Fish and chips
Beer-battered cod with crisp, twice-fried chips, quick tartare sauce and lemon. Allow about 80 minutes for flaky fish in a golden coating and thick-cut chips with fluffy centres.
Advert
Let’s get cooking.
Cook mode
Scale servings, tick off ingredients, and run step timers without losing your place.
Servings
Originally developed for 4 servings.
Ingredient checklist
Method
- No timer needed
Cut the potatoes into chips about 1.5 cm (⅝ inch) thick. Rinse under cold running water until the water runs mostly clear, then drain and dry very thoroughly with kitchen towels. Wet potatoes will make hot oil spit.
- No timer needed
Squeeze 10 ml (2 teaspoons) juice from the lemon, then cut the remaining lemon into serving wedges. Mix the mayonnaise, gherkins, capers and measured lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate the tartare sauce until serving.
- No timer needed
Pat the cod dry, check for bones and refrigerate it while you start the chips. Put the 50 g dusting flour in a shallow dish. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 150 g flour, cornflour, baking powder and 2 g salt; do not add the beer yet. Wash your hands and clean any surfaces that have touched the raw fish.
- No timer needed
Heat the oven to 100°C (210°F) and set a wire rack over a baking tray inside. Pour the oil into the frying pot: it should be about 4 cm (1½ inches) deep and must not fill the pot more than one-third full. If using a deep fryer, follow its minimum and maximum oil-fill markings. Heat to 150°C (300°F), measuring with the frying thermometer. Keep the pot stable, handles turned inward, and never leave hot oil unattended. Never use water on an oil fire.
- 07:00
Fry the chips in two equal batches at 150°C (300°F) for about 7 minutes per batch, separating them gently after the first minute. They should be pale and tender enough for a knife to enter the centre without resistance, not browned. Test a chip after lifting it out of the oil; cook a little longer if its centre is still firm. Lift out, drain well and spread on the second tray, outside the oven. Let the oil return to 150°C before adding the next batch.
- 04:00
Raise the oil temperature to 190°C (375°F). Fry the chips again in two batches for about 4 minutes per batch, until golden with firm, crisp edges. Let the oil recover to 190°C between batches. Drain thoroughly, sprinkle with the reserved 5 g salt, then transfer to the rack in the oven, uncovered.
- No timer needed
Reduce the oil temperature to 180°C (355°F); wait until it reaches this temperature before adding fish. Retrieve the fish and season it with the remaining 2 g salt. Pour the cold beer into the dry batter mixture and whisk briefly until combined; a few small lumps are fine. The batter should coat a spoon while still flowing off it.
- No timer needed
Working with two fillets at a time, coat the fish lightly in the dusting flour and shake off the excess. Dip into the batter, let excess batter drip back into the bowl, then carefully lower each fillet into the oil away from you using tongs. Do not crowd the pot; fry one at a time if two cannot sit separately. Keep any fish awaiting coating refrigerated. Discard the remaining batter and dusting flour once all the fish has been coated.
- 07:00
Fry each batch at 180°C (355°F) for approximately 7–8 minutes, turning carefully halfway through. Check at 7 minutes: the coating should be deep golden and crisp, and the thickest part of each fillet must reach 63°C (145°F). Lift the fish clear of the oil before inserting the food thermometer through the side into the centre. Continue frying if necessary; colour alone does not confirm doneness. Drain on the rack and keep the first batch uncovered in the oven while frying the second. Return the oil to 180°C before adding more fish.
- No timer needed
Serve one cod fillet per person with the chips, chilled tartare sauce and lemon wedges. Turn off the heat and leave the frying oil in place until completely cool before handling or disposing of it; do not pour oil down the sink.
Chef tips
- The 80-minute estimate allows for preparation, heating the oil and frying two batches at each stage. A smaller fryer that holds only one fish fillet at a time will take longer.
- Use similarly thick fish portions so they cook at the same rate. Particularly thick fillets may need longer than 8 minutes; rely on the 63°C (145°F) centre temperature.
- Dry both potatoes and fish thoroughly. Moisture encourages splattering and makes batter less likely to cling.
- Keep the beer chilled and mix the batter only when the chips are finished. Over-whisking or leaving the batter standing can make the coating heavier.
- Keep warm food on a rack, uncovered. Aim to hold the chips for no more than 20 minutes and the first fish batch for no more than 10 minutes for the best texture.
- Oil used for this recipe has contacted fish and wheat batter; do not reuse it for someone who needs to avoid those allergens.
Equipment check
- Heavy, deep 8-litre (8½-quart) pot, approximately 24 cm (9½ inches) across, or a thermostatically controlled deep fryer
- Clip-on deep-frying thermometer
- Instant-read food thermometer
- Wire rack and two rimmed baking trays
- Slotted spoon or frying spider
- Tongs
- Two mixing bowls and a shallow dish
- Whisk
- Knife and chopping board
- Kitchen paper or clean kitchen towels
Nutrition per serving
- Calories850
- Protein34 g
- Carbs88 g
- Fat40 g
Tags
Behind the dish.
Overview
This recipe serves four with one beer-battered cod fillet each, thick-cut chips, tartare sauce and lemon. Fry the potatoes gently first to cook their centres, then at a higher temperature to crisp the outside. Fry the fish last so its coating reaches the table freshly crisp.
Ingredient notes
Use floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, King Edward or Russet. Choose four similarly sized cod fillets, about 150 g each and 2–3 cm thick; haddock is a suitable alternative. Thaw frozen fish fully in the refrigerator and pat it thoroughly dry. Cornflour means cornstarch here, not cornmeal. Use cold lager or pale ale rather than a strongly bitter beer.
This recipe contains fish, wheat and usually barley; mayonnaise commonly contains egg and may contain mustard. Check ingredient labels. For an alcohol-free version, replace the beer with the same volume of cold sparkling water. For a gluten-free version, use a suitable gluten-free plain flour blend for both batter and dusting, certified gluten-free beer or sparkling water, and gluten-free baking powder. Use fresh oil and clean equipment to avoid cross-contact. Egg-free mayonnaise can be used in the tartare sauce.
Serving & storage
Serve immediately with tartare sauce and lemon wedges. Keep warm batches uncovered on a rack so trapped steam does not soften them. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours and use within 2 days; refrigerate the tartare sauce separately and use within 2 days. Reheat fish and chips on a rack over a tray at 200°C (390°F) for about 12–18 minutes, until the fish reaches 74°C (165°F). The coating will be less crisp than when freshly fried.
Nutrition is an approximate estimate per serving, including tartare sauce and about 20 g of absorbed frying oil. Actual values vary with batter left behind and oil absorption.
Related recipes
Mustard chicken with cider and apples
◷ 119 minmedium
Browned chicken thighs braised gently in dry cider, stock and wholegrain mustard, with late-added apple wedges. The sauce stays savoury and lightly reduced, while the apples soften without falling apart.
Oct 16
Victoria sponge cake with jam and cream
◷ 205 minmedium
Two tender butter sponges made by the creaming method, sandwiched with strawberry jam and softly whipped, unsweetened cream, then finished with caster sugar. Makes one 20 cm cake.
Oct 15
Cheddar and leek potato pie
◷ 91 mineasy
Sweet leeks in a creamy mustard sauce sit beneath tender sliced potatoes and a golden mature Cheddar crust. This pastry-free British pie takes about 90 minutes, including resting; allow longer if the leeks need more evaporation or the potatoes need further baking.
Oct 8