Serve it up with chips
Classic pub food made at home without a deep fryer? Yes you can!
Photo by Karen Hermann
Serves 4
Total cost: $8.46
Chips
Vegetable oil
4 potatoes, peeled, cut and patted dry
Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Beer, or club soda
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Fish
1 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
1 pound cod (or any thick white fish), cut into pieces, rinsed and patted dry
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Malt or cider vinegar, to serve
Into a Dutch oven or deep skillet, over medium-low heat, add vegetable oil—about 2 inches deep. When oil is hot, add potatoes and blanch (partially cook) until almost done—no browning—about 4–5 minutes. Remove to a platter lined with paper towels, and set aside.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and peppers. Add beer/soda slowly—just enough until the mixture reaches the consistency of pancake batter and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in lemon juice and set aside. Let batter rest about 30 minutes.
Increase oil temperature to medium-high and watch carefully. In another shallow bowl, combine more flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the fish pieces in the flour mixture to coat, then in the batter, before placing them into the oil one at a time. Be sure to drain the excess batter off the fish before putting it into the oil. Cook on both sides until golden brown; remove to a platter lined with paper towels. Repeat until all fish are cooked.
At this point, add the chips back into the oil and finish cooking until golden brown. Remove from oil and plate with the cooked fish. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with vinegar or your favorite condiment.
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