Crispy flake fish and chips Pete Hilcke style

recipe courtesy of Seafood Chef & Fishfiles Expert Pete Hilcke. Gummy Shark is Flake but any of your favorite white fish (Pink Ling, Snapper, Latchett or Flathead) will work with this recipe

(1)

Cooking difficulty: Easy

Serves: 2

Preparation: 5 mins

Cooking: 10 mins

Tips for shallow frying

If flour is the only coating used, apply it immediately prior to cooking.

Prevent sticking by ensuring that the oil is hot before adding the seafood. But make sure the oil is not so hot that it smokes (unless preparing a Cajun-style "blackened" fish).
Tips for serving seafood cold

If the seafood is to be served cold, it should be covered to retain moisture and flavour and then placed in a chiller for an hour or even overnight.
Tips for seasoning

The seafood can be lightly seasoned with herbs, salt and pepper, sprinkled with lemon juice or white wine and dotted with butter or basted with oil. Low-salt soy sauce and coriander can also be used.
Tips for Steaming

Seafood can be steamed over plain water, but a concentrated stock flavoured with vegetables, herbs or citrus, for example, will impart a subtle flavour.
Tips for seafood batter

A chilled batter may produce a crisper coating. A light tempura batter and beer batter are particularly suited to seafood.

Ingredients

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. flour to lightly coat fish fillets before battering

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp thyme leaves

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp cayenne pepper

150ml cold beer or soda water for the NON drinker (any left-over beer drink the rest!)

Vegetable oil to deep fry

4 small flake fillets

4 large dirty potatoes, peeled, cut lengthways into 1cm-thick chips

Method

To make the Crispy Fish, combine flour, salt, paprika, thyme, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a mixing bowl.

Add the beer or soda water and whisk quickly – you should have a mixture the consistency of a pancake batter. Set aside.

Half-fill a deep-fryer or large heavy based saucepan with oil and heat to 160°C. Fry the chips, in batches, for 5-7 minutes until soft but still pale, then drain. Chips can be prepared to this stage ahead of time. Lay flat on a paper towel to drain the fat and moisture.

Increase the heat of the oil to 195 Celsius, then add the chips again until golden brown. Scoop out, drain well and place in bowl and season. Set in the oven at 100 degrees to keep warm

Lightly flour the flake then dunk into the batter to coat, shaking off excess, and drop pieces one by one into the hot oil (195 Celsius).

Don’t overcrowd the pot.

Cook for about 3 Minutes or until golden and crispy.

Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

To Serve

Remove chips from oven

Place fish on chips and serve with tartare sauce and lemon or lime wedges.

fishfiles

Crispy flake fish and chips Pete Hilcke style

Send Selected Recipes to an Email Address

Crispy flake fish and chips Pete Hilcke style

Your recipe list

Send Selected Recipes to an Email Address