Fish & chips

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4):
1 packet sutchi fillet from FairPrice, thawed
Half a packet FairPrice French Fries
2 litres vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 cup beer or soda water
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
Malted vinegar
Tartar sauce

Method:
1. Pour the oil into a deep wok or a deep fryer and heat to 190 deg C.
2. In a clean dry bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.
3. Combine 1 cup flour, the beer or soda water, and a pinch of salt in another bowl, to form a smooth batter.
4. Fold in the egg whites gently and set aside.
5. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup flour, salt and paprika and place on a plate.
6. One by one, dip both sides of the fish fillets in this flour mixture to coat evenly, then shake off any excess flour.
7. Again, one by one, dip the floured fish fillets into the batter and then place them in the hot oil.
8. Fry for a minute or two on each side until golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper.
9. When all your fish are fried, ensure that the oil is hot enough again and then fry the French fries.
10. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
11. Portion the fish and chips onto individual plates and serve sprinkled with malted vinegar and tartar sauce on the side.

Tips:
Recipe uses Sutchi fillet and FairPrice French Fries ($2.75 each) available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

When it comes to ensuring crisp batter and fries that aren’t overly greasy, it is important to use good, clean oil, heated to about 190 deg C. You can test if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small piece of bread or a drop of batter into it. If the bread or batter creates bubbles and rises to the surface, the oil is hot enough.

When the battered fish is put into well-heated oil, the batter will quickly form a shield, preventing the oil from penetrating the cool fish inside. The fish will then cook by indirect heating, rendering its batter crisp and the meat inside cooked but not greasy.

If the oil is not hot enough, it will seep through the food before the batter has formed a protective layer. That’s when you get greasy fish that’s unpleasant to eat. This applies to all deep-fried foods.

Also, you’ll want to fry foods made of vegetables — such as the fries — while they are frozen, to limit the fat absorption. And don’t overcrowd your deep-fryer or wok as too much food will lower the oil’s temperature.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (17 Apr 2008)