Beer battered Fish and Chips

I’ve decided to say farewell to our old European companions with a traditional dish of theirs; the famous Fish and Chips. More precisely, a Brown Ale Beer Battered Fish and Chips. Since the whole Brexit thing is bitter to most, I wanted to use they own “bitter beer” to make the batter, but could not find any, where I live…  sadly. It would have been the perfect Brexit dish.

I was surprised to learn in wikipedia, while doing my research for the dish, that this meal was imported to England by Spanish Jews in the 17th century… well the fried fish part. It makes total sense, since the “pescado frito”, floured fried fish, as a long history as a tapa in Spain. For this dish, I’ve used hake fillets, another popular choice is cod or haddock.

Another particularity is the mushy pea dip on the side, which is eaten with the fries/chips. A healthy side of the dish… as for the white sauce it’s a tartar sauce, or capers, gherkins (pickles) mayonnaise. Typically, the dish is served in a newspaper sheet, which would have been ideal here, with the headline about the Brexit… I’ll have to prepare better next time I do a theme dish…

So let’s say farewell to the UK.

Beer battered Fish and Chips

Makes 4 portions

Ingredients

• 4 hake fillet (or cod, haddock)
• 4 medium yellow potatoes 
• flour to coat the fish
• salt, pepper
• peanut oil for frying (or whatever oil you like)

The Beer batter

• 250g (1 cup) of flour
• 350ml of brown ale beer or bitter english beer (approximate, but you’ll have to adjust depending of the flour absorption, the batter need to coat lightly the fish)
• 1 tbsp of paprika
• egg white
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• salt, pepper

The Mushed Pea Sauce

• 100g of sweet green peas (frozen)
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp of lime
• salt, pepper

The Tartar Sauce

• 1 tbsp of capers
• 1 medium sized pickle/gherkin
• 1/2 a small pink onion
• flat leaves parsley
• 4 tbsp of mayonnaise
• salt, pepper

Directions

The Batter

1. Start by making the batter, (it needs to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes), in a big bowl mix all the dry ingredients
2. Add the beer until the batter can coat the fish (mud thick)
3. Add the egg white to a separate bowl and whisk until foamy
4. Incorporated gently the egg white to the batter
5. Let rest in the fridge for 30min-1 hour

The Chips / Fries *oven baked (40 min)

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into sticks
2. In a bowl, add 1 tbsp of oil and salt to the fries and mix
3. Add the fries to a baking sheet covered oven tray
4. Cook for 40 minutes (turn mid-way) or until golden/brown

The Mashed Peas Dip

1. In a small sauce pan boil some water with salt, add the frozen peas, cook for 2-3 minutes
2. Drain and rinse into cold water
3. Blend with all the ingredients until mushy texture
4. Reserve

The Tartar Sauce

1. Blend in the blender the gherkin/pickle, capers, parsley and onion until well blended
2. In a small bowl, add the blended mix to the mayonnaise and mix it up
3. Reserve

The Grand Final (10 min)

1. In a wok or fryer, bring the frying oil to 190°C (375F)
2. Rinse, pat dry and salt and pepper the fish fillets
3. In a plate, add flour and cover each fish fillet with flour
4. Dip the fillet in the batter
5. Add the bathered fish to the hot oil, for a few minutes until light brown on each side
6. When done, rest the fish fillets on a paper towel and sprinkle with some salt
7. Serve the fish fillets on the chips/fries and the dips

Serve with a lime, limon wedge and a brown ale.