Fish and Chips

Ingredients

Fish

• 4 filletsof flake (gummy shark), about 180 g each, skinned and pin-boned
• 3 tbspplain flour for dusting
• 1 tspfine salt

Beer batter

• 200 gplain flour
• 50 gcornflour
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 1 tspsalt
• 330 mlvery cold lager, straight from the fridge

Chips

• 1.2 kgsebago or maris piper potatoes, cut into 1.5 cm chips, skin on or off
• 1 tbspsalt for the blanching water

To fry and serve

• 3 litrescanola or cottonseed oil
• chicken salt or plain sea salt
• 1lemon, in wedges
• malt vinegar
• tartare sauce and a few potato scallops or dim sims

Directions

1. Rinse the cut chips under cold water until it runs clear to wash off surface starch, then simmer them in salted water for 6 to 8 minutes, until a knife slides in with slight resistance and the edges just start to fluff.
2. Drain the chips and spread them on a rack to steam dry for at least 20 minutes, ideally in the fridge; dry chips are the entire secret to a crisp result.
3. Heat the oil to 140°C (275°F) and blanch the chips in two batches for 5 to 6 minutes, until pale, limp and cooked through but with no colour. Lift them out and rest on a rack. This first fry can be done hours ahead.
4. Whisk the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt together, then pour in the ice-cold beer and whisk only until just combined, leaving a few lumps; overmixing develops gluten and gives a heavy, bready coat.
5. Pat the fish completely dry, season it, and dust each fillet in plain flour, shaking off all the excess so the batter has something to grip.
6. Raise the oil to 180°C (350°F). Dip a fillet in the batter, let the excess drain for a second, then lower it into the oil away from you, holding the tail end for 3 seconds so it sets straight rather than curling.
7. Fry two fillets at a time for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until the batter is deep gold and rigid and the fish flakes at the thickest point. Drain on a rack, never on paper.
8. Return the chips to the 180°C (350°F) oil for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp and golden, drain, salt generously while hot, and pile everything onto butcher’s paper with lemon, vinegar and tartare.

Technique

• Flake is the Australian trade name for gummy shark, and it is the traditional fish for this in Victoria and South Australia because it is boneless, mild and firm enough to hold a heavy batter. Ask for it by name.
• Double-frying the chips is not optional. The low first fry cooks the interior to fluffiness, the hot second fry drives off surface water and crisps the shell.
• The batter must be cold and the oil hot. That gap is what makes the coating puff and separate slightly from the fish, giving the hollow crackle.
• Chicken salt, the seasoned salt found in every Australian chip shop, is the local signature and, despite the name, is usually vegetarian.

Substitutions

• No flake: any firm white fish works, with blue grenadier, hoki, snapper or barramundi all sold in Australian shops. Cod and haddock are British substitutes and behave the same way.
• No beer: ice-cold soda water gives an equally light batter, or use half sparkling water and half vodka for the crispest coat of all.
• Beef dripping is traditional in Britain but Australian shops fry in vegetable oil, usually cottonseed or canola.

Variations

• Grilled flake, offered as a lighter option in most shops, is simply the fillet cooked on the flat plate with lemon.
• Crumbed fish, in seasoned breadcrumbs rather than batter, is the standard alternative.
• A shop order almost always includes potato scallops, dim sims and a battered sav on the side.

History

A British import adapted to local fish, usually flake, the market name for gummy shark, served in paper by the beach.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fish and Chips?

Fish and Chips is a main from Australia: battered flake with hot chips, wrapped in paper by the beach. A British import adapted to local fish, usually flake, the market name for gummy shark, served in paper by the beach.

How long does Fish and Chips take to make?

Fish and Chips takes 25 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Fish and Chips?

Yes, within limits. No flake: any firm white fish works, with blue grenadier, hoki, snapper or barramundi all sold in Australian shops. Cod and haddock are British substitutes and behave the same way. No beer: ice-cold soda water gives an equally light batter, or use half sparkling water and half vodka for the crispest coat of all. Beef dripping is traditional in Britain but Australian shops fry in vegetable oil, usually cottonseed or canola.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fish and Chips?

Drain the chips and spread them on a rack to steam dry for at least 20 minutes, ideally in the fridge; dry chips are the entire secret to a crisp result.