Impress your family by making this classic dish from scratch! Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 800g floury potatoes, cut into fat chips
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 600ml vegetable oil, for frying
- 100g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 75g cornflour
- 200ml cold sparkling water or lager
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- 4 x 150g white fish fillets, such as pacific cod or pollock
For the mushy peas
- 538g can marrowfat peas
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- Knob of butter
Method
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick chips.
- Boil the chips in a pan of salted water for 6-8 minutes. Drain well, then set aside to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 220°c/gas mark 7. Put the olive oil into a roasting tin and place inside the oven to heat up.
- Put the cooled chips in the tin, turning to coat in the hot oil, and season. Roast for 25 minutes, turning occasionally, until they turn golden. Remove from the oven. About 10 to 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve, place back in the oven and roast until golden brown and crisp.
- Make the mushy peas by heating the peas in a saucepan with the vinegar and butter for 5 minutes, then crush with a fork and season well. Set aside, covered.
- Make the batter by mixing the self-raising flour and cornflour in a bowl and gradually adding the sparkling water to form a smooth mixture. Gently fold in the egg white.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a deep saucepan or deep fat fryer to 200°c (when a cube of bread turns golden in 20 seconds).
- Season the fish and dust in flour, then dip 1 or 2 at a time in the batter and fry for 6-8 minutes until golden brown. Remove, drain on kitchen paper and season with salt. Repeat with the rest of the fish and serve with the chips and mushy peas.
