Britain · Main · Medium
Fish and Chips
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Fish and Chips, in 5 ideas
- Twice-cooked chips are the law. The first low fry cooks the interior fluffy, the second high fry crisps the shell. One fry gives you limp sticks.
- Do not crowd the fryer. Too much fish at once drops the oil temperature and the batter turns greasy instead of crisp.
- Beer batter beats water batter. The carbonation and alcohol both help browning and crunch. Any cheap lager works.
- Hold the salt until the end. Salting the batter makes it tough. Salt the finished fish and chips the moment they leave the oil.
- Newspaper is traditional, parchment is practical. Either way, serve it hot. Fish and chips waits for no one.
What you need
Ingredients
- 4 cod or haddock fillets, about 6 oz each
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt, plus more for serving
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup cold lager or sparkling water
- 4 large russet potatoes, cut into thick chips
- Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 quarts)
- Malt vinegar and tartar sauce, for serving
How to make it
Directions
- Soak the cut potatoes in cold water 30 minutes, then drain and pat completely dry. Wet potatoes make greasy chips.
- Heat the oil to 325F. Fry the chips in batches 5 minutes until pale and soft but not colored. Drain on a rack. This is the first cook.
- Raise the oil to 375F. Fry the chips again 3 to 4 minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Salt immediately and keep warm in a low oven.
- Make the batter: whisk 1 cup flour with the baking powder, salt, and pepper. Pour in the cold beer and whisk just until combined. A few lumps are fine. Keep it cold.
- Pat the fish very dry and dust lightly with the remaining 1/2 cup flour. This helps the batter grip.
- Dip each fillet in batter, let the excess drip off, and lower gently into the 375F oil. Fry 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp.
- Drain on a rack, salt right away, and serve with the chips, malt vinegar, and tartar sauce.
Cold batter, hot oil. The temperature shock is what makes the crust shatter. Keep the batter in the fridge until the second you need it.