Beer Battered Haddock and Chips

Crispy beer battered haddock is served with real homemade chips and a lemon wedge

Fish and chips is traditionally the UK's favourite fast food. Unfortunately, it is also one of those meals where the difference between delicious perfection and outright disaster can be represented by a very fine line. There are few who like the dish to consist of limp, soggy chips and greasy, soggy batter on the fish. The good news is that there are two main reasons why the sogginess occurs, both relating to the temperature of the oil and easily avoided. Either the oil is not hot enough before the chips and/or fish is added, or alternatively, too much food is added to the oil at the same time. This latter scenario will see the cold food significantly reducing the temperature of the oil, however hot it was in the first instance. This is a major problem in thousands of fish and chip shops (but by no means all!) UK wide and that is partly why the fish and chips were in this instance cooked in two different pans.

A large haddock fillet is halved lengthways for battering and deep frying

Ingredients per Person

1 or 2 large floury/starchy potatoes
Large skinless fillet of haddock
3 tbsp plain/all purpose flour
Small bottle of lager type beer
Salt
Lemon wedge to garnish
Condiment/sauce accompaniments of choice

Basic beer batter ingredients

Directions

I've featured my chosen chip preparation method on this blog many times before, so won't go in to that again. Do note though that if using that method, the chips will have to be started well in advance.

Prepared beer batter

In this instance, the fish is going to be fried in a deep frying pan of very hot vegetable oil. This allows you to monitor the fish better as it fries and means the chips can be prepared separately in your deep fryer.

Put the flour in to a suitable dish. This dish designed for storing bacon in the fridge is ideal. Slowly begin adding some of the ice cold beer, whisking with a fork as you pour until you have a batter the consistency of thick cream. Dip the haddock fillets in to the batter, hold them up for a couple of seconds to let the excess drip off and lower them carefully in to the hot oil.

Beer battered haddock is fried in a deep frying pan

Turn the fillets carefully after two minutes and fry for two minutes more.

Beer battered haddock is drained on kitchen paper after being deep fried

Lift the haddock from the hot oil with a large slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Real homemade chips

Lay the chips on a serving plate, the haddock fillets on top and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Beer battered haddock is laid on homemade chips

Salt and malt vinegar are essential condiments but tomato ketchup or HP Sauce also go well with this meal.

Condiments commonly added to haddock and chips

A Sustainable Scottish Fish Supper

If you are not Scottish - or at least intimately familiar with the food culture of Scotland - your perception of what constitutes a Scottish fish supper is likely to be incorrect. This is wholly forgivable, as the name of course suggests that a Scottish fish supper is any type of fish dish served for supper in Scotland. In fact, it is a lot more specific than that. A fish supper in Scotland is something usually sold from dedicated fish and chip shops and consists of a fillet of white fish, deep fried in batter and served with chips. This is of course the most popular fast food throughout the United Kingdom but in the rest of the country, outwith Scotland, it is likely simply to be referred to as fish and chips.

There is, however, a problem surrounding Scottish fish suppers in modern times - a big problem! A fish supper is normally made from haddock, or perhaps cod, two of the most endangered species of fish - if not the most endangered - in British coastal waters and fishing grounds. This means that alternative fish species must be used in fish suppers if this incredibly tasty, traditional meal is to be available to future generations. Coley, pollack or pouting are all excellent choices in this respect but the option chosen in this instance is surely the tastiest of all the sustainable fish species in British waters, whiting.

Ingredients per Person

1 large baking potato
1 skinless fillet of whiting
2 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp salt
Cold water

Method

It is not essential to use this chip preparation method but it does make for extra special chips. Begin by peeling the potato, slicing and chopping it in to chip shapes. Put them in to a pot of cold water and put the pot on a high heat until the water begins to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Drain the chips through a colander and submerge them in a bowl of cold water for a further five minutes to cool them quickly. Drain again and place them in a plastic dish and in to the fridge for at least half an hour.

Remove the chips and lay them as shown on one half of a clean tea towel. Fold the other half of the towel over the top and carefully and gently pat them dry. Fry in hot oil at 300F/150C for five minutes. Remove from the deep fryer to some kitchen paper on a plate, cover and allow to cool. They should then be returned to the (dried) plastic dish and the fridge for a further half hour.

When your chips are returned to the fridge, it is a good idea to prepare the batter for the fish and allow it some fridge resting time. Add the flour and salt to a plastic dish large enough to contain the whiting fillet further down the line. Slowly add cold water, stirring continuously, until you have a batter the consistency of paint or thick cream. If you do happen to add too much water, simply add a little more flour. Put the lid on the dish and pop it in the fridge.

The chips should be fried for the second time at a slightly higher temperature, around 350F/170C, for five to seven minutes, dependant simply upon how crisp and golden you like them to be. Drain again on kitchen paper and cover to keep them warm while you fry the fish. Alternatively, where you have a twin basket deep fat fryer (see the end of this post,) the chips can be given their second fry at the same time the fish is being cooked. This makes the whole procedure a lot quicker and easier.

Remove the lid from the dish containing the batter and dip the whiting fillet in to ensure it is completely coated. Hold it up over the dish for a few seconds to let the excess batter drip off before popping it in to the hot fryer. It will take four or five minutes to cook, by which time the batter should be crisp and golden.

Drain the fish on some fresh kitchen paper and plate along with your chips. A Scottish fish supper is likely to be seasoned with salt and malt vinegar, salt and sauce, or perhaps all three and eaten without any further accompaniments. If you do want to boost the presentation and flavour a little, however, try serving it with a wedge of lemon, a sprig or two of fresh dill and a dollop of tartare sauce on the side, as shown in the top photograph above.