Fish and Chips
No dish sings “God Save the Queen” quite as proudly as a plate of Fish and Chips. As British as the double-decker buses, red telephone boxes, Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter, this classic combination of golden, crispy fish and chunky chips is enjoyed in every corner of the United Kingdom. Traditionally served in fish and chip shops, called “chippies,” the dish also finds a home in village pubs, chain restaurants, and fancy gastropubs.
According to a 2014 survey, over a third of UK. residents eat fish and chips more than once a month. In fact, this pairing is so loved by the Brits that they even honor this dish by celebrating National Fish and Chips Day on the first Friday of every June. Today, Britain's 10,500 fish and chip shops have an annual turnover in excess of £650million. This multi-million-pound industry, currently accounts for a quarter of the white fish and more than ten percent of the potatoes Brits eat.
History
Like many great British dishes, Fish and Chips can trace its roots back to foreign lands and typical immigrant traditions. For most of us, the classic combination is as English as the cup of tea that washes it down. But just as tea originated in China, Fish and Chips is also partly Jewish-Portuguese and partly French-Belgian.
Fried Fish | Jewish Origin
The tradition in the UK of fish battered and fried in oil came from the Marranos who were Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain. During the early 16th century, Jewish migrants fleeing from religious persecution brought with them a new method of cooking fish, they called it “Pescado Frito”, covering fish in flour and frying it in oil. It was especially important for Marranos, who pretended to be Christian during the Inquisition. They ate fish on Fridays, when meat was forbidden by the Church, and also saved some to eat cold the next day at lunch to avoid cooking on Shabbat, Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week — Saturday.
Chips | Flemish Origin
As for Chips aka French Fries for the Americans, they have a very interesting backstory and a well debated one at that. The French and Belgians have an ongoing dispute about where fries were invented, with both countries claiming ownership. Having read different takes of both arguments, I personally side with the Flemish. The earliest reference of chunked potatoes deep fried in oil come from the Meuse Valley of the Spanish Netherlands which is present-day Belgium. A manuscript from 1781 mentions the poor in the area frying fish in oil (nothing new), but when the rivers would freeze over in the winter they would turn to cutting potatoes into the shape of fish and frying them in a like manner.
A Great British Classic
But the Brits can take credit for uniting these two continental imports and creating the world’s greatest double act. In 1860, on the streets of the East End of London, a 13-year-old Jewish boy named Joseph Malin had the bright idea of combining fried fish with chips. Joseph came from a family of working class rug weavers who had begun frying chips in a downstairs room of their house as a side hustle. It was his idea to combine the chips - at that point a novelty in London - with fish from a nearby fried fish shop. This was followed by John Lees in Lancarshire who established the world’s first Fish and Chips shop out of a wooden hut in 1863. Together Lancashire and London stake a claim to being the first ones to invent this popular meal. Whatever the truth, fish and chips was quick to catch on during the 19th century. It went on to become popular in wider circles in London and South East England.
The public quickly determined that placing fried fish and chips together with each other was obviously a really scrumptious formula. The development of the steam trawler bought fish from all over the North Atlantic, Iceland and Greenland and the steam railways allowed easy and fast distribution of the fish around the country. It was clear that the new inventions of the Industrial Revolution helped fish and chips to become a favourite meal of the Victorian working classes. But one might argue the opposite, that the Industrial Revolution had been driven in part by fish and chips! This dish grew to become so essential for the eating plan of the ordinary British folks that one shop in Bradford needed to make use of a doorman to regulate the queue at rather busy times. The British Government safeguarded the supply of fish and chips during World War I and II, and it was one of the few foods in the UK not subject to rationing during the wars. Fish and Chips is a national institution which sustained morale through two world wars and helped fuel Britain's industrial prime.
Ingredients
Type of Fish
Typical preparation sees a fillet of meaty white fish, such as cod, haddock, or pollock, served in a batter that’s light but crispy, fried but not greasy, and as golden as a pint of British ale. To make great fish and chips, you must use white-fleshed fish with a flaky and tender texture and a mild, maybe even slight sweetness in flavor which will pair well with the batter. Ideally you want a slow-moving-bottom-dwelling fish like cod, haddock, pollock and halibut. They are basically gigantic cows of the sea, slowly grazing the ocean floor, hardly using their muscles which translates to delicate texture and mild flavor. When frying the fish, the goal is to maximize the mildness and flakiness of the flesh by quickly crisping the outer coat while steaming the fish fillet inside, which brings us to the next topic: batter.
Beer Batter
The secret to the dish lies within perfecting the batter. Beer is a key ingredient in well-made fish and chips. Adding beer to a batter made from flour instead of water boosts flavor and provides a “lighter, crispier” coating. The batter also protects the fish during cooking. As the mixture crisps, it forms a shell around the fish, locking in moisture and steam-cooking the fillet.
Keeping up with the cuisine and tradition, a nice English ale is the preferred beer of choice, though any good lager would work. We decided to go with Newcastle which leaves a touch of caramel sweetness without a bitter aftertaste. Other good beers recommended for beer batters are Budweiser, Modelo and Corona. Stay away from IPA and anything too hoppy, it will ruin the batter making it bitter.
Why use beer or soda water in the batter?
Beer and Soda water is carbonated which affects the batter in two ways:
Carbonation helps to leaven the batter. When tiny bubbles of Carbon Dioxide are heated, they create tiny pockets of air creating a more open texture aka extra crunchiness.
Carbonation makes the batter acidic which limits gluten development. Carbonated beverages have a low pH of 4 and gluten forms most readily in a pH of 5 to 6. Less gluten means crisper coating.
Why add vodka?
Beer is usually low in alcohol whereas vodka is high in alcohol content. Alcohol enables the batter to dehydrate quickly and brown faster resulting in lighter, crisper coating. Vodka also has lower pH than water which will also limit gluten development. Again, water enables gluten formation resulting in a leathery and tough coating. Fried Fish should be light, airy and crunchy.
Chips vs French Fry
Repeat after me. Chips and French Fries are not the same. While all frites are French fries, not all French fries are chips, not from the British perspective at any rate. Chips are thiccc! They look like they were once a potato, hearty slices of fried potato that perfectly match their giant hunk of fried fish counterpart. Here is how I explain it to the Americans, if a French fry and a potato wedge had babies, plump little bébés, it would be chips. Anyway, some prefer the freedom and patriotism of the American fry while others might enjoy the order and heartiness of an English chip. Some may see the difference between chips vs fries, some may not, and others might not even care. Either way, we can all agree that fried potatoes are aah-mazing!
Accompaniments
Salt & Vinegar - In chip shops in most parts of Britain and Ireland, salt and vinegar are traditionally sprinkled over fish and chips at the time it is served. Suppliers use malt vinegar, onion vinegar (used for pickling onions).
Mushy Peas - In England, a portion of mushy peas is a popular side dish, as are a range of pickles that typically include gherkins, onions and eggs.
Tartar Sauce - In the UK, tartar sauce is commonly served with fish and chips, but usually at restaurants and not fish and chip shops. However most of the time it will be a commercial sauce which is a poor facsimile to the real thing. Once you have made your own homemade Tartar Sauce, especially the one I have made here, you will never look back at the store bought junk.
Lemon - In table-service restaurants and pubs, the dish is usually served with a slice of lemon for squeezing over the fish and without any sauces or condiments, with salt, vinegar and sauces available at the customer's leisure.
Curry Sauce | Gravy - In Ireland, and Wales, most takeaways serve warm side portions of sauces such as curry sauce or gravy. The sauces are usually poured over the chips. In some areas, this dish without fish is referred to as 'wet chips'.
Pea Mix | Bean Mix - In the Midlands especially, chips with mushy peas or baked beans is known as a "pea mix" or a "bean mix".
Scraps - Other fried products include 'scraps' (also known as 'bits' in Southern England and "scrumps" in South Wales), originally a by-product of fish frying.
Fun Facts
Charles Dickens
For those of you that follow us on Instagram, you are probably looking forward to this answer. The style of cooking fish and chips had made such a huge mark on the British culinary landscape that there are even early references to both in two different books by the famous author Charles Dickens. In Oliver Twist (1838), Charles Dickens mentions "fried fish warehouses" where the fish generally came with bread or baked potatoes. Although the distinctly British meal of "fish and chips" would not be served commercially until 1863, Dickens describes our modern fast-food spuds in savory detail: "husky chips of potato, fried with some reluctant drops of oil” in A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Call him the first literary "foodie," or maybe a man who found "magic in a pint bottle" and developed a dogged "passion for gravy, it was clear that Dickens was a culinary progressive, although he probably didn't realize it in his lifetime.
Royal Family
After the scathing expose interview from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry earlier this week, one has to talk about the royal family tradition. Turns out Fish and Chips Fridays are a thing at Buckingham Palace, and something everyone looked forward to. The royal family has their Fish and Chips prepared to suit the queen's own particular and peculiar taste. For starters, Queen Elizabeth II is not a fan of the batter and prefers a coating that's "more refined," i.e. a panko crumb crust seasoned with a little salt and pepper. The fish (she favors cod, at least that’s normal) is actually oven-cooked, although the chips are deep-fried. Maris Pipers are the preferred potatoes, and each chip must be cut into a perfect rectangle. Once the chips are done, they can't just be dumped on the plate, either — instead, they must be piled in a neat little tower. Both fish and chips are accompanied by a tarragon hollandaise instead of plebeian old tartar sauce, and the plate is garnished with a pansy.
Recipe — Fish and Chips
Serves: 2-4
Welp, it is Friday. As per tradition, you can treat yourself to a platter like this at one of the thousands of fish and chip shops all over the country, including the world-famous Harry Ramsden's (that is if you live in the United Kingdom). Or you can make them at home with my recipe! I like to get the accompaniments like tartar sauce and mushy peas out of the way first. My trick is to use one pot to fry the chips, then the fish, then the chips again (for that crisp exterior and fluffy interior) to ensure both fish and chips are ready to eat at the same time. Serve with a pint and bring the pub home.
Extra-Tangy & Chunky Tartar Sauce
Mayonnaise - 1 cup
Soft-Boiled Egg - 1, diced
Red Onions - 3 tbsp, finely chopped
Capers - 3 tbsp, finely minced
Cornichons - 6-8, finely chopped
Italian Parsley - 2 tbsp, finely minced
Sugar - 1 tsp
Lemon Zest - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Ground Black Pepper - ½ tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or more
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. This tartar sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for 1 week. Who am I kidding? This tartar sauce fiend over here killed it in 2 days. 👀
Creamy & Buttery Mushy Peas
Frozen Peas - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Bring a shallow pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add frozen peas, and cook for 3 minutes. Quickly drain the peas and plunge into iced water or cold-running water to halt the cooking process and retain the vivid green hue.
Butter - 1 tsp
Onions - 1 tbsp, finely minced
Heavy Cream - 2 tbsp
Salt - ½ tsp
Ground Black Pepper - ½ tsp
Mint - 1 handful, leaves only
In a small frying pan, over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the peas and toss them to coat in the butter. Add the heavy cream, salt and black pepper. Combine everything and turn off the heat. Fold in the mint leaves. Allow the mixture to cool down a bit. Mash with a potato masher. You can do this with a food processor as well. I like my mushy peas a bit chunky, but you can pulse it until smooth.
Chip Chip Hooray!
Prepping the Potatoes
Potatoes - 4 large, cut into ½ inch slices, traditionally Mairs Piper is used by the English but Russet Potatoes will do just fine!
Water - 8 cups
Salt - 2 tbsp
Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Cut the potatoes into ½ inch thick slices, and transfer them to a large bowl filled with cold water. Rinse potatoes several times to ensure any excess sugar (starch) has been washed away.
In a medium saucepan, add water and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Place the potatoes and vinegar in the water and boil until they are fully tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Drain and spread them on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Allow to dry for at least 5 minutes.
Frying the Potatoes
Peanut Oil, for frying
First Fry
Heat oil in a large wok over high heat. Add ¼ of the dried fries to the hot oil and cook exactly for 1 minute. Transfer to a second paper-towel lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, working in three more batches. Allow the potatoes to cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. The potatoes can be kept at room temperature up to 4 hours, or for the best results, frozen in a single layer overnight. For longer storage, transfer to a ziplock freezer bag.
Second Fry
Heat up the oil again over high heat. Fry ¼ of the fries until crispy and light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a wire rack set on a baking sheet to be drained and immediately season with salt. I need you guys to pull a salt bae here. Like a famous chef said once, I don’t care if you are frying dogshit, the moment it comes out of the fryer - HIT IT WITH THE SALT! The cooked chips can be kept hot and crisp in a 200°F oven while you cook the rest of the batch or fry the fish.
Bigger Fish to fry!
Preparing the Fish
Cod Fillet - 16 oz (that’s 1 lbs) cut into 4 pieces
Cut the fish into 4 x 4oz pieces. Pat dry and set aside.
Flour Mix | Making the base for the dredge and the batter
AP Flour - 1 ½ cups
Cornstarch - ½ cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - ¼ tsp
Ground Black Pepper - ½ tsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Whisk together all the dry ingredients above in a large bowl.
Dredge
Paprika - 1 tsp
Take ½ cup of the flour mixture to a tray or flat shallow bowl. Whisk in the paprika and set it aside.
Note: The dredge will ensure the fish is tender on the inside but still crispy on the outside. The paprika in the dredge will impart it’s flavor while it steams inside whereas If paprika is added to the batter directly then it will fry and burn making the batter bitter and not better. Lol that was a tooootally unintentional tongue twister.
Beer Batter
Light Beer - ¾ cup, make sure it’s ice-cold. I recommend Budweiser, Modelo, or Corona
Vodka - ¼ cup
Make sure the beer and vodka is ice cold. In the main flour mixture, whisk in the vodka first. Slowly add the beer to the flour mixture, whisking just until the batter has the texture of thick pancake batter. You can also omit the vodka altogether and just use 1 cup of beer instead. You may not need all of the beer. Oh well! I guess you are gonna have to drink the rest of the ice cold beer.
If you are less inclined to use alcohol due to personal/religious reasons, use seltzer instead. Sub out the beer and vodka for 1 cup of seltzer. Again, you may not need all of the seltzer, only until you get a pancake batter like texture.
Do not over-whisk the batter which can cause gluten formation. Few lumps of flour is perfectly fine. It adds to the texture of the batter. Gluten will make the batter leathery and chewy.
Bottom line: Do NOT use water in your batter. NOPE, not even a drop of water.
Frying the Fish
Peanut Oil - 4 cups
Slowly bring the oil up to 350°F in a large Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet. Dredge the fish pieces in the dry flour-paprika mix. Transfer the fish to the batter and turn to coat. Allow the excess batter to drip back into the bowl. Carefully transfer it to the hot oil, frying one piece at a time. Cook it for 6-8 minutes, flipping the fish halfway through cooking - 3-4 minutes on each side. You will know the fish is ready when it’s golden brown and crisp on both sides. Repeat this process for all 4 pieces. Transfer the fish to a paper towel lined plate and season immediately with salt.
If you do recreate our recipe, be sure to tag @thespiceodyssey on Instagram.
