Fish & chips on the menu
While everybody loves a traditional fish supper from their local chippy, this dish is full of fresh flavours and ingredients – and it’s fun and simple to cook at home.
Over the last few years, the UK has experienced a dramatic resurgence in locally sourced seafood. Our excellent access to fresh produce is now enjoyed in restaurants across the country.
We are renowned for our food fusion: taking the best dishes from around the world and integrating them into the British culinary landscape.
This recipe is a contemporary twist on the classic fish supper, fusing one of our favourite national dishes with authentic Mexican street food.
Not only is it easy to source the ingredients, it’s a great meal for family dinners or a summer party. Our top tip for getting this right at home is to avoid using a whole fish, as you need a large pan and a lot of oil. It works best with fish cut into smaller strips, fried in batter and served with all the sides and sauces that take it to the next level. The blue masa chips are a real charm – tasty and eye- catching – and a world apart from the usual tortilla chip experience. The vinegar sharpness comes from fresh lime, there’s tomato spice from the salsa ketchup and creaminess from the chipotle sour cream. Fish and chips at home doesn’t get any better than this. Jamie Smith, co- owner and executive chef at Craft and Harbour, Ayr.
Ingredients
• For the tortilla wraps and hand- torn blue masa chips: 500g ( blue) masa harina ( masa flour can be purchased online from Mexican stockists)
• 600ml tepid water; one teaspoon sea salt.
• For the guacamole: Three large ripe avocados; juice of two limes; half a small red onion, finely diced; small handful coriander, chopped; two green birdseye chillies, de- seeded and finely chopped; black pepper and sea salt.
• For the salsa ketchup: Six vine tomatoes, quartered and de- seeded; half a cup of your favourite ketchup; two green birdseye chillies; four garlic cloves, unpeeled; half a red onion, finely diced; two tbs coriander, roughly chopped; juice of one lime; half a teaspoon of smoked paprika; quarter tsp of cumin; teaspoon of honey; dash of olive oil.
• For the chipotle sour cream: half a cup sour cream; one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped; pinch of sea salt; small handful chives, chopped.
• For the fish tacos: Four tilapia fillets; one cup all- purpose flour; one teaspoon baking powder; one tbs salt; one cup good Mexican light beer ( for beer batter – our favourite is Dos Equis); three cups of vegetable oil; one chopped radish.
Method
To make the tortilla wraps, mix the masa harina and the salt together in a mixing bowl. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Knead the dough for several minutes in the bowl. The dough is ready when it’s smooth, but no longer sticky, and easily forms a ball in your hand. Cover the bowl with a towel and rest for 30 minutes. Form a ball roughly the size of a ping- pong ball, then using a tortilla press, shape the dough to make approx six- inch tortillas ( around 2mm thick). If you don’t have a press, you can also use a rolling pin with grease proof paper. Separate the tortillas in two, keep half for the chips and the other half for the wraps. Using a flat cast iron griddle, over a medium heat, cook half of the tortillas for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Take the other half and tear roughly into chip sized sections. Deep fry in sunflower oil for three minutes.
To make the guacamole, halve and stone the avocados, then spoon the flesh into a bowl. Pour over the lime juice and add a pinch of sea salt, then crush with a potato masher until puréed but still a little chunky. Add the onion, coriander, chillies and black pepper. Stir through and set aside.
For the salsa ketchup, place the tomatoes, cut- side up, in a baking tray along with the chillies and garlic, salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees for 20- 25mins. When done, peel the garlic and add to a food processor, then peel, deseed and stem the chillies. Add to the food processor along with the cumin, smoked paprika, honey, tomatoes, ketchup, onion, coriander, and lime juice. Season with black pepper, pulse until chunky.
For the chipotle sour cream, stir together sour cream, finely chopped chipotle pepper, chives and sea salt.
For the fish tacos, Cut the fish into 1 1/ 2- inch chunks.
To make the batter, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in enough beer, about 1 to 1 1/ 2 cups, until the mixture is the consistency of pancake batter. Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium heat to 360 degrees F.
When the oil is hot, working in batches, dip the fish pieces into the batter and carefully add them to the hot oil. Cook the fish until golden brown on both sides and the fish is cooked through, about four to six minutes total. Remove from the pan and drain on to a sheet tray lined with paper towels. Warm tacos in the microwave or oven for around 30 seconds.
Divide the fish between your warm tacos. Top with chopped radishes and a drizzle of the chipotle sour cream and salsa ketchup. Serve with the masa chips, guacamole and the remaining salsa ketchup and chipotle sour cream.