Classic Fish and Chips

Classic Fish and Chips

Make restaurant-quality, English style fish and chips in less than 20-minutes! Easy recipe with simple ingredients and a no-beer batter! 

Craving for crispy battered fish and hot chips. You can perfectly recreate crispy fried fish with chips at home – just like from fish n chips shops and no beer batter. This is classic fish n chips recipe, using soda water to make the fish batter. This results in crispy and puffy fish which is even more crispy than shops.

Classic fish and chips is the quintessential British food. It consists of fried whitefish, , coated in a batter, then lightly fried and served with potato chips or french fries. Usually beer is used to make batter light and airy but you can completely do without it. Sparkling or soda water is the best alternative ingredient that keeps this fish batter light, fluffy and crispy.

fish and chips using soda water

WHAT IS THE BEST FISH TO USE ?

You can use any white fish fillet such as snapper, cod, flathead, barramundi, Whiting, Basa, Hoki, haddock, and ling. Don’t use oily fish like salmon or trout or the fish that are delicate and thin.

HOW TO MAKE CLASSIC FISH AND CHIPS

Prepare Chips first as they can be cooked and popped into the oven to stay crispy but you cant do this with fish. Cut the potatoes into fries and blanch them in hot water for 7-10 minutes. Drain them and deep fry. Same oil can later be used for frying the fish.

Dry & Trim the fish – Dry the fish fillets using a paper towel. If you are using frozen fish make sure its thawed properly. If the fillets have moisture in them, the batter won’t stick properly. Remove the skin if its there and trim the fillets into evenly sized pieces. If the fillets are thick cut them horizontally because thick fillets won’t cook properly inside.

BATTER FOR THE FISH

Getting the batter right is very important. To make batter you need :

  • Soda water – ice cold soda water or sparkling water.
  • Flour – Plain/All purpose flour.
  • Corn flour – lightens the batter and make it crispy.
  • Baking powder – helps to make batter light as well.
  • Salt, black pepper and paprika for taste.

Make batter just before frying so it stays fizzy . If the batter sits there for longer it loses the fizz and also gets thick. Thick batter will will make thick coating . So mix flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt first. Once the oil is hot enough add soda water. Don’t over mix the batter as it will result in losing the fizz. Its okay to have lumps in the batter.

Oil for Frying and Temperature Use oil that are high temperature tolerant such as vegetable oil, peanut oil or canola oil. The ideal temperature for frying the fish is around 160 C or 315 F. If you don’t have a thermometer the easiest way to check is to drop teaspoon of batter in the oil. It should puff up and float making bubbles immediately.

Dust the fish in flour and shake off the excess. Dip it in the batter and into the hot oil. It should take 3-5 minutes to cook. Drain it onto a a paper towel or wire rack. Serve immediately along with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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fish and chips recipe

Classic Fish and Chips

Classic fish and chips made with light batter using soda water. Crispy fish and chips at home just like shops.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine British
Servings 6 Serves

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg Firm White fish
  • 1 cup Flour ( for Dusting)
  • Oil for deep frying

Batter

  • 1 Cup Plain Flour
  • ¼ cup Corn Flour
  • tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ Tsp Black pepper
  • ½ tsp Paprika
  • 1 cup Cold Soda water or Sparkling water.

Chips

  • 1 kg Potatoes

Instructions
 

  • Prepare Chips
  • Cut Potatoes into fries and blanch them in hot water for 7-10 minutes. Drain them in colander
  • Deep fry them in hot oil until golden brown. Put them in a tray and put them in the oven to keep crispy and hot.

Preparing Fish

  • Pat dry the fish. Cut and trim it into desired size ensuring they all roughly the same size.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, corn flour, baking powder salt, pepper and paprika. Add cold soda water into the batter and whisk just until incorporated into the flour. Do not over-mix, its ok to have lumps in the flour. The batter should be thin, dripping consistency. If too thick, add little more soda water.
  • Heat oil on medium heat. To test the oil temperature put a drop of batter in the oil. If it floats and puffs up immediately it means oil is hot enough.
  • Dredge the fish in dry flour and shake of the excess. Dip it into the batter and carefully lower it in hot oil. Don't over crowd the pot, cook in batches. Cook until golden brown. Drain on the paper towel or wire rack.
  • Serve immediately with chips, lemon wedges and tartare sauce on the side.



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