Bennett Pruitt
Fish and Chips
After weeks of eating light, grilled foods with a hefty amount of salads and fresh fruits, I surprised myself craving something fried, crispy, and crunchy. Being the seafood girl that I am, I opted for fried fish with light texture and snapping crunchiness.
I love this easy and quick recipe. No marinating ahead of time, the batter is super fast to assemble and the cooking time is speedy—ideal for a weeknight dinner. You can add different spices to the batter to make it more your own. I often add garlic powder and cayenne pepper for extra zing.
Fish and Chips
1 ½ pounds firm white fish *, about 6-8 pieces, rinsed and patted dry
1 cup all- purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup milk, water or combination
1 large egg
Peanut or vegetable oil for frying
Homemade French fries or potato chips
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add milk and egg, stir until smooth. Keep in a refrigerator until ready to use.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 365 degrees. Remove the batter from fridge, stir and dip fish fillet into batter one piece at a time. Let the excess drip off, then gently place the fish in the oil. Increase the heat to maintain the temperature. The fish is done when it is golden brown. It should take a couple of minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
Serve immediately with malt vinegar, tartar sauce, lemon wedges or if you are like me, sriracha.
* Note: Dogfish, catfish, red snapper, blackfish and grouper work really well for this recipe. Sometimes I see different recipes using cod, but I find it too delicate for frying.
