Thursday, November 01, 2007

Good Ol' Fish N Chips

A succulent tender fish dipped in beer batter and then deep fried till it's crisp....fries made from scratch by cutting potatoes with the skin still on and deep fried... While it's obviously not the healthiest choice, who doesn't like something that is deep fried till it is crunchy and full of flavor?

To me fries are the ultimate comfort food...just the right amount of salt, crispiness, and flavor to satisfy me at meals and even just to snack on whenever hunger strikes! What better to pair homemade fries with than a battered fried fish! So I looked in the fridge and saw that I had a can of beer too...beer batter is very light and airy. It makes the batter fluffy and crispy once fried.

The end result: The meal was delicious! It didn't feel too greasy or heavy but rather the opposite. The subtle flavor of the fish with a little bit of lemon squeezed on it was heavenly. Paired with fries made from scratch it was the perfect sunday afternoon meal!

Beer Battered Fish

1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 white fish fillets (I used grouper)
225g of flour
1 can of cold beer
3 tsp baking powder

Whisk the flour, baking powder and beer together till it has mixed properly. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides, then lightly dust it with some extra flour to help it dry out a bit. Heat the oil till it is very hot. Test it by dripping a teaspoon of batter into the oil. If it sizzles and immediately begins to brown then you know it's ready. Dip the fish in the batter and carefully put it in the pan. Don't crowd your pan with too many fish. Cook it until it is a nice golden brown. Once you have taken all the fish out place it in the oven to keep warm as you fry the french fries. Drain the fish on paper towels once out of the oven. Sprinkle them with salt.

Homemade Fries

Potatoes sliced into chips

Parboil the potatoes for 5mins just till they turn slightly soft. Add the fries into the pan with the oil that was used to fry the fish and fry till they are golden. Now to make your fries extra crispy you are going to want to double fry it. So once you have taken the fries out of the pan and drained them, toss them back into the hot oil just for a few seconds to crisp up even more. Drain the fries on a paper towel. Season with paprika or another seasoning of your choice!

Serve the fish and chips with lemon wedges and malt vinegar for those who like their fries with salt and vinegar. Enjoy!

7 comments:

Cyndi said...

Hey, Alexandra--thanks for visiting my blog. Now I'm visiting yours! I'm fairly new to blogging, too, but to answer your question - memes started out as events that groups of bloggers participated in--such as an online cooking contest or recipe sharing. They've evolved into what I posted - questions and answers, and then "tagging' other bloggers to do the same. It's how we get to know each other! Now I'm off to explore your blog.

Anonymous said...

i want to read more ! :)

Anonymous said...

Looking at the pix of your fish and chips on a newspaper brought me back home to penang in the early 1970's. There was this fish and chips shop in Jalan Sungai Kelian, Tg Bungah, your dad might know....they used to fry the most heavenly fish and chips and wrap it in a newspaper..of course they lined the paper with tracing paper....honestly I can still smell the fish and chips in my mind...it was soooo good..hot from the pan and sprinkled with salt...yum....I haven't come across anything close to it yet....everything was fresh...potatoes ( not the prefab pack in plastic ones! ) and the fish ..hmmm succulent! ...I am hungry now..ha ha

Anonymous said...

Well I guess one can do with some cholesterol once in a while. That fish and chips you cooked, Alexandra was succulent. I just love those freshly cut potatoes fried in their skin and sprinkled with a little bit of paprika. It was simple yet amazing!! the paprika added a tingling touch to the flavor of the potatoes.I am definitely looking forward to more yummy dishes.... WONDERFOOD!!!
love
mum

Anonymous said...

yummy i love fish and chips!!

boo_licious said...

Wow! Homemade fish and chips are de best. I like your little extra touch of adding the blog's address ontop of the Star Classifieds as fish and chips just won't taste the same without the essential newspaper print!

Anonymous said...

Bhavani said ...

Your presentation made me think of my college days when fish & chips were almost my staple diet. It looks yummy and I will definitely try out your recipe and let you know if it turns out anything like what you cooked up .It looks delicious.