Friday Fish and Chips

Having recently returned from six months abroad, the final two of which were spent in India, I have been getting stuck into reacquainting myself with Great British foods. The kind of staples that embody the quintessence of old Blighty and only really taste great on home soil. 

When I was walking through the infuriatingly chaotic streets of Varanasi, Hinduism's holiest place and the setting for some pretty mind blowing religious devotion, I was accosted every step of the way by hawkers and street children trying to sell me something or get a commission out of me. The kids, all of whom are illiterate but speak several languages fluently, find out your country and hurl the relevant colloquialisms at you, almost every time as Brits we got "FISH AND CHIPS"! 

I thought of this yesterday when considering how to enable my fishy Friday and thought it would be a nice idea to chuck a bit of the east in there, hence the ginger, cumin seeds and chilli in the mix that are all brought together by the lemon zest and seasoning. Enjoy. 

   

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Fish:

4 skinned cod fillets

Small bunch of finely chopped parsley

Tspn of cumin seeds

One medium red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

Zest of half a lemon

1 clove of garlic, crushed

Extra virgin olive oil

1cm of ginger, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Beer Batter:

1 cup of plain flour

1 egg, beaten

1 garlic clove, crushed

½ tspn black pepper

Can of lager

Mushy Peas:

4 handfuls of fresh garden peas (frozen will do)

A handful of freshly picked mint, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of crème fraiche

A small knob of butter

Salt and pepper

Chips:

5 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into chips

Salt

Tartare Sauce:

300ml of Hellman’s mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of capers

6 pickled gherkins, roughly chopped

Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

30g of anchovies, roughly chopped

Juice of ½ a lemon

Smoked paprika

2 litres of Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

1.Put the cod in a bowl and add all the ingredients from the fish section along with a dash of extra virgin olive oil, leave in the fridge to marinate for a couple of hours.

 2.
Boil the chips for 5 minutes in salted water until they begin to soften but still hold their shape, drain and set aside.

3. For the batter put the flour in a bowl and make a well, pour in the egg, garlic and pepper, and then the lager, stir it thoroughly till the batter reaches a smooth thick consistency and set aside.

4. For the tartare sauce put the mayonnaise in a bowl and add the capers, along with the remaining roughly chopped ingredients and the lemon juice, mix well and keep in the fridge. You can dust the top with paprika when you serve it.

5. Boil the kettle and cook the peas for 3 minutes until soft, transfer to a blender along with the crème fraiche, chopped mint and butter, and blend for a few seconds so it remains lumpy and not pureed. Season to taste.

6. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over a high heat until it is ready for frying, test it by chucking in a small piece of chip, if it starts to bubble aggressively then you’re ready to get frying. Carefully pour in the chips and cook them for around 10 minutes or until golden, using a slotted spoon transfer them to a plate with some kitchen cloth to drain the oil from them, toss in salt and keep warm.

7. Remove the fish from the fridge, dunk and cover in the batter and lower it carefully into the oil. Cook for between 7-10 minutes or until golden and crispy, remove, and drain on tissue paper before plating all the components together.