English Fish and Chips in the Garden State

Since being back from London, I have been craving fish and chips. We had it once, and it was quiet delicious. So I scoured the internet for a traditional recipe, hoping for something to recreate the light, crispy, non-oily batter I was treated to in London at Ahmed and Areeg's favorite chip shop. As it had happened many times before, I found what I was looking from one of my favorite Food Network chefs, Tyler Florence.

I tried to be as authentic as possible, so my fish was accompanied by chips (a.k.a. American fries) and mushy peas.

Here is how you can recreate the meal.

Let's start with the chips, which was handled beautifully by my sister. I was skeptical at first when I heard her method, but they turned out delicious.

Peel and slice potatoes into finger sized pieces, about 1/2 inch thick, by 2 1/2 or 3 inches long.

Add to deep fryer, or pot filled with oil you want to deep fry in, WHILE the oil is cold. Turn stove on medium and let potatoes cook several minutes, until almost cooked through.

Turn heat up to medium high, and cook a few minutes more until chips are brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel and season with salt.

On to the fish, courtesy of Tyler Florence, from Food Network. This recipe makes a ton of batter, perhaps enough for 8 pieces, so cut in half if you need to.
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (12-ounce) can soda water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 (8-ounce) cod or haddock fillets, cut in 1/2 on an angle
1/2 cup flour, for dredging

*Tyler uses rice flour here, instead of regular, but I did not have. I thought mine was still great with the substitution.

Directions
Heat 3 inches of the oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Combine soda water and egg and pour into the flour mixture. Whisk to a smooth batter. Spread the flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter, letting the excess drip off. Fry the fish and chips for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown. Drain on paper towel, and serve immediately.


One last thing: the mushy peas. The real English mushy peas are some sort of dried peas, soaked overnight...blah blah blah. I bought home a bag of frozen, organic peas, cooked it on the stove top for just a few minutes.


They would have been delicious as is, but I wanted mushy peas so I mushed them. They were still delicious.


Bon appetit.