Jamie Oliver's Fish and Chips

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs we're celebrating Jamie's homeland by making British food, or Brit Bites.  With so many fun dishes to choose from I had a really hard time.  Then again, I have a really hard time making almost any decision lately.  So, I grilled my husband until he gave me an answer and let me just say....my husband really loves it when I ask him tons of questions, especially if they're right in a row. Ha!

Me: Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding?
Tony: No.

Me: Bangers and Mash?
Tony: No.

Me: Really?  I thought you'd really go for Bangers and Mash?
Tony: No, I'm not in the mood for bangers today.

Me:  Okay, maybe you're hungry for breakfast.  How about crumpets?
Tony: No.

Me:  What about The Full Monty?
Tony:  I don't even know what you're saying to me right now.

Me: How about dessert?  Maybe an Eton Mess? 
Tony:  Why would I want to eat anything that's called a mess?

Me:  Okay, I'm totally giving up.  What about Fish and Chips?
Tony:  Oh yeah.  Yeah, let's definitely do fish and chips.

 Fish & Chips

Adapted from  Jamie Oliver via Food Network

Serves 4

For the chips:

3 3/4 pints (2 liters) vegetable oil (I used canola oil)

2 pounds floury potatoes, like russets, peeled and cut into large chips

For the Batter:

1 cup plain flour

1 cup beer

2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks

Salt

4 (9 ounce/250 gram) fillets haddock or cod, skin on, and pin boned

Pour all the vegetable oil into a deep pan or deep fat fryer, and heat to 300F.  Blanch the cut potatoes in the oil until soft, but not colored, about 4 minutes.  Remove and drain.  Mix together the flour and the beer, then fold in the egg whites.  Turn up the heat of the oil to 350F.  Pat the fish off completely and make sure it's dry before dipping in the batter.  (This way you are sure the batter sticks to the fish).  Dip the fish in the batter and fry for a few minutes with the chips until golden brown.  Drain on kitchen paper and serve.

 

Notes/Results: Jamie's fish and chips is perfectly delicious with a beautiful beer batter that makes the fish all crispy and crunchy.  I think one of the tricks to this recipe is making the batter about 30 minutes ahead of time and allowing it to set and thicken in the fridge.  Also, it's pretty important to make sure that your fish is completely dry before dipping it in the batter or else all the batter will just slide right off the fish.  We really enjoyed this meal and the next time I make fish and chips I will definitely use this recipe again, maybe with a little Cajun seasoning added to the batter or a little Tabasco thrown in, just to spice things up a bit!

Theme: Brit Bites