Cooking Up Fish And Chips

Fried battered fish and potatoes have been a quintessential part of British cuisine since probably the 18th century. That was when potatoes were brought in from the new world and when technological advances allowed for the harvesting of fish from the North Atlantic. But with the advent of international travel and globalization, what was once the British, fish and chipshas become part of many of the world’s food scene. The reason is simple enough: it has simple ingredients and it’s easy to put together and cook. After all, if you think about it you only need fish, potatoes and cooking oil as well as the simple batter to coat the fish with. When it comes to the fish tradition calls for cod or haddock. That’s because this was caught in plentiful supply in the waters off of Scotland. It has nice flaky meat that really absorbs the flavor of the batter and seasoning and is generally well liked by all. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t use any other type of fish. You can because depending on where you live you will have to use whatever fish is available for you since it would be too expensive to have to import the cod or haddock that’s originally called for.

This means that if you live in Australia you may use reef or rock cod, barramundi or flake. If you live in the United States you could use halibut, flounder, or tilapia. Tilapia can also be used if you lived in Southeast Asia along with freshwater catfish. When it comes to the chips, as potato fries are called in England you can just cut them up as you would French fries but a bit thicker. In the United States these would be called steak fries. The batter is as simple as you can make it. Water, flour and some baking soda is all it takes to give your fish a coating that will make it golden brown. Use light beer instead of water and you have a nice fluffy outer cover that helps seal in the juices within it. As to cooking all of these, deep frying is recommended since it will cook everything evenly. Of course, not everyone has access to a deep fryer so if you’re one of those you can just simply use a simple frying pan and fry the batter covered fish and the potatoes in batches. You can have tartar sauce, mushy peas or just plain salt and vinegar with your fish and chips. Tomato ketchup and coleslaw can also be had. Actually, you can have pretty much anything as a side if you want. This will depend on your taste and as long as it will complement the taste of the batter fried fish and potatoes. To know more about cooking fish and chips, visit seafood Gold Coast.