When I was a child, there was a restaurant in my home town that served the most delightful fish and chips that I had ever tasted. Ever since then, I have searched in vain for a restaurant or recipe that could duplicate that taste.
Until now.
The following recipe is for the "world's best" fish and chips. The originator is unknown.
You will need:
ΓÇó Enough vegetable oil to fill the bottom of your skillet,
wok, or deep fryer to a depth of about 1-1/2".
ΓÇó 4-5 potatoes, cut lengthwise into 1/2" strips or wedges.
ΓÇó 1 lb. fish fillets cut into 2 x 1-1/2" chunks
(or you can do what I do and just buy "catfish nuggets"
at the store; they're cheaper and since you need to cut
them up anyway...)
ΓÇó 2/3 cup flour
ΓÇó 1/2 tsp. salt
ΓÇó 1/2 tsp. baking soda
ΓÇó 1 tbsp. white vinegar
ΓÇó 2/3 cup water
ΓÇó Table seasonings;
I recommend malt vinegar and lemon pepper.
Heat 1-1/2" oil to 375 degrees (getting the temperature exact is very important; I use an electric wok with a temperature setting). Put in potatoes a few at a time and keep them separated. Fry 'til golden (4-7 minutes). Drain on paper towels in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Pat the fish dry. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, and vinegar. Stir in water and beat until smooth. This should produce a smooth, velvety, but rather thick batter. Dip fish into batter and let excess drip back into bowl. Fry 4-5 pieces at a time, turning once until brown (about 3 minutes). Drain on paper towels. Set oven to broil. Broil potatoes 6" from heat 'til crisp, about 1-3 minutes (be careful; don't let them burn).
Serve with whatever seasonings you like. I usually sprinkle on some malt vinegar and lemon pepper. *Yummy*!
The secret to the success of this recipe seems to be in the batter. It is a very good batter and I have found it to be generally useful as a batter for coating pieces of meat for frying in a variety of dishes, such as the coated pork or chicken chunks often found in certain types of Chinese sweet and sour, etc. Experiment and enjoy!
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