Fish and chips

Fish and chips

Fish and chips is recognised worldwide as a true English dish which you can now try at home with this recipe.

Serves 6

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 40 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons goose fat from Le Marché du Quartier

1500g potatoes from Only Organics

1litre oil for frying, something neutral is best

3 large plaice fillets around 300g each from Furness Fish & Game

175g plain flour

300ml ale from Utobeer

1 egg

Preparation Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Spoon the goose fat in to a large shallow roasting tin and put it in to the oven to warm.

Place a pan of water on to boil then peel the potatoes and cut in to 2cm square chips. Add to the pan of water, bring back up to the boil and cook for 3 minutes then drain.

Toss the potatoes in the hot goose fat, sprinkling with a few good pinches of flaky sea salt. Return to the oven and cook for 30 minutes turning half way through.

Meanwhile, heat the oil to fry the fish. A wok works really well for this job! Trim the fillets using a pair of scissors to snip off the thin edges of the fish. It is usually around 11/2cm thick. Slice each fillet in half lengthways. Season generously then dust with 25g of the flour.

Whisk together the remaining flour, the ale and the egg until the batter is smooth and hopefully lump free!

Once the oil has reached 190°C it is ready to start frying the fish. If you don't have a fryer or a thermometer, check the oil is hot by dropping in a little batter. It should sizzle vigorously. You will probably need to cook the fish in batches so as to not crowd the pan, lowering the temperature of the oil. Get a tray or large plate ready at this point, too, lined with kitchen paper

Dip the fish in to the batter then let the excess drip off for a moment. Lay in to the hot fat and cook for 5 minutes until golden and crisp giving it a little turn if you need to.

Drain the fish on the paper and keep warm whilst you cook the rest.

Serve with buttered peas and not forgetting sea salt and vinegar with big dollops of tomato ketchup from The Tomato Stall.