When I think about fish & chips I immediately think, UK. Fish & chips, as a fast food, has been around for over 156 years! Yes, you read that correctly. The ever so delicious Fish & Chips have survived 2 World Wars and is a household favourite around the world. So who started this revolution? Well, chips or fries, dates back to the 17th century AD. There is some controversy on who invented fries, but the battle is between France and Belgium. Lets just keep it at that.

Deep fried fish, in a batter, was introduced to the UK by Jewish refugees that came from Spain and Portugal. Who exactly decided to marry battered fish with chips is a mystery, but we can give credit to the whole UK. Some enjoy fish & chips with salt & vinegar, others enjoy ketchup, tartar sauce, a squeeze of lemon or sweet chilli sauce. To be honest, fish & chips is delicious no matter what sauce you add. This delicious recipe makes 4 serving.

Ingredients:

• 4 Cod fish fillets or 4 Haddock fillets
• 170g Plain flour
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 230ml Bottle beer
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• salt & pepper, to taste
• Extra flour
• 1kg Potatoes, peeled & cut into wedges (chips)
• Good quality cooking fat or oil

Method:

1. Fill a deep frying pan with oil. Do not over fill the pan, as it may bubble over when adding the chips. Rather add less and add more oil later than over filling.
2. Heat the oil to about 190°C. If you do not have a thermometer, you can test your oil by adding a small chip into the oil. If it does not bubble right away, then your oil is too cold.
3. While the oil is heating up. Peel and cut your potatoes. You can choose the thickness of your chips. Rinse and dry your chips thoroughly.
4. Place chips in fryer and fry for about 3 minutes. The chips should be soft but must not have started colouring. Drain and shake well. Set aside for now.
5. In a shallow bowl or plate, add some flour and place your fish fillets on top and cover with flour. Leave your fish in the flour while you make the batter.
6. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the 170g flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper.
7. Then start adding the beer gradually, while mixing with a whisk (slowly). Keep adding beer until you’ve reached a thick batter that is suitable for coating.
8. Whisk by hand until lump free.
9. Add the lemon juice and mix through.
10. Adjust the temperature of your oil to about 160°C.
11. Coat one floured fish in the batter and place into oil immediately. Fry for about 6-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish. Do one piece of fish at a time. When golden, set aside and continue frying the other pieces.
12. When finished, place fish in oven to keep warm.
13. Heat up your oil to 190°C and fry your chips until golden brown.
14. Serve immediately!

Notes:

You are welcome to add any sauce of your liking to this meal or you can add a dash of vinegar instead of lemon juice to your batter. Remember it is important to first coat your fish with flour before placing in the batter. This helps the batter stick to your fish and not slide off.

Source: Food .com