Fish and Chips, Challenge at Rebecka's

I have to admit, Fish & Chips is not one of my favourite food. Whenever we go out to eat at restaurants where there is Fish & Chips on the menu, both my kids would order. It is their favourite! Not for me though,  I really do love fried fish but I have never liked Fish & Chips! So when my hubby told me that he will not be joining us for dinner at home last Friday, I knew that this would be the perfect time to try my hands at making Fish & Chips for my kids. I have two pieces of frozen Dory fillets which I bought about two weeks ago for exactly this, as the lovely Rebecka from At Home With Rebecka is having this fun challenge "Is Your Batter Better" Fish & Chips Challenge. 

Fish & Chips, with Tartar Sauce and Corn Salad

I have never made Fish & Chips at home before, mainly because of the deep frying which would result in wastage of oil and also because I try not to deep fry too often, which I seldom do, anyway. So the quest for the "perfect" batter begins, I source for it from the internet, and there are so many that I couldn't decide which is the best. Most recipes calls for beer or soda water for the batter, I just use whatever I have in my pantry. The original recipe I copied from somewhere, and I cannot recall from where! But I tweaked it a little  and came up with this batter. Now how do this batter fare? Pretty good, I should say! It is really crispy and light. And tasty too! Be sure to test-fry a teaspoon of the batter first to ensure that it is sufficiently seasoned, before you coat the fish. I made two large pieces of fillet but the batter is enough for 4 pieces.  

My kids gave the thumbs up for this! They say it was really good!

They love the chips too! It is good but I did not fry it crispy enough, and did not season them with any salt, but they taste just as good!

I served the Fish & Chips with a corn salad on the side, and I love this best of all! Recipe to follow in another post, today is all about FISH & CHIPS!   :)

This is good! I think cod or snapper would be better, as the Dory fillet has a layer of fat that I have to discard before frying, but it is really economical to use Dory fillet, as cod is extremely expensive over here!

I'm submitting this to
"Is Your Batter Better?" Fish & Chips Challenge, At Home With Rebecka

Do you have a favourite batter for your Fish and Chips? Share it and join in the fun. Rebecka will try out all the recipes submitted and decide which is the best! This challenge is on for another 218 days! Pay a visit to At Home With Rebecka for the full details, and at the same time, enjoy her lovely blog! Rebecka has wonderful recipes and she's good at creating new ones! Come on, make some Fish and Chips for your family and submit your recipe to "Is Your Batter Better" Fish & Chips Challenge.  See you there!

Rebecka, I hope you enjoy trying out this recipe! This may not be the best, but it is fun, as this is the first time that I've actually attempted Fish & Chips at home and it was great seeing that my kids really enjoyed it! Thank you for the Challenge!

Fish and Chips
3 medium potatoes (I use russet potatoes)
For the Fish
4 pieces fish fillet (I use Dory fillet)
Oil for deep-frying
salt to season
Seasoned Flour for coating/dredging
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika powder
dash of black pepper powder
Batter for frying
1 egg
1 cup water
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika powder
dash of black pepper powder

1. For the chips : Peel potatoes and slice into long sticks about 1/4 inch thick. Place them in a bowl, pour enough ice cold water to soak. Place the bowl in the fridge and leave for an hour or so. 
2. Seasoned Flour for coating : Mix flour, salt, paprika powder and black pepper powder in a large wide plate. Keep aside.
3. For the batter : In a large bowl, whisk egg gently and add in water, whisking till evenly mixed. Add in flour 1/4 cup at a time, whisking till evenly mixed and there are no lumps. Make sure the batter is smooth. Add salt, paprika powder and black pepper powder, whisk till evenly combined. Keep covered at room temperature for 20 minutes.
4. To fry the chips : Drain potatoes and wipe dry with kitchen towel. Heat oil on medium heat, and fry potato slices, depending how big your pan is, you may need to separate into two or three batches to fry. Fry for about 4-5 minutes until light brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. Repeat with the rest of the potaotes.  To fry till crisp, increase heat slightly. When oil is hot, place potatoes into hot oil and fry for another minute or two, stirring gently until potatoes are golden brown and crisp. Remove and drain in paper towel. Place potato in baking tray lined with parchment paper and  keep in oven with low temperature (about 110C)  to keep warm.
5. To fry the fish :  Heat oil for deep frying. Rinse fish and pat dry with kitchen towel. Coat fish in Seasoned Flour on both sides till well coated, shaking off excess flour. Dip fish in batter (stir before coating) on both sides till evenly coated. Carefully release fish in hot oil on medium heat and fry till light brown. Turn over and fry till both sides are golden brown. This may take about 5 minutes on each side. Remove fish and drain on kitchen towel. Serve with chips seasoned with a little salt, your favourite dipping sauce and salad of your choice. Enjoy!