Syrian fish & chips

SERVES 2 PREP 5 mins plus at least 4 hrs marinating COOK 10 mins EASY

4 illets haddock (500g), each

cut into 3 pieces

50ml olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground white pepper,

plus a pinch

5 garlic cloves, bashed

200g plain lour

1 tbsp corn lour

For the chips

1 kg medium potatoes, sliced into

2cm-wide chips vegetable oil, for deep-frying

1 tsp paprika

For the tahini sauce

50g tahini

1 lemon, juiced, plus extra wedges

to serve

2 garlic cloves, crushed or

inely grated small handful of chopped parsley

Toss the haddock with the olive oil, cumin, white pepper, garlic and 1 tsp salt. Chill for 4 hrs or overnight.

About 45 mins before cooking the fish, make the chips and tahini sauce. For the sauce, mix the tahini, lemon juice and garlic until well combined. Stir in 3-4 tbsp cold water until smooth and creamy. Mix in the parsley and keep chilled until needed.

For the chips, rinse the potatoes, then soak in ice-cold water for 15 mins. Drain well, then dry the potatoes thoroughly. Fill a saucepan half-full with vegetable oil and heat to 140C, or use a deep-fat fryer. If you don’t have a temperature probe, test the oil by dropping in a cube of bread – it’s hot enough when it turns brown in around 45 seconds. Fry the chips until cooked through, 6-8 mins.

Remove the chips to a wire rack lined with kitchen paper and leave to drain. Heat the oil to 180C – it’s hot enough when a cube of bread turns brown within 15 seconds – then cook the chips for 4-5 mins more until crisp and golden. Remove to a wire rack lined with fresh kitchen paper, then tip into a bowl and season with 1/2 tsp salt and the paprika.

Put the flour and cornflour in a bowl and season well with salt and a pinch of white pepper. Turn the fish pieces in the mixture, one by one, until completely coated.

Fry for 4-6 mins, with the oil still at 180C, until golden and crisp. You may need to do this in batches, keeping the cooked fish warm in a low oven as you go. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

GOOD TO KNOW ibre • 1 of 5-a-day • gluten free PER SERVING 587 kcals • fat 15g • saturates 7g • carbs 86g • sugars 3g • ibre 6g • protein 24g • salt 2.1g