BEER BATTERED FISH & CHIPS with FRESH TARTAR SAUCE
First of all, Fish and Chips are ammmazzing. While I know that fried food is bad for you, something about fish and chips just seems healthy to me ha. It's like my reasoning is that I'm eating fish, and fish is super healthy, so it must be okay. ANYWAYS, this is great for a summer day because you don't need to turn on your oven. It is also pretty simple to make, and tastes just like what you would get at a restaurant--and I'm not talking like some Long John Skippys or whatever it's called. It tastes so much fresher when you make your own fish and chips because you are not just deep frying frozen breaded stuff, plus it is a lot cheaper than eating out! And you haaave to have it all with some fresh tartar sauce, which is just simply divine. Tartar sauce homemade is about 100% better than if you buy it, so it is a definite must!
Ingredients [for fried fish and fries]
1 1/2 lbs. of whiting fish (feel free use halibut or cod or whichever good white fish is on sale)
2 cups beer (i used red hook)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more if you like heat)
6-7 yukon gold potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil for deep frying (enough that there is 3-4 inches high the of oil in the pot)
Directions
1. Cut potatoes into the size you enjoy your fries and set aside.
2. Take your fish and pat it dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each fish fillet.
3. In a bowl mix together beer, flour, and cayenne pepper. Set aside, as you will not want to coat the fish with this until right before you deep fry them.
4. Place oil in a deep pot on high. You will know when it is hot enough when you place a fry in the oil and it begins to sizzle. If the oil gets too hot, turn it down to medium or medium high heat.
5. When the oil is hot enough start adding the fries in batches. You do not want to over crowd the pot, so do the fries is 3-4 batches. You will know when the batch is done when the fries look golden and they are soft when you stick a fork through them.
6. When each batch comes out of the oil, place them on paper towels to absorb the oil and sprinkle with salt. (If you want to keep the fries warm, you can keep them in a 225 F oven on a baking sheet while the fish is cooking.)
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| JUST HAD to throw this one in there. My mom was helping me by frying a couple batches of fries while I worked on the batter and I turn around and she's where safety goggles just in case the oil causes a fire and burns her eyes. HAHA |
7. Coat the fish on each side with the beer batter and place in the hot oil.
8. Cook until it is golden on one side, and then flip it to become golden on the other. Cook about 2 fillets at a time. (The oil will begin to pop when you are cooking the fish because of the water that the fish contains--it's doesn't mean that something is wrong, just be careful)
9. When the fish is cooked place it on paper towels to drain the grease.
Ingredients [for tartar sauce]
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sour cream
the juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp. parsley, minced
4 dill pickles (the small variety that are about 2 inches long), minced
2 tsp. of the liquid the dill pickle jar
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
Directions
1. Mix all the tartar sauce ingredients together!
