A good source of protein and carbohydrates, fish and chips or fish ‘n chips is a common meal in England households. The dish was thought to be a fusion of both ingredients brought in by immigrant Jews from Spain and Portugal. It became so popular that the dish grew to be a famous takeaway food and a must-have dish in restaurants. To date, there are about 10,000 diners selling fish and chips in the UK.
Fish ‘n chips features two components – deep-fried battered fish fillet and potato chips. The cuisine is often paired with some greens, a lemon wedge and mayonnaise or cream of tartar sauce. In Britain and Ireland, the common choices of fish would be cod and haddock, but vendors also sell many other types of fish such as pollock, hake or coley.
Fun fact: Did you know that fish and chips was one of the main staple foods that were protected by the British government during World War I and World War II which allowed the dish not to be subjected for rationing?
Classic Fish ‘n Chips
Servings: 4 pax
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into strips
- 128 g of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 240 ml of milk
- 1 egg
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 680 g of cod fillets or any other fish preferred
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Cream of tartar sauce
Directions:
- Placed the cut potato chips into a medium-sized bowl of cold water.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Then, stir in the milk and egg until mixture is smooth. Allow the mixture to stand for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the vegetable oil in a large pot to 175°C. Deep fry the potato chips until they are golden brown. Drain and dry them on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Dip the fish fillets in the batter, one piece at a time and place them into the hot oil for frying. Fry the battered fish fillets until golden brown. Drain and remove excess oil on paper towels
- Refry the potato chips for 1-2 minutes for added crispness.
- Serve the Fish and Chips with a lemon wedge and cream of tartar sauce. Alternatively, a garden salad can be paired as an additional side.