Fast Food on a Friday: Beer Battered fish and homemade crispy chips

Fish and chips is something we don't partake in very often as I find it's a bit hit and miss at times.  Soggy, fatty batter, chips that are either chewy or bordering on crunchy and too too TOO much salt.  I really need to be in the mood for fish and chips.

For those who might remember the ad where the woman walks away from the chips in the deep fryer to answer the phone. - remember - a) we have cordless phones and b)You seriously don't need that much oil! 'Oh my goodness, THE CHIPS'

However, not like some scaredy cats, I don't have an aversion to deep frying.  I again don't do it often (I could probably count the occasions on one hand that it happens a year) and with this method, I only half deep fry anyway.

So, here's how when I do get the hankering, I make my own fish and chips!

Chips first!

Ingredients

1 kg sebago potatoes

750ml canola oil

Method

Peel your potatoes, and then cut into 1.5 cm slices, and again as many thicknesses of 1.5 cms to make baton shapes.

In a saucepan or frypan, pour the oil to a level of 4cm deep.  Heat until it sizzles.

Drop in the chips in batches - and standby!  Cook until the edges go a light golden.  Remove and place on a baking tray lined with kitchen paper, when the last batch is done, Turn the heat off, and put your tray of chips in the refrigerator for one hour.

(at this point I prepare my fish)

20 minutes prior to serving:preheat the oven to 190 degrees c.

Remove chips from the refrigerator, take the kitchen paper off the tray, and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown.

Serve.

And the fish

Ingredients

600 grams fish of choice (I used traditional shark, but I love silvery dory, that's my favourite)

1 tsp dry yeast

375 ml beer (I've used pure blonde)

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup cornflour

3/4 cup cornflour, extra

750ml canola oil

Method

In a large bowl, pour approx 1/2 cup beer into the bottom and mix in the yeast.  Leave to stand for 10 minutes until it froths up.

Add in the rest of the self raising flour, plain flour and 1/2 cup cornflour, and then gradually pour in the rest of the beer, whisking as you add.  Continue to whisk until there are no lumps.

Preheat oven if you are not reheating chips - which I assume you would be...

Heat your oil until sizzles, line a baking tray with paper towel/kitchen paper.

Dust your fish in the remaining cornflour and dip into the batter, then into the oil.  Fry for about 2-3 minutes and then turn over, then after a further 2-3 minutes on the other side, move to the baking tray.  Continue to do this until all your fish is cooked.    Remove the paper and heat for 5 minutes in the oven.

Serve with chips and my homemade tartar sauce!

You can also cook bigger quantities, but instead of reheating in the oven, put in airtight container and freeze.  You can reheat later direct from the freezer - fish for about 20 minutes, chips about 10 minutes.

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