Tyler Florence's Ultimate Fish and Chips

Jessica K's Note:

I got this off the food network site. I haven't tried these but my hubby loves fish and chips. He grew up overseas and used to be able to get them regularly. I showed him several recipes, including zaar ones, and this was the one he said to make!

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 4 large russet potatoes
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 (12 ounce) can soda water
• 1/2 cup rice flour, for dredging
• 2 (8 ounce) cod fish fillets or 2 (8 ounce) haddock fillets, cut in 1/2 on an angle
• malt vinegar, for serving

TARTAR SAUCE

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cornichon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 dash hot sauce

Directions:

1. Heat 3 inches of the oil in a deep fryer. Or you can heat 3 inches of oil in a deep pot. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chips, about the size of your index finger.
2. Put the potatoes in the oil. Fry the chips for 2 to 3 minutes; they should not be crisp or fully cooked at this point. Remove the chips with a spider strainer or slotted spoon, to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
3. Put the chips back in the fryer for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown. Take out and drain.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and egg. Pour in the soda water and whisk to a smooth batter.
5. 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.
6. Now submerge the battered fish into the bubbling oil for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown.
7. Remove and drain the fish with the chips on paper towels; season lightly with salt. Serve wrapped in a newspaper cone with malt vinegar and/or tartar sauce.
8. Tartar Sauce (about 1-1/4 cups): In a small mixing bowl, combine all tartar sauce ingredients. Chill before serving to let the flavors combine.

Reviews

[Sephardi Kitchen]

This is REALLY late since I made these with my boyfriend over a year ago- but the recipe is great! We absolutely loved the breading-- rice flour soda water comes out extra crispy, far better than the flour batters I'm more used to seeing. We didn't have a deep fryer, so just cooked the fish/chips in a pan filled with 1-2" of oil, and it still came out perfect after we got the temperature right. Besides that, the only changes we made were to add a bit more seasonings to the batter (cayenne pepper, dried parsley, lemon pepper?).

And an FYI for anyone else considering this recipe-- the batter is PERFECT for onion rings! We made a whole batch of them along after the fish was done.

[Chef #864893]

This recipe calls for 2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of rice flour for dredging. Tyler Florence's recipe calls for 2 cups of RICE flour and 1/2 cup of rice flour for dredging. Don't use regular flour. It's too heavy. The rice flour gives it a light, airy taste and texture and is absolutely delicious. We've made this several times (with rice flour throughout) and it's been a hit every time. Almost as good as The Laughing Halibut in London!

[911spatcher]

I made this last night....so good! My husband is from England and said this recipe tasted authentic. Make sure to sweep the fish back and forth once (so it starts to cook the batter) before completely dropping it into the oil or it will sink to the bottom and stick to the basket