I will admit that this recipe took a bit more time than most of my other dinner dishes.  I bought a package Gorton’s Fish Fillets a few weeks ago when they were on sale thinking I could use them for a quick dinner one night.  What was I thinking?  The minute I made the suggestion my children they started whining about how they hated pre-packaged fish and wanted me to make “real” fish.  I tried to explain to them that this was real fish with sauce over it but they wouldn’t buy it.

So, I found a pound of cod in the freezer and started digging to figure out what to do with the fish.  I found a recipe for Perfect Fish and Chips at No Recipe.com.   Of course this was just my starting point and I had to change it up a bit for my family.

Verdict:

Hands down delicious!  This fish was still moist without being dried out.  The crust was amazingly flavorful.  It took my kids a few bites to figure out that they needed to eat the crust with the fish to get the full effect of the crispness of the batter and the flavor of the crust.  They would have just eaten the batter off first otherwise.

I served this with a side of “Salt Potatoes.”  They don’t sell salt potatoes here like they do in New York.  They are basically 5 lb. bags of baby potatoes with a bag of salt included to cook them in so I made my own version.  Also, a green salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fish, I used cod cut into large chunks
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP flour
• 2 TBSP Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup+ Guinness Beer, extra may be needed to thin batter a bit
• Peanut Oil for frying

Salt Potatoes:

• 3 lbs. new or baby potatoes
• 1/2 cup of salt
• butter

Directions:

1. If you are making salt potatoes begin by adding enough water to a large pan to cover the potatoes.  Add the salt to the water and cook over medium-high heat until potatoes are fork tender.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, cornstarch, paprika and onion powder.  Stir well to ensure that it is well combined.
3. Begin to heat oil in a large wok or deep pan.  There should be about 1″ to 1 1/2″ of oil in the bottom of the pan. You want oil to be HOT!  About 350 degrees.
4. Dip the fish pieces in the flour mixture until well coated.  Place coated fish on a separate plate.
5. Once oil is hot add baking powder and beer to the flour mixture left in the bowl.  Stir to combine.  If too thick add a TBSP more beer to thin it out a bit.
6. Place fish into the batter and coat well.   Carefully place fish into the HOT oil.  It may bubble and splatter a bit so be careful.  Cook only 2-3 pieces at a time to avoid over crowding.
7. Cook until browned on each side.  Remove fish from pan and place on several paper towels to drain.  Remove oil from heat once all fish is cooked.
8. Set fish aside until potatoes are just about finished, if you are having salt potatoes, and then reheat oil and fry fish for a second time until well crispy.  You again want the oil to be really HOT.  This will make it really crispy on the outside.  Drain fish pieces on paper towels.
9. Serve with salt potatoes and melted butter for dipping the potatoes.