fish and chips (sans the chips)!....at kitchen! kitchen!

 

Fish & Chips - sans the chips!
Serve with celery/carrot slaw, and aioli tartar sauce

('Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own finger - Shakespeare)

This is my version of fish and chips without the chips. The chips were replaced with roasted potatoes (flattened - just because I like it that way). Served with celery and carrots slaw. It's my guilty pleasure for Lent or anytime.


Here's the how and the what!

what?
1 lb. of fresh cod fish - cut into about 6 pieces- more if the it's more than 1 lb. The size of the pieces is up to you. We are not quite strict here.
kosher salt and black pepper
1 bottle of beer (any beer you have in the house) again, we are not fussy!
3/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup of corn meal

how?
Mix the flour and corn meal in a large deep bowl; season with salt and pepper; add the beer - it needs to have the consistency of a pancake batter. add more flour if you need to.
add the seasoned cod fish to the mixture and refrigerate for 1/2 hour to an hour

what about the slaw?
4 large celery stalks  - cut into julienned
2 large carrots - cut into julienned
1 or 2 jalapeno - cut into julienned -if you are not brave enough replace with any bell pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar - tame it down with a tablespoon of water if you want
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons of agave (or sugar or honey)....again we are not fussy!
Mix together in a large bowl and taste to correct seasoning. Set aside for the ingredients to meld.

and the aioli tartar sauce?
* here's a shortcut version....buy a ready made tartar sauce
1 cup tartar sauce ; add a tablespoon of mayonnaise and 2 cloves of garlic pounded into a paste
and add to the tartar sauce.

frying the fish!

1 cup of vegetable oil heated in a deep pan - must be sizzling hot - on medium heat
drop carefully each piece (make sure each one is coated well with the batter before dropping it in the hot oil)....and don't crowd the pan or fiddle with it...leave it in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes until golden before turning it over to brown the other side. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve on a platter with slaw and aioli tartar sauce and don't forget your roasted potatoes - if you are a purists - serve with french fries.