Food often is the key nostalgic note of any trip, yes you may visit the sites, you may have gone to a great bar that you can’t remember the name of. But it is a good meal whether served from a food cart on the side of the road or in more of a posh oh la la fine dining restaurant that is truly embedded in your mind.
You remember the way it tasted, that feeling you got with the first bite and then you remember the rest.
Fish & Chips is one of those meals. I remember first time I had it, and now every time I see it on a menu, hear it talked about I automatically am brought back to that little shack on Brighton’s Pier at 4am with my sisters.
LOVE IT!
3 large russet potatoes
2 cups rice flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 (12-ounce) can soda water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 (8-ounce) cod or haddock fillets, cut in 1/2 on an angle (or other white fish)
1/2 cup rice flour, for dredging
Malt vinegar, for servingMethod:
Heat 3 inches of the oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees F. Alternatively, use a deep heavy skillet.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into chips (that is, fries) about the size of your index finger. Put the potatoes in a fryer basket in the Small Deep Fryer and lower into the oil. Fry the chips for 2 to 3 minutes; they should not be crisp or fully cooked at this point. Remove the chips to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
Crank the oil temperature up to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Combine soda water and egg and pour into the flour mixture. Whisk to a smooth batter. Spread the rice flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter, letting the excess drip off.
Put the chips in the bottom of the fryer basket and carefully submerge in the hot oil. Carefully lower the battered fish into the bubbling oil on top of the chips. Fry the fish and chips for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown. Remove the basket and drain the fish and chips on paper towels; season lightly with salt. Serve wrapped in a newspaper cone with malt vinegar and/or tartar sauce.
This recipe is courtesy of Tyler Florence as seen on the Food Network show Tyler’s Ultimate.