This is an excellent take on good old fish and chips. Don’t be afraid of shallow frying the fish. Once you have a nice large pot and a controlled heat, everything will work out well. But still, be careful when cooking with hot oil.
You will need
- Hand blender
- Saucepan
- Large pot
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- Large jug
- Wire whisk
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 4 fillets of Atlantic cod
- 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) potatoes, peeled
- Repressed oil for frying
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
For the tartar sauce
- 200 g (7 oz) mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp of capers, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp of gherkins, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
For the fish batter
- 200 g (7 oz) plain flour
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) of lager
- 2 tsp of baking powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
For the pea puree
- 280 g (10 oz) frozen peas
- 30 g (1 oz) melted butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- 50 ml (2 fl oz) cream
- 1 tbsp of finely chopped mint
- 1 tbsp of finely chopped parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
Preparation Method
60 minutes
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, capers, gherkins. Stir in lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Wrap in the cling film and pop in the fridge till needed.
- Cut potatoes into the chips and parboil them in boiling salted water for around 5 minutes, or until softened, but still retaining their shape. Drain and steam dry.
- To make fish batter combine in a large bowl all dry ingredients and make a well in the centre. Whisk in gradually beer, keep whisking until fish batter will be smooth. Set aside till needed.
- Cook peas in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain peas and place them in a large jug. Add melted butter, mint, coriander, garlic, cream and blitz using a hand blender until smooth. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep warm until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/380ºF/Gas mark 4.
- Pour repressed oil into a deep fat fryer or a large pot and heat it to 180ºC/380ºF.
- Season each fillet of Atlantic cod with salt and freshly ground black pepper and dust with flour. Dip fillets into the fish batter and allow any excess to drip off. Holding one end of fish, gently lower into the oil one by one. Work very carefully, so you don’t get splashed. Keep frying for 5 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the batter is golden and crisp. Remove to clean kitchen towel to drain. Transfer fish from the kitchen towel to a baking tray and pop in the oven and turn the heat off. Fish will stay hot and crisp while you finish off the chips.
- Fry dry chips in the same oil that the fish were cooked. Keep frying until golden and crisp. Drain the chips and season them with salt.
- Divide tartare sauce and pea puree into 4 portions. Place chips onto warm plates, and arrange crispy cod fillets. Serve straight away.