Two rules carry this. The batter must be cold and mixed at the last second, because the bubbles in the beer are what make it shatter rather than sit. And the chips are fried twice: once low to cook them through, once hot to crisp the outside.
Everything you need
- 2 x 200 g (400 g) skinless cod or haddock fillets
- 800 g floury potatoes, cut into thick chips
- 1 cup (125 g) plain flour
- 0.25 cup (30 g) cornflour
- 1 cup (240 ml) cold lager, straight from the fridge
- 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
- 2 litres neutral oil, for frying
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
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Rinse the cut chips under cold water until it runs clear, then dry them completely. Wet chips spit and go limp.
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Fry the chips at 140C for 6 to 8 minutes until soft but pale. Lift out and let them cool and steam off for at least 20 minutes.
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Whisk the flour, cornflour and baking powder with a good pinch of salt. Do not add the beer yet.
For this step
- 1 cup (125 g) plain flour
- 0.25 cup (30 g) cornflour
- 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
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Bring the oil to 190C. Now pour in the cold beer and whisk to a batter about the thickness of double cream, leaving a few lumps.
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Dry the fish, dust it in a little extra flour, dip it in the batter and lower it away from you into the oil. Fry 6 to 7 minutes until deep gold.
For this step
- 1 cup (125 g) plain flour
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Drain on a rack, never paper. Fry the chips again at 190C for 3 minutes and salt everything the moment it comes out.
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Worth knowing
- A rack, not kitchen paper. Paper traps steam and the underside goes soft in a minute.
- One piece at a time. Two drops the oil temperature and you get a pale, greasy jacket.
Nutrition: estimated from typical ingredient values, not laboratory tested. Check the labels on what you actually buy.
Cooking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
More to cook
A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.