you can cook at once.
Cook
for 4 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the batter is golden and
crisp, then remove to kitchen paper to drain.
Meanwhile,
parboil the chips in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened
but still retaining their shape, then drain and steam dry.
When
the chips are nice and dry, fry in the oil that the fish were cooked in at
180°C/350°F until golden and crisp.
While the chips are frying, transfer the fish
from the kitchen paper to a baking tray. Place in the oven for a few minutes to
finish cooking – this way they will stay crisp while you finish off the chips.
When the chips are done, drain them on kitchen
paper, season with salt, and serve with the fish and mushy peas. Other things
to have on the table are some crunchy sweet pickled gherkins, some pickled
onions (if your other half isn't around!) – and pickled chillies are good, too.
Then you want to douse it all with some cheap malt vinegar and nothing other
than Heinz tomato ketchup.
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I have read all four of the Rescue Dog books and can't help but admire Author Brian L. Porter and his family. The love, affection and care that they provide for those that probably wouldn't make it otherwise shows me how much we forget about what we call 'our animals.' He is totally correct in reminding us that they aren't just pets, they are members of our own family and should be treated as so. If you're a dog lover, this is a must read book. If you aren't a dog lover, read it anyway and maybe you'll become one.