Fish and Chips

As British an institution as the Royal family, fish and chips is my first choice as our national dish.  My favourite way to eat it is out of a bag, on a cold but sunny winter’s day, sitting by the sea.  Opening up the package releases the warm savoury-sharp aromas of salt and vinegar followed by the batter-grease and a sweet fishy whiff, all inside that oh-so-familiar chip shop paper smell.  You search for the best chip first, something long, floppy in the middle and with jagged, crisp edges.  You know it will burn your delicate tongue but it just doesn’t matter.  Having stood in the chip shop, ordered your dinner, waited patiently while it is piled into the bag and covered in salt and vinegar, it is then handed over like a warm baby and you cuddle it across the road and perch on a cold wooden bench, or even better the beach itself, before tearing open the paper layers.  A small pot of dull-green peas waits, visibly steaming against the cold sky.  This is how I love fish and chips.

Here is my fish, chips and mushy pea recipe.  It is not the same as the one from the takeaway but it is absolutely delicious.  Using a piece of fish, a handful of frozen peas and a potato, this creates a dinner that is better than the sum of its parts and is so easy to make.  The fish is firm, sweet and fresh, the chips are hot, crisp and salty and the peas are just brilliant.  And not a deep fat fryer in sight.

I went to the fishmonger hoping to buy a good meaty fillet, preferably something like pollock, but they didn’t have any and I didn’t want cod this time (I have made this with a hunk of cod and, of course, it is delicious).  Instead I went for a spanking-fresh British sea bass (a small one).

·        Fish – fresh and white, cod, haddock, pollock, ling, bass…
·        Potatoes – lots of
·        Peas – a lot, at least 2 big handfuls per person
·        Sea salt and pepper
·        Olive oil and butter
·        A few plump cloves of garlic
·        A splash of milk
·        ¼ teaspoon turmeric
·        A drop of juice from the pickled onion jar, malt vinegar will do
·        A bay leaf

Turn the oven to 220C.  Place a baking tray with a small layer of olive oil in the oven to heat up.  Cut the potatoes into chip-shaped pieces.  When the oil is smoking hot, heartily season the potatoes and toss them in the hot oil (watch out for the spitting fat), add a couple of crushed garlic cloves.  The chips will take about 20-30 minutes to cook until they are golden brown and crisp (you can parboil the potatoes first if you wish, like you would with a roast, and this will make them extra crispy) and you should turn them midway through cooking.  (Adding a very finely sliced onion to the potatoes is also delicious in this recipe).

Heat a little dash of milk in a small pan, add the tiniest knife-point of turmeric and then add the peas (marrowfat is the classic pea choice, but I just use frozen garden ones, and the turmeric adds a great earthy-citrusy depth).  Cook these quickly with a clove or garlic and a bay leaf.  After 10 minutes or so, take off the heat and remove the bay leaf (leave the garlic in though).  Take a hand blender and blitz it all into a mush, leaving some peas whole if you can as this looks quite good.  Check the seasoning - they will want a lot of salt.  Add a spoon of vinegar from the pickled onion jar – this adds a great tang, plus brings a hint of that chip shop flavour and aroma.  Keep warm until needed.

The fish will only take a few minutes to cook.  Season well and pan fry, skin side first, with a little oil and a knob of butter.  As I had bass, I cooked it two-thirds of the way on the skin side (this took about 2 minutes), then turned it over and removed it from the heat, allowing the warmth of the pan to cook the rest of the fish, leaving it beautifully pearly and moist in the middle.  If you have a more hunky piece of cod or haddock, you may want to cook it for slightly longer and on both sides.

Pile the chips high and season with flakes of sea salt, lay the opal fish down and add the peas on the side.  Not the same as being at the beach and eating it from the bag, but as good in its own right.  And a slice of bakery-fresh white bread on the side works a treat.

I think the best drink to have with fish and chips is a glass of ice cold champagne, especially if you are sitting on a blustery beach on a winter’s day.  The combination is just incredible.  For this recipe I would serve a light, fruity, crisp pilsner with plenty of fizz and clean citrusy finish, in the same style as a champers.  This will cleanse the palate and lift all the flavours, while perfectly complementing the sweetness in the fish and peas and salty-rich chips.  Kasteel Cru, the beer brewed with a champagne yeast, would be a possible choice with a simple and clean flavour although I find it a little watery.  London’s Meantime Pilsner with peach and apple fruits and tickling bubbles would be a very wise choice.  Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager is a cracker, Anchor Steam Beer is a beautiful brew, even a Kuppers Kolsch with a zesty fruit finish – these would all be most welcome beside this dinner.