Friday 1st June is National Fish & Chip Day, so whether you make them at home, order them in a fancy restaurant, or eat them out of newspaper from a takeaway shop, just get involved with the quintessential British dish. To celebrate here's a classic recipe with a difference.
So how, when, and where did this quintessentially British dish come about?
The potato is thought to have been brought to England from the New World in the 17th century by Sir Walter Raleigh although it is believed that the French invented the fried potato chip.
Both Lancashire and London stake a claim to be the first to invent this famous meal - chips were a cheap, staple food of the industrial north, whilst fried fish was introduced in London’s East End. In 1839 Charles Dickens referred to a “fried fish warehouse" in his novel, 'Oliver Twist'.
The populace soon decided that putting fried fish and chips together was a very tasty combination and so was born our national dish of fish and chips!
The first fish and chip shop in the North of England is thought to have opened in Mossely, near Oldham, Lancashire, around 1863. Mr Lees sold fish and chips from a wooden hut in the market and later he transferred the business to a permanent shop across the road which had the following inscription in the window, “This is the first fish and chip shop in the world".
However, in London, it is said that Joseph Malin opened a fish and chip shop in Cleveland Street within the sound of Bow Bells in 1860.
In 1999, the British consumed nearly 300 million servings of fish and chips - that equates to six servings for every man, woman and child in the country. There are now around 8,500 fish and chip shops across the UK - that’s eight for every one McDonald’s outlet, truly making British Fish and Chips the nation's favourite take-away.
To help you get into the spirit we’ve included a little recipe for the land and sea dish below. It’s something a little bit different, but hey if now isn’t the time to try something you haven’t before then when is? And besides this is actually even more healthy than standard fish and chips. The fish has a crisp / cornflake coating, and the chips are soaked in beer, oh and there is also a spicy remoulade and minty peas.
Potato Crisp Crusted Fish and Chips...with all the Fixings
Prep time: 20 mins + 30 mins in the fridge / Cook time: 40 mins / Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Serves about 4
Ingredients
Chips
* 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into thinish wedges
* 12 ounces Irish beer (or your favorite beer)
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 cup olive oil
Fish
* 1 1/2 pounds white fish, cut into strips
* 1 1/3 cups finely crushed potato crisps
* 2/3 cup finely crushed corn flakes
* 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1/3 cup buttermilk
* Lemon wedges, malt vinegar + fresh parsley, for serving
* Minted mashed peas, for serving
Spicy Blue Cheese Remoulade
* 1/2 cup mayo
* 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
* 2 teaspoons grainy dijon mustard
* 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
* 1 green onion, chopped
* 1-2 cloves garlic, depending on your taste
* 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
* 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to your taste
* Salt and pepper, to taste
* 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Instructions
1 - Add the potatoes to a large, shallow bowl. Pour the beer over the potatoes and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Try and make sure all the potatoes are submerged in the beer. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2 - Remove the potatoes from the beer and pat dry with paper towel. Add the potatoes to a dry bowl and toss with the flour, seasoned salt, pepper, and 2-3 tablespoons olive oil.
3 - Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes and then if needed add more olive oil, toss the fries around and place back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Season with more salt if desired.
4 - While the chips are roasting, make the fish. In a bowl, combine the butter and buttermilk. Add the fish and toss to combine and wet all the fish. Add the potato crisps and corn flake crumbs, seasoned salt, cayenne and pepper to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
5 - Remove each piece of fish from the buttermilk mixture, and dredge through the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the fish have been used. Make sure not to crowd your pan, if necessary use two baking sheets.
6 - Lightly spray the fish with cooking spray or a mist of olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 450 (you can do this in the same oven your fries are roasting in). Just be careful not to over bake this, cooking times will vary depending on the size of your fish.
7 - While the fish and chips are cooking, prepare the remoulade. In a bowl combine the mayo, greek yogurt, mustard, red pepper, green onion, garlic, parsley, cayenne, salt and pepper until well mixed and combined. Stir in the crumbled blue cheese. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
8 - Once the chips and fish are ready, divide them evenly among plates. Garnish with fresh lemon and parsley. Serve with remoulade for dipping and minted peas if you like. Enjoy!
For this and more great recipes please head on over to halfbakedharvest.com and for more information on National Fish and Chip day check out here.
