It’s been over three years since my last fish and chips post. While there was nothing wrong with it, I’ve always been a fan of the adage “if it ain’t broke, then take it apart and make it better”. Yep, I was “that kid” that would take apart a brand new Nintendo (amongst other household items) to figure out how to make it play foreign games. Today, I blame credit that inquisitive nature for my penchant for cooking without recipes.
When I get asked if I follow my own recipes, I usually give a long answer that includes the definition of the word “recipe”, but my short answer is “no”. Some people want consistency when they make a dish. For me, I relish the small variations that occur when cooking without a recipe. Part of it is the element of surprise, but it’s also driven by the small chance that a change will make a big improvement in the finished dish. It’s a process of culinary evolution and lessons learned in one dish often carry over to many others.
I’ve always double fried french fries, but I’d assumed I’d end up with a dry tough brick if I tried applying the same technique to meat or fish. After realizing a double fry was the secret to making crispy tebasaki, I decided to try this technique in other fried dishes.
As it turns out, double frying works brilliantly with fish and chips, rendering the beer batter light, crisp and keeping it crisp long after coming out of the oil. I’m leaving the old post up because the curry sauce is just as delicious as it was three years ago, but the double fry for the fish is a must.
Units
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes (I used a mix of yukon gold and russet)
- 4 medium fish fillets (cod, haddock and albacore work well)
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- vegetable oil (for frying)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup beer very cold (you may need a little more)
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes well, then cut into 1/4" thick batons. Dry thoroughly with paper towels and leave them sitting on paper towels to allow the surface of the potatoes to dry out for about 30 minutes. You can skip this step if you're pressed for time, but your potatoes won't turn out as crisp.
- Mix the flour, cornstarch, paprika, and onion powder in a medium bowl until well combined. Dust each fish fillet with the flour mixture on all sides.
- Add 1 1/2" of vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed pot and heat to 330 degrees F. Line a 2 wire racks with 2 layers of paper towels each.
- Fry the potatoes in batches until a light tan color and the edges are just starting to brown. Transfer the fried chips to one prepared rack to drain.
- When the potatoes are done frying, add the baking powder to the flour mixture and whisk together. Then add the cold beer to the flour mixture and lightly whisk together. It's okay if there are still a few lumps, just make sure you do not overmix the batter or it will end up heavy.
- Dip the fillets in the batter and fry them in batches. Flip the fillets over with tongs when you see the edges start to turn light brown. Transfer to the second prepared rack as they finish frying.
- When the fish is done frying, increase the heat of the oil to 375 degrees F. Fry the chips a second time until they are golden brown and crisp. Drain on a rack and sprinkle with salt.
- Fry the fish a second time at the higher temperature until golden brown. Drain on a rack. Serve the fish and chips with lemon wedges or vinegar.
Sandra says
I just made fish and chips for yesterday’s dinner using this recipe. It came out wonderful just like what I had from famous restaurant. Thank you for sharing.
I will always use this recipe.
I did left potato pieces on the tray with kitchen towel for a while. Repeatedly soaking moisture. I used super cold light beer. I used 2/3 of small bottle amount of beer so it came much lighter batter. I also used fryer following temperature above, fried twice.
Of course fish goes with tartar sauce so looked it up,
mayo, lemon juice, pickle, a bit of pickle juice makes great tartar sauce. But do not put too much lemon juice it is too sour otherwise.
Good luck and be patient cooking 🙂
Sandra says
I used tilapia.
Little Cooking Tips says
Thank you so much, for another wonderful recipe Marc! This recipe is a)definitely Yummed! and b)will be tried before next March 25th (Greek National Day) when we all fry cod this way and serve it with skordalia.
Again, thank you!
Panos and Mirella
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Panos and Mirella, thanks for the note! Now you have me curious as to what Skordalia is. Gonna have to Google it.
Little Cooking Tips says
It’s a garlic spread/dip that’s either made with mashed potatoes or soaked and drained stale bread as a base. Then you add salt, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and minced garlic. Try the potato version first, it’s smoother and a bit lighter in flavor:)
Have a wonderful day!
coffeenut451 says
Wow, wow, wow! Just fried up some halibut last night, and I must say, the party of people raved about it…”better than a restaurant..”..” best I’ve tasted!”, and so on..My head was swelling, but I did give credit to Marc, so I’m okay, right? The twice frying is the ticket…and I added some ingredients though probably not necessary..smoked paprika…and kosher salt..? Is this a no-no? I just loved the twice fried way, for it allowed everything to be really hot..Just a great recipe! Thanks!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Glad to hear you guests enjoyed it! The twice frying technique works for just about anything you want to get crisp, including fried chicken. Good idea on seasoning with smoked paprika. I try to keep my recipes pretty basic so that people can improvise. Adding some fresh chopped rosemary into the batter also works well.
Brew Bear says
Looks good, I’m willing to try it, but why are some measurements in inches?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Brew Bear, most of the readers of this site are in the US. There’s a conversion function on the weight measures listed in the ingredients, but unfortunately the site isn’t smart enough to convert other measurements like volume and length yet. Please keep in mind the volume measurements are US cups (1 cup = 237 ml).
Jessica Tan says
Does the baking powder go into the batter? Nevermind, found it 🙂
Marc Matsumoto says
Yep, in step 5
NiftyDeb says
I’ve made this 4 times now in the last several months. It’s our family favorite. And both the fish and FFs are perfect. My hubby doesn’t understand why his (once fried) fries don’t turn out a good as these. Thanks so much Marc.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Deb, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this! Also, I need to need to look at my archives more, it’s been years since I’ve made this and now I’m craving it!
Kathy Stroup says
This Fish and Chips recipe is just what I need! We’ve been craving it, but our favorite shop closed. You seem to have gotten over your aversion to frying since you’ve moved to Japan.😄 You got me frying again!
That’s an interesting sauce. I usually put so much malt vinegar on my fish and chips that I don’t need one! I usually make Tartar Sauce, but I’m game to give it a try. I think I will use the Preserved Lemons in the Tartar Sauce if I do make it. Can you have too many sauces?😉
Marc Matsumoto says
BTW one of my favorite uses for malt vinegar powder is on fish and chips. It lets you get the flavor and taste, without making the batter soggy.
Kathy Stroup says
Noted, and highly anticipated!😁