Fish and chips

For the great crisp finish, make sure the beer is nice and chilled, and that you gradually whisk it into the flour mix for an even coat.

Fish and chips Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 2 pieces skinless Murray cod fillet, about 200 g each
• Vegetable oil, for deep - frying
• 45 g (¼ cup) rice flour, for dusting

Beer batter

• 110 g (¾ cup) plain flour
• 45 g (¼ cup) rice flour
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 250 ml (1 cup) very cold beer (pale ale or larger)

To serve

• Triple cooked chips
• 400 g can mushy peas  
• Chinese curry sauce  
• Gravy  
• Malt vinegar
• Salt

Instructions

1. Using paper towel, pat dry the fish and cut into 3 cm x 7 cm batons, or larger fillets if you prefer. If you have very thick fillets, cut them in half horizontally.
2. Heat the oil for deep – frying in a large heavy – based saucepan to 190°C. The oil should be at least 6 cm deep.
3. While the oil is heating, place the rice flour for dusting in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the fish with a pinch of salt, then coat in rice flour and shake off the excess. You can leave them like this for up to 10 minutes.
4. Just before cooking, for the batter, whisk together the flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually whisk in the very cold beer just until incorporated evenly into the flour, checking the consistency as you go. The batter is fairly thin, but it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If the batter is too thick, add a little extra beer, 1 teaspoon at a time. Do not over – mix the batter, a few lumps are fine.
5. Working in small batches, dunk a piece of fish in the batter, the let the excess drip off very briefly. Carefully lower the fish into oil, dropping it in away from you, one piece at a time. Don't crowd the pot. Fry for about 2 minutes, turn and cook for another minute or until the batter is a deep golden colour. Drain on a wire rack, season with salt and serve with chips, mushy peas and all the sauces.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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