DIY – Fish and Chips

Making fish and chips at home can be somewhat of a battle, all that hot oil crumbs and batter. A good mate of mine who owns a fish and chip shop (one of the best on the Gold Coast too) may be reading this with puckered brow that I’m teaching you all how to do this at home, sorry Tim. I’d limit you number to around 4 if cooking at home for family, any larger number of serves just becomes nightmarish. If you want to try this make sure you have a regulated deep fryer or a commercial thermometer to test the temperature of the oil. In moderation this is a great one for the kids, you know exactly what’s going into your fish and chips, a good Sunday arvo special.

• Find a good chipping spud, choose a floury one (low in sugar, high in starch) Kennebec or Sebago are good.

• Wash, peel and cut into the size you desire for your chips, irregular shapes are Ok here.
• Place in a saucepan of cold water with a pinch of sea salt. Boil 4 minutes, drain and leave on a flat tray to cool and dry

• Find some real fresh and sustainable fish, the whiting were on when I shot this, ensure all the bones are removed. It is best to avoid a thick fleshed fish fillet, they will take too long to cook. Small thin fillets are best.

• Season some flour, make an egg wash (3 eggs 100ml milk) and then mix 2 cups of breadcrumbs with ½ cup of polenta. Crumb the fish fillets…flour, egg wash, breadcrumb in that order

• Take some clean canola oil, you’ll need quite a bit and heat to 180 degrees C, plunge in cooled chips, cook until golden and crisp, season and keep warm
• Ensure the oil is again at (180 C)

• Fry the fish until golden, remove and season with sea salt. Should take no more than 2 minutes, do not overcrowd the saucepan. A wide saucepan will be best to deep fry in.
• Make a tartare sauce, whole egg mayo, cornichons, capers, lemon juice, dill. Chop all and mix

• Take a page from a previously read newspaper and make into a lovely cone shape, line the inside with greaseproof and use to serve the fish and chips.
• Serve with vinegar, tartare, lemon and some salt flakes.