Beer-Battered Fish and Chips
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 6-7 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup green relish
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour divided
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 355 ml can ale or other beer chilled
- 8 pieces cod fillet thawed if frozen
- extra kosher salt
- lemon wedges for serving
- malt vinegar for serving
Instructions
- The potatoes need to be soaked for at least 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Peel the russet potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch square french fries. Transfer to a bowl of water while cutting up the rest of the potatoes. When all the potatoes are cut, toss them in the water to rinse off the starch. The water will be cloudy.
- Drain the water and continue rinsing the potatoes until the water runs clear. Cover the potatoes with fresh water and chill in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours or up to overnight.
- Blanch the fries at least an hour or more before serving. Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towel. Add 6 to 7 cups of vegetable oil to a deep, wide pot. Heat the oil to 325° F. Thoroughly dry the potatoes on a tea towel before frying to avoid spattering in the hot oil.
- Carefully add about a third of the fries to the hot oil. Stir occasionally with a slotted spoon to separate the fries. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes until the potatoes are soft and cooked through but don't have any colour. Lift the fries out with a slotted spoon and transfer to the paper towel lined baking sheet to drain. Spread the fries out in a single layer. Repeat two more times until all the fries are cooked.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the fridge and chill completely before frying a second time. The potatoes can be blanched ahead of time and refrigerated for several hours before the second fry.
- To make the tartar sauce, combine the mayonnaise, green relish, lemon juice, and chopped dill in a small bowl. Whisk together and season with a pinch of kosher salt. Chill until serving.
- To make the beer batter, combine 1 cup and 2 tbsp of the flour with the cornstarch and 1 tsp kosher salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk together. Gradually whisk the beer into the flour mixture until there are no more large lumps. A few small lumps are okay. Keep the batter cold in the fridge until ready to fry.
- When ready to fry the fish and chips, preheat the oven to 300° F. Line two baking sheets with racks. If you don't have racks, then line the baking sheets with several layers of paper towel.
- Heat the oil up to 350° F for the second fry. Add a third of the fries to the hot oil, stirring occasionally to prevent the fries from sticking. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes until the fries are golden brown and crispy. Lift the fries out with a slotted spoon and transfer to one of the rack-lined baking sheets. Immediately sprinkle generously with kosher salt.
- Allow the oil to heat back up to 350° F before frying the next batch of fries. Repeat until all the fries are cooked. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven to keep warm while frying the fish.
- Pat the cod fillets dry with paper towel. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour to a small bowl. Roll the cod pieces in the flour to coat and then shake off the excess.
- Allow the oil to come back up to 350° F. Set the batter bowl near the pot of oil. Submerge a cod fillet in the batter then lift up and briefly let some of the excess batter drip off. Carefully and slowly place the cod fillet into the hot oil, laying it down away from you to avoid splashing. Repeat with three more cod fillets. Use a spatter guard if you have it.
- Fry the cod for 6 to 8 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally, until the batter is a deep golden brown and the fish is cooked through. Lift out of the oil using a slotted spoon and place on the rack-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cod fillets.
- Serve the beer-battered fish and chips with the homemade tartar sauce along with lemon wedges and malt vinegar if desired. Enjoy!