This is one of the few genuinely English recipes that is recognized world wide. Everyone knows that Fish ‘n’ Chips come from England, and I can’t imagine an English town without a Fish and Chip shop. It is not as hard as you might think to create your own perfect Beer Battered Fish at home. It just takes a little preparation time, that’s all. The actual cooking is done in just a few minutes and the preparation time can also be measured in minutes. I have made a separate Hub for the chips, so this one is just for the fish. You can use the oil that you just cooked the chips in as well. I like to reuse oil that I have used for deep frying chips in, but after cooking fish in it, it is best thrown away because there is a lingering after taste in the oil.

You can batter any kind of fish with this recipe, but for genuine English Fish ‘n’ Chips, it is best to use a white fish such as Cod or Haddock. This recipe will be enough for 4 large fillets of fish. The fish, although it is deep fried, actually cooks inside the batter, and is really steamed because it never touches the oil, just the batter does. I love this recipe and it’s one of my wife’s favorites. I can’t really call it a low fat recipe, but if the oil is hot, the fish is very crispy, holds very little fat and tastes steamed.

You will need:

Equipment:

• A bowl
• A sharp knife
• A sifter
• A cutting board
• A whisk
• A deep heavy bottom pan
• A frying basket

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of Cod or Haddock roughly 1/3 rd lb each
• 1 sprig fresh parsley

For the batter:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup heavy beer (Guinness is best but any heavy beer will work)

First, make the batter and let stand. In a bowl, sift the flour and salt. Next crack the egg into the bowl and whisk the mixture. Next, slowly add the beer, whisking all the time. Keep adding the beer until the batter is a thick consistency. Set aside.

Place the oil in the pan, no more than a third of the way up the side. If you are using the oil you just cooked chips in, allow it to reheat. When the oil is hot, place the frying basket in the pan.

Now, wash and chop the parsley finely. Next, sprinkle some flour on the cutting board and sprinkle the parsley over the flour.

Next, wash the fish under cold water and roll in the flour/parsley. It should now be coated in flour and parsley. Make sure the oil is hot. Dip the fish pieces, one at a time into the batter and drop into the oil. Do not put the fish in the basket and lower th basket in, because they will stick to the basket. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Remove with the basket, place on a paper towel to drain and serve immediately. These will not stay crispy and must be served straight away. Serve with chips, salt and vinegar or tartar sauce. If you want to be really old fashioned, serve them on paper. Not newspaper, even in England, that’s illegal now.

Bon Apetit!