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Fish and Chips

May 8, 2006
23:51 PM

I know that as an erstwhile chef stroke proprietor of an upmarket restaurant the last dish I should be championing is fish and chips.
However as a part time house husband, cooking for two rather than thirty two (it was a small restaurant) we are beginning to recognise that our favourite dinner is a variation of fish and chips.
If I were to call it Breaded Hake, Shallow fried in Olive Oil with Sauté Potatoes it would, even if more accurate, be definitely more pretentious.
It is Fish and Chips in a lounge suit however, not yet in a dinner jacket but certainly not in jeans.

For two people you will need 500g (1 lb.) of thick Fish.
My preference is Hake but it also works very well with Cod or Haddock or even Plaice should one find one which is thicker than paper.
Other ingredients are an egg, about 150g (5 oz.) breadcrumbs
4 or 5 Medium potatoes , a plentiful supply of olive oil and salt and pepper.

First start with the potatoes.
Peel these and then cut into 2cm (½ ins.) pieces.
Rinse these in some cold water and then drain and dry on a tea towel.
(This is essential for the floury Irish spud, should you know that your potato is of the waxy variety you can leave out the preliminary rinsing)
Heat some olive in a large pan and fry these in the oil until browned in the outside and cooked inside.
Salt and pepper them as they cook.
This will take about 15 to 20 mts.
They will need to be tossed from time to time to insure even cooking.

Search the fish carefully with your finger tips for bones and remove any you find, leave the skin on.
Cut the fish into pieces about twice the size of the diced potato.
Break an egg onto a plate and beat to break up.
Scatter the crumbs on another plate.
Dip the flesh side only of the pieces of fish into the egg and then the crumb and then cook crumb side down in a pan of hot oil until brown on this side.
Then turn on to the skin side , lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.

Serve this with the sauté potatoes and some mayonnaise (home made if possible) and a fresh lemon to squeeze over-or indeed, to be more traditional,- a bottle of malt vinegar with holes pierced in the cap.

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  Martin Dwyer
Consultant Chef