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

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Cooking difficulty: Easy

Serves: 2

Preparation: 5 mins

Cooking: 10 mins

Cook fish with the skin on

Skin on the finfish will provide a natural basting because most oil is stored in the skin.
Pickling tips for molluscs

Mussels should be steamed and opened before pickling, and abalone, cuttlefish, squid and octopus should be tenderised and par-boiled before pickling.
Butter & olive oil works great with seafood

Butter, margarine or olive oil can be used to add moisture and flavour.
Tips for deep frying

Do not fry seafood with other foods, because the flavours will mix.
Cephalopods should be fried for a minimum time to ensure tenderness.
Do not salt seafood before frying as the salt can cause the oil to break down.
Lemon juice, vinegar or tartare sauce are the traditional accompaniments for deep-fried seafood as they help cut the richness of the oil.
Tips for glazing seafood

Once frozen, seafood can be removed from the "freezer", unwrapped, dipped under cold, running water, and then re-wrapped for freezing. This coats it with a glaze that helps reduce dehydration during its time in storage.

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.

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Crispy flake fish and chips Pete Hilcke style

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Crispy flake fish and chips Pete Hilcke style

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