Me: Those any good?

Rodney: They’re great!

Me: Can I have a taste?

Rodney: No!

Me: Would it kill ya?

Rodney: Shut up

Me: No, you shut up

 

Fish and Chips, Done the Proper Way

 

4-6 oz fillets of Cod, Rockfish, or Lake Shasta Bass or Crappie

4 Large Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into sticks

Vegetable Oil for Deep Frying

For the Batter

1 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour

½ Cup Rice Flour

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

½ Tsp Turmeric (this gives a golden color to the batter)

¼ Cup Vodka

Enough cold soda water to make a smooth batter

 

For the Tartar Sauce

1 cup Mayonnaise

¼ Cup Pickled Jalapeno (Roughly Chopped)

¼ Cup Pitted Black Olives (Roughly Chopped)

¼ Cup Capers (Roughly Chopped)

¼ Cup Dill Pickles (Roughly Chopped)

 

For The Fish

Dry the fish thoroughly with a kitchen towel.

Combine the dry batter ingredients.

Add the vodka and then add the water in small amounts combining with a whisk until you have a batter like a thick pancake batter. Do not worry if there are a few lumps in the batter as this will give you some extra crunchy bits on the result.

Allow the batter to rest for at least 30 mins before using.

When ready to prepare, heat enough vegetable oil to deep fry the fish in a pan to 350 degrees. A wok works well and of course, a deep fryer.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dip the fish into the batter. They should have a good thick coating. This is not like tempura, where the batter clings to the fish or vegetables. For fish and chips the batter should puff away from the fish allowing it to steam inside.

Drop the fish gently into the oil and fry for 4-5 minutes or until the batter is crisp and golden. Remember, the fish will continue to cook inside the batter once you remove it from the oil.

Drain on a kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt.

 

For the Chips

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Boil your chipped potatoes for 3 minutes in the water, drain and lay out on kitchen towel to dry thoroughly.

Heat enough oil to deep fry your potatoes in a pan to 350 degrees. Fry the potatoes in batches until they are crisp on the outside, but still white. This usually takes about 3-4 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oil and lay on more kitchen towels.

When you are ready to finish your chips, heat the same oil again, but this time to 375 degrees. Fry the potatoes in batches until they are crisp and golden. Drain onto a kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt.

For the Tartare Sauce

Simply fold together the chopped ingredients with the mayonnaise.