Who does not know a snack called fish and chips? In fact, this dish consisting of deep-fried fish and chips is a fast food that is very popular in the United Kingdom. If you've always been buying them at high prices at restaurants, why not try making your own? Moreover, Indonesia is an archipelagic country that is rich in fish, right?
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless cod or haddock pieces (approximately 200 grams). If you have trouble finding these two types of fish, you can replace them with spineless dory fish that are widely sold in large supermarkets
- 3-4 large potatoes
- The oil for frying
Coating Flour Dough
- 240 grams of flour + 60 grams of flour to coat the fish before dipping into the coating batter
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper or cayenne pepper (both used for a spicy flavor)
- 1 can of beer or 1 egg + 350 ml sparkling water
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper and/or salt (optional)
- 125 ml cold water, buttermilk or cold beer
Step
Part 1 of 2: Preparing the Potatoes (First Frying Stage)
Step 1. Cut the potato into matchsticks about the thickness of your middle finger
Actually, you can cut the potatoes to the thickness you want, but make sure each potato is the same size and thickness so that it cooks more evenly. If you want, you can even use a special potato slicer to make potatoes of the same size and thickness.
- First of all, wash the potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt on the surface. Don't throw away the skin!
- Cut the potato into two equal parts.
- Take half the potato, cut it back into quarters lengthwise. After that, you should make four rectangular pieces of potato.
- Take each rectangle, cut it back into matchsticks.
- If you want, you can divide each potato wedge into two so that they are not too long.
Step 2. If you want, you can also soak the potatoes in cold water for 1-2 hours
Doing so will make the potatoes more moist so that the inside is softer when eaten. Make sure you thoroughly dry the soaked potatoes with paper towels before frying them.
- If you're not in a hurry, potatoes can even be soaked overnight.
- Make sure you don't soak the potatoes while heating the oil!
Step 3. Prepare a thick-walled pan
Pour the oil until it fills about 7 cm. pan, heat to 162°C. We recommend using a deep-fryer or a dutch oven for best results. Before frying potatoes and fish, first understand the right temperature for frying them so that the texture remains soft even though the surface is crisp and perfectly cooked.
If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, use medium heat for 162°C and high heat for 188°C (required in later method). Let the oil sit for 2-3 minutes if you want to change the temperature
Step 4. Fry the potatoes in hot and plenty of oil for 2-3 minutes
After 3 minutes, the potatoes should look pale in color and should have a mushy texture. Do not worry! The first frying process is not intended to dry and ripen the potatoes.
Step 5. Cool the potatoes to room temperature before frying them a second time
Drain the potatoes on a plate lined with paper towels, then fry the potatoes again when you've finished frying all the fish pieces. Undoubtedly, the potatoes will taste more delicious and have a crunchier texture!
The reason behind the double frying method is not simple. Understand that water actually builds up on the inside of the potato. In the first frying process, the water contained in a small amount on the surface of the potato will be pushed out. However, the high water content in the potato will only be pushed to the surface of the potato. In other words, potatoes that are only fried once will not taste crispy for a long time because they still contain quite a lot of water. That's why it takes a second frying process to completely dry all the water content in the potatoes
Part 2 of 2: Coating and Frying Fish
Step 1. Make sure the fish is well thawed
In fact, you can use thick-fleshed fish without any spines, although Europeans generally use cod. If you are using frozen fish, remove the fish from the freezer and place it on the refrigerator shelf overnight. In this way, the ice crystals on the fish will melt but the freshness is maintained properly.
Step 2. Increase the temperature of the oil to 190°
Heat the oil on medium heat. While waiting for the oil to heat up, prepare the fish coating mixture. Instead, use new oil so that the color of the oil is not contaminated with previously fried foods.
Step 3. Combine the flour mixture in a bowl, refrigerate for 15 minutes
If your time is limited, you don't need to let the flour sit, although as a result, the flavors of the flour coating ingredients won't blend as well as the flour that's been left on for a while. Coating flour dough is generally made from two liquid components, namely beer or a mixture of eggs and water. You can also use milk or buttermilk if you prefer the resulting taste and texture.
- Don't worry if the texture of the coating flour dough looks light and runny.
- The flour coating in this recipe requires 240 grams of flour. Provide an additional 60 grams of flour to practice the next method.
Step 4. Re-fry the potatoes for 2-3 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked
The oil should be at 190°C, and the potatoes should be at room temperature when fried. Undoubtedly, you can produce crispy brown potatoes that are very delicious when eaten! Most fish and chip makers will drain the potatoes before frying the fish. To keep the temperature of the potatoes warm, generally they will store the cooked potatoes in the oven after draining them with kitchen paper.
However, there are also fish and chips makers who choose the traditional way, namely frying potatoes and fish together. To do this method, prepare the fish to be fried. After that, fry the potatoes just before you fry the fish, and drain them both at the same time
Step 5. Coat the fish with flour so that the coating mixture can stick better
You can use wheat flour, cornstarch, or rice flour to coat the fish.
Make sure the entire surface of the fish is well coated with flour
Step 6. Pinch one end of the fish, and dip the floured fish into the bowl of coating batter
Don't coat two pieces of fish at the same time as the runny consistency of the flour risks causing the slippery fish to slip off the tongs.
Step 7. Still pinching the ends of the fish, dip the floured fish in the very hot oil
If necessary, turn the fish until the entire surface is hardened and a crisp, browned crust. Because the temperature of the oil used is very hot, the flour mixture should harden and cook quickly. After the flour hardens, then the fish can be completely immersed in the oil. Why does fish have to be fried this way? If the fish is fried in the traditional way (directly dipped in hot oil), it is feared that there will be part of the flour that is not exposed to the oil so that it will be separated from the fish flesh.
Step 8. Fry each piece of fish until the surface is crisp and golden brown (about 2-3 minutes)
Once one piece of fish is in the hot oil, immediately switch to the second piece and repeat the process until the fish is finished. Make sure you work at a fast tempo so the fish doesn't burn. If the flour looks crunchy and golden brown, it means the fish is cooked and ready to eat!
Step 9. Drain the fried fish on a piece of newsprint or kitchen paper, sprinkle the surface with salt
In fact, traditional fish and chips uses newsprint to absorb excess oil from the fish, rolls the oily paper into a funnel-like shape, then sprinkles the fish with salt and pepper before simply serving it. Of course, you can also drain the fish on a wire rack or paper towels and serve it on a plate if you wish. Enjoy fish and chips with tartar sauce or malt vinegar (wheat vinegar).
