#GoJunkFood Are You Ready for Fish and Chips?

I look over at that picture and I think that is what fish and chips is supposed to look like.  The fish is golden brown and has the little crispy pieces of batter on it.  The fries maybe a bit too thick, but you know, whatever, it’s cool.  The pea puree…well, that’s just out of place in a dish composed of fried food, but it’s a picture from an English pub so we’ll let it slide.

With that in mind, it’s #GoJunkFood time!  Welcome to another installation of everyone’s favorite Twitter hashtag where awesome food writers like myself get together and blog about something ridiculously unhealthy for you.  Like today’s fish and chips!

Stout Beer Battered Fish with Parmesan/Black Pepper Chips with Sriracha Mayo

When I fry, I tend to do a lot of tempura-style batters, which is great because tempura batters tend to call for something fizzy like club soda or ginger ale to make them light and airy.  But, you know what else is fizzy?  Guiness.

So, we’re going to do a stout beer batter on some simple tilapia fillets and pair that with homemade potato chips.  To make them, all you need to do is thinly slice a potato and toss it into hot oil.  Sprinkle on some parm and black pepper and you have a meal.

Oh, and pea puree…yeah, no sense in that.  It’s just empty vitamins.

You will need:

For the fish:

• Oil for frying
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 can stout beer
• 1/4 cup lemon-lime soda or ginger ale
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tilapia fillets cut in half lengthwise

For the potatoes:

• 1 part salt*
• 3 parts Parmesan cheese*
• 2 parts black pepper*
• Oil for frying
• 2 baking potatoes thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sriracha

* Yes the term “part” isn’t very accurate, but a) I can’t see how big your potatoes are even with my glasses and b ) I don’t know how much topping you like.  Me, I am all about the topping.  So just follow that ratio.  If you 1 tablespoon of salt, use 3 tablespoons of Parm, and 2 of Black Pepper and so on.  Then add as much as you want.

To make the fish:

Mix the the salt, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Test by tossing in a small ball of batter.  If the oil bubbles violently, it’s go time.

In a shallow, wide bowl mix the flour, beer, soda, egg, salt and combine with a fork until there are no lumps.

Next, repeat steps 2 and on  for the fish:

1.  Take 2-3 pieces of fish and lay them in the batter.  Let them rest 3-4 minutes so that the batter sets.

2.  Carefully move them to the fryer.

3.  Put the next 2-3 pieces of fish into the batter so they can set while frying.

4.  Remove the fish from the oil when it is golden brown.  Place on paper towels or a cooling rack.

5.  Optionally sprinkle salt on the fish.

Once the fish is cool enough to eat, enjoy!  HOWEVER, if you are making chips, too, put the fish in a 250 degree oven to keep it warm.

To make the chips:

Heat the oil over medium-high heat.  For best results, use a soup pot or ceramic Dutch oven for the oil.  There is something about using the wider vehicle that ensures a better fry.  Also, use more oil than you think you’ll need.

Test the oil by tossing in a slice of potato.  If the oil bubbles violently, it’s go time.

Cook the potatoes until they just barely turn brown.  Quickly remove to a cooling rack or paper towels and then sprinkle with the cheese mixture.

Finally, make the mayo by mixing the mayo and sriracha.

#GOJUNKFOOD!  EAT!  ENJOY!

Thanks to Adam_T4 for the picture of fish and chips from The White Swan.  That’s how fish and chips are supposed to look.