“CHEFFY” FISH AND CHIPS
“Before the golden arches made their way to South Africa and before the shopping malls filled with franchised fast-food stores arrived, we had a culture of mom-and-dad fish-andchip corner cafés. I’m lucky enough to live in the south of Joburg where we still have a number of those around and whenever
I feel the urge to add a few kilos to my already complaining spare tyre, I head on over. This is how to make fried fish and chips the cheffy way. It’s a bit more complicated than the general method but it is worth it. You’ll need a metal-tipped thermometer or electric deep-fat fryer.”
Serves 4
A LITTLE EFFORT
GREAT VALUE
Preparation: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling time Cooking: 20 minutes
For the batter: cake flour 120 g cornflour 130 g beer 1 x 340 ml can large free-range egg 1 sea salt 1t
For the fish: canola oil 1.5 litres skinless hake fillets 700 g, cut into four pieces sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste red wine vinegar, for serving
For the chips: large potatoes 3, scrubbed canola oil 1 litre, for deep-frying
1 To make the batter, sift the flour and cornflour together. This will help prevent lumps. Whisk the flour, cornflour, beer, egg and salt in a bowl. The beer will foam up at first. Make sure there are no lumps. Cover the bowl with clingwrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 2 Place the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and heat to 180°C on your thermometer. Pat the fish with kitchen paper to remove any excess moisture. Season generously with salt and pepper. 3 Drop the fish into the batter. Do not move it. When the oil is at the correct temperature, gently lift one piece of fish out of the batter using a pair of tongs, letting the excess drip off, and slowly lower into the oil to avoid splashing. To prevent the fish from sinking to the bottom of the pan and sticking, use the tongs to hold it in the oil for a few seconds so the batter can solidify. Once it starts forming a crust, you can let it go. 4 Repeat the process until all the fish is cooked. The oil’s temperature will drop as you add more fish. Counter this by increasing the heat. Keep checking the temperature of the oil using the thermometer. You need to stay at around 180°C. Cook the fish until golden brown, about five minutes. Place the fish on kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.
5 To make the chips, cut the potatoes into 1 cm-thick chips (there’s no need to peel them first). Rinse well under cold water to remove the starch, then drain. Place the cut chips in a saucepan of cold, salted water and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until a toothpick pierces them but they are still firm. You don’t want them to get too soft. Drain in a colander and pat dry. Allow to air dry and cool at room temperature, then place in the fridge until cold. 6 Heat the oil to 120°C in a large saucepan and add the chips. Don’t overcrowd the pan, you want each chip to have enough space to move around. Fry for about 5 minutes at this temperature until cooked through but not coloured. Remove from the pan, carefully drain the oil, pat the chips dry using kitchen paper and refrigerate again once they have cooled. 7 Heat the oil to 160°C and add the chips. Cook until crisp and golden. Drain and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with the fish and vinegar. DAIRY-FREE
WINE: De Wetshof Limestone
Hill Chardonnay 2018