FISH AND CHIPS

National Fish & Chips day today so this might be called for
Photography and text by Michael O Meara


Fish and chips


There is an infinite number of ways in which to cook fish, but at the end of the day it’s hard to beat a well made fish and chip supper. Delicate fish in a succulent batter, fried till golden and crisp with a simple squeeze of lemon juice and maybe a dollop of tartar sauce. This really is a meal made in heaven, but it need not cost the earth. We in Galway have an abundance of fresh fish and the best seafood for frying in batter tends to be the cheaper species. Whiting, haddock, ling or maybe codling work a treat; the most important consideration is that the fish is fresh. And how can you tell the freshness of a piece of fish?

1. All fish should have a pleasant and fresh smell; a strong fishy odour indicates the fish is on the way out.
2. The flesh of the fish should be plump and firm and never in anyway sticky
3. Fresh fish has a light slimy coating
4. The eyes of the whole fish should be bright and in no way sunken
5. The gills of fish should be bright red or pink in colour


The choice of oil used for deep frying is also important, I find that sunflower oil allows the flavour of the fish shine, while allowing the batter develop a crisp and light coating.
There are many ways to make a batter for deep frying. Using gram flour as a substitute to wheat flour makes a beautiful crisp coating on the fish and is simple to prepare.

Gram flour batter

300 ml chilled water
2 whole eggs
300 g gram flour
1garlic clove chopped fine
30g chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to season

Simply beat or blend all the ingredients together until a fine and smooth texture is achieved

When frying fish its best not to cut the fish into overly large pieces, but rather use small and thin fillets to allow the intense heat of the hot oil penetrate the flesh quickly in order to maintain a moist well cooked end result.
Always deep fry fish in clean oil at 180°C, dredge the fish in a little flour, then dip into the batter shake off any excess batter. Carefully place the fish into the deep oil and cook until golden on all sides. You know the fish is cooked when the flesh flakes apart.

To make a simple tartar sauce crush one hard boiled egg into 100ml mayonnaise, add the juice of ½ a lemon and a teaspoon full of chopped capers, gherkins and parsley. Mix all the ingredients together.


Of course fried fish needs freshly made chips to make a great meal. The potato I prefer for making chips is a Morris piper, peel and cut the potato into chips then allow soak for a few hours in cold water. Remove from the water and dry well then cook in cool oil at 120°C until cooked but without colour. Remove from oil and raise temperature of the oil to 180°C, cook the chips in the hot oil until golden. To serve toss the chips in a little Japanese rice wine vinegar and sea salt.