Tag Archives: Fish and Chips

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Carol Taylor’s Food Column – Vinegar – Home Cooked Fish and Chips and strawberries

Vinegar is the subject of my post this week and something which can elevate a dish from ordinary to extraordinary…A product I use in many ways at home šŸ™‚ Enjoy!

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Who doesn’t use vinegar in their kitchen and in cooking?

I use vinegar for many things and there are many different vinegars available to buy…When I was shopping last week for vinegar at my local shop I was looking at the few different types they had …all white vinegar or rice vinegar as it is a very local shop and typically Thai so if I want Balsamic vinegar or Apple cider vinegar then I have to find a shop which imports these or buy them on-line.

Most of the labels here are in Thai with a few English words on some labels so the words artificial vinegar stood out like a sore thumb and most of you know me by now and needless to say I bypassed that one… But it set me thinking…Dangerous I know ha-ha

This is what I discovered:-

ā€œArtificial vinegarā€ is acetic acid that is made…

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Fish Friday…….British Fish and Chips.

What better dish for my Fish Friday dish……I miss Fish & Chips not that it was something we ate often when in the UK but as we haven’t had it forĀ at least 7 years;……..Sometimes you just get that hankering for it…Don’t you?

So I give you Fish & Chips….UK style with mushy peas.

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For 4 servings.

800 gm potatoes scrubbed and cut into chips or peeled and cut into chips.

Olive oil to cook and to coat. I more often than not also add some fresh rosemary sprigs.

For the mushy peas:

300 gm frozen peas

1 tsp Olive oil.

2 tsp lemon juice

Fresh pepper to season.

For the Fish:

650 gm approx of your favourite fish. Cut into 4.

50 gm flour plus 1 tsp

50 gm cornflour

1 egg white

125 ml ice-cold sparkling water

600 ml oil for frying

Lemon wedges for garnish.

Let’s Cook!

Cut your chips and parboil. Drain, shake lightly and I put a tea towel over the pan to absorb the steam.

Heat your oven to 220 fan/Ā 200, gas mark 7

Put baking tin with Olive oil in the oven and heat for 8-10 mins.

Meanwhile, put the chips into a bowl and coat with some more olive oil using your hands to turn and coat the potatoes. At this point add Rosemary or Sage if using.

When the oil is hot add the chips in a single layer. Bake 10 mins and turn, bake 5 mins and turn, repeat this process until the chips are nice and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.

Meanwhile, cook the peas for 4 mins. Drain and lightly crush with a fork. Mix in the oil and lemon juice. Some freshly grated pepper and set to one side.

Fish...Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel. Put 1 tsp flour on a plate and coat the fish with the flour.

Heat your oil to 200C.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, cornflour, salt and pepper. whisk the egg white. Pour the sparkling water into the flours whisking all the time. Lastly, add the egg white still whisking but being careful not to whisk out all the bubbles…Bubbles make nice light, crispy batter. A balloon whisk is good to use to keep the bubbles. You want a bubbly batter, not a smooth batter.

Dip your floured fillets into the batter. Dip and drain and with a slotted spoon and carefully put into the hot oil. Fry 2 fillets at a time making sure you get your oil back up to the required heat or you will have soggy batter.

The heat must stay a constant 200 C.

Fry for 5-6 minutes, turn fish and cook until the batter is crisp and golden, drain and repeat with your other 2 fillets.

Serve on plates with the chips and mushy peas.

Garnish with lemon wedges.

Serve with mayo or my favourite tartare( caper) sauce.

Enjoy!