Cor blimey Guv’nor! We miss this very British meal so much that the Lenox British Motor Car Festival seemed like the perfect inspiration to make real fish & chips.
We loved this mini estate car at the show!
When we got home we decided to make a delicious beer batter fish & chips recipe. We used a dark stout beer from Yorkshire.
We began by mixing a cup of flour with a good slurp of the stout.
Then in a little warm water we mixed some instant yeast and once it began to bubble we added it to our batter mix.
We continued to add stout until the batter had a consistency of wall paper paste (unappetizing…we know!)
We let the batter stand in a warm place for 30 minutes. Not only does this help develop the flavor, but it also gives time for the yeast to work- making a much lighter batter.
For this dish we used Haddock. Haddock is very traditional with fish & chips in the North of England, whereas Cod was always the choice in the South.
After seasoning the fish with a little salt and white pepper we dipped it in the batter insuring an even covering prior to frying.
Each piece of fish was then gently placed in the deep fryer until crispy.
To make proper chips (not French fries…) take a mealy potato like an Idaho potato, slice into thick chips about 3/4 of an inch to an inch thick. Place in cold (salted) water and gently bring to a boil. Cook until just tender when tested with a knife.
Immediately strain and cool the chips in a colander.
Once cooled to touch fry the chips in hot oil at a temperature of between 250-300 degrees. The purpose is not to get any color on the chips.
Once again, strain in a colander.
We then cooked the chips one final time with the oil at 350 to 400 degrees until golden brown.
We served our delicious fish & chips with mushy peas and malt vinegar. A neat trick with tinned mushy peas is to add a few frozen peas whilst reheating. It brings the dish to life and gives it so much more flavor and bite.
If you get the chance, next summer you should consider attending the British Motor Car Festival in Lenox. It was a great afternoon and such fun to look at all the cars and meet the lovely people showcasing their collections.
http://berkshiremotorcarfestival.com/
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