Preparation:
Without a doubt, this is England's most famous dish. Always deep fried, the fish is mostly cod, and the batter made with eggs, milk and flour. Liberally salted, the fish and chips are traditionally doused with malt vinegar and wrapped in newspaper, so that everything goes limp. My recipe is designed not to flaunt tradition, but to make the taste available to those who count fat grams for good reason. My method delivers this "grease heaven" for a mere 13 grams of fat
Helpful Hints
BIG CHIPS. The bigger the better! We experimented for some time with the idea that the larger the French fry the lower its fat content would be. It's simply a matter of exposed surface area. By cutting a large russet potato lengthwise into three slices both ways, you'll get nine potato sticks between 1/2" and 3/4". When they are cooked, you'll experience a completely new and fabulous taste - potato, almost free of grease.
DIRECTIONS:
THE CHIPS: Preheat the oven to 500F In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the potato sticks until brown on all sides - about 13 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a roaster pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the salt.
THE FISH: In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal, bread crumbs, cayenne, salt, parsley and dill. Spread the mixture out on a large plate. Pour the milk, flour and oil out, each onto its own large plate. Set all 4 plates side by side. Dip the fillets first into the milk and then into the flour, turning until completely covered. Next dip the fish back into the milk, then into the bread crumb mixture and through the oil. Place the breaded cod on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes (you can time the fish to cook for the last 8 minutes with the chips.)
THE PEAS: In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil and simmer the peas, salt, mint and sugar until the peas are tender - about 3 minutes.
TO SERVE: Divide the fish and chips among 4 dinner plates. I serve this classic with a "handy" wedge of lemon (easy to squeeze), peas and watercress. It's the combination of golden browns and vivid greens and lemon yellow that makes such a great pic |
