EclecticCook.com » Fish and Seafood

Classic Fish and Chips

Karen — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:10:58 +0000

99 Pieces of Fish in the Fridge: Part III

How can you have twenty pounds of fish in the refrigerator and not get a craving for beer-battered, deep-fried-yet-moist-and-tender fish, with homemade crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside fries? I mean really. Is this even possible? Even though I’m not a big fan of deep frying anything at home (it’s messy, makes the house smell greasy, and I’m lazy) sometimes you just have to take the plunge, no pun intended (honest).

Fish and chips make me think of my father; the dish reminded him of when he was boy and his father would bring home a deliciously greasy, newspaper wrapped fish and chips dinner after work for a special treat. Mom used to make this quite often at home (minus the newspaper). I think she used just salt and pepper to flavor the batter, and she left out the beer, but I won’t let nostalgia stop me from adding it to mine. I’m such a rebel.

Dad always ate his fish and chips with malt vinegar, but since the herbs are taking off in my garden, I decided to whip up a quick tartar sauce. Nothing but the best for the grand fish fry the hubby and I put together for his fellow brave fishermen, and the wimmenfolk who selflessly chose to stay home and keep a close eye on our air conditioners.

I even managed to find french cornichons. Here. In Wichita. I wouldn’t really be surprised if a pig flew by right now.

It’s important for the oil to be at least 3 inches deep or more, but also at least 3 inches from the top of the pot. This is so it can maintain its temperature better as you add things to it, but not bubble over. Too little oil, or too many pieces of fish or potatoes added at once, and the temperature of the oil will drop too fast, resulting in a greasy, soggy product. Yum. Not.

A friend that worked at a french-fry and hotdog joint for a summer told me that the key to really crispy fries is to pre-cook them. That means you fry them twice (just in case you missed it… like I did when she first explained it). Also, remember to cook in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot, and make sure the oil returns to temperature between every batch.

Classic Fish and Chips
Serves 4-6

2 lbs firm fleshed fish such as cod, halibut, tilapia or haddock.
Peanut or Canola oil for frying, enough to fill the pot at least 3 inches deep
3-4 large russet potatoes for 4 people

1 cup all purpose flour plus more for dredging
¼ cup peanut or grapeseed oil
1 bottle of your favorite robust beer (I used Sam Adams Boston Lager)
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp old bay seasoning
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
Tartar Sauce (recipe follows)

The Batter:
Makes a generous amount of batter for 2 lbs of fish.

Whisk the flour with the salt, paprika, old bay and pepper. Add the oil and mix until just combined. Slowly add in the beer, a bit at a time, whisking vigorously, until the batter is the consistency of a thick pancake batter and all the lumps are gone. You will probably need a bit more than half of the bottle of beer. What you do with the other half is completely up to you. I won’t tell.

The Chips (pre-cook):

Scrub, peel (or leave on the peel for a more rustic look) and cut the potatoes into sticks about ½ inch wide. Rinse and set aside in a bowl filled with cold water. Heat up the oil to 350°F in a deep fryer or a dutch oven. Drain and dry off the potatoes very well. Add a handful at a time to the hot oil, moving them around occasionally until they just turn lightly golden, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove and allow drain on paper towels. Set the cooked potatoes aside for now.

The Fish:

Preheat oven to 225°F. Dry the fish well with paper towels. Cut the fish into 2 or 3 inch pieces. Lightly dredge the pieces in flour and shake off the excess flour. The fish should be lightly dusted. Make sure the oil is back up to 350°F, then dip the fish completely in the batter, letting the excess drip off for a quick second, and then carefully add the battered fish to the oil. Cook only a few pieces at a time until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and let drain on paper towels. Keep the fish warm on paper towels or a wire rack in the 225° F oven until ready to serve. I promise that the fish stays nice and crispy in the oven, so take your time and return the oil to 350°F between each batch.

The Chips (Final Cook):

Once all fish is cooked, reheat the oil (yes, the same oil, it’ll be fine) to 360°F. Add a few handfuls of the previously cooked fries. Cook for 4- 5 minutes or until brown and crispy. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked.

Tartar Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp finely minced cornichons (small, sour French pickles) or dill pickles
1 tbsp finely minced capers
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp lemon juice
Dash of hot sauce, such as Tabasco

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

(Printable Recipe)

Fish with French Herbs and Spring Veggies

Karen — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:24:54 +0000

99 Pieces of Fish in the Fridge: Part II

For part two of my “99 pieces of fish in the fridge ” trilogy, I chose a recipe that I have made often and that everybody loves, even the rug monkeys (a.k.a my daughters, a.k.a alpha and beta child). Everything gets wrapped in packets of foil, individually portioned. Just like a TV dinner only you can pronounce all the ingredients and there is no little section containing some unidentifiable dessert-like substsance that nobody ever eats.

I used four pieces of fish (wiper) from the hubby’s catch.

We love this dish because all of the flavors come together during the cooking to create something that tastes fresh and “springy” (like the season, not your mattress).

I think that the key ingredients for the flavor of this dish are the anise seeds and the Herbs de Provence. You can find them both in the spice section of most grocery stores. One of the spices in the Herbs de Provence is lavender which has such a heavenly fragrance and adds something special to the dish, so try to find it if you can. If not, you can substitute Italian seasoning.

You can crush the anise seed using a mortar and pestle, or a plastic bag and any heavy object. I use a meat tenderizer. Husbands, though heavy objects, don’t work quite as well.

Make sure to wrap the edges of the foil very tightly to create a well sealed bag that will steam the fish, and you will have some delicious juice to mop up with a piece (or three) of crusty French bread.

Fish with French Herbs and Spring Veggies
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse
Serves 4

Herb Topping
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
1 tsp Herbs de Provence
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp crushed anise seed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
3 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise
4 pieces firm fish (6 ounces each), such as cod or bass
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling, about 1 tbsp per packet

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place about 1 tsp anise seed in a plastic sandwich bag and crush using with something heavy, such as a rolling pin or meat tenderizer. Mix ½ tsp of the crushed anise seeds with the lemon zest, Herbs de Provence, red-pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Prepare 4 pieces of aluminum foil, folded in half for double thickness and large enough to fold over and crimp closed, about 14 inches. On one half of the foil, layer the onions, then the zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Top with the fish and sprinkle with the herb topping. Top with the chopped tomato and drizzle with olive oil. Fold the foil over and crimp to seal.

Place foil packets on a sheet pan and then into the over for 20 minutes. Allow the packets to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Transfer to serving plates or place packets on a plate, cut an opening in the top and serve straight out of the packet with lots of fresh crusty French bread.

(Print Recipe)

Fish and Noodles with Lemon Ginger Sauce

Karen — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:54:46 +0000

99 Pieces of Fish in the Fridge: Part I

My husband went fishin’ with the menfolk this past weekend (you have to say fishin’ if you want to sound cool). I stayed home, which was fine with this particular wimmenfolk, because it was 95°F in the shade, and there isn’t much shade in a boat in the middle of a lake. Apparently the fish were really biting, and hubby came home with a ton (well maybe closer to 20 pounds) of fish. I can’t for the life of me remember what species they were other than aquatic and not catfish.

Of course this sent me into a fish cooking frenzy. That first night I made this recipe from Steamy Kitchen, which is adapted from the book Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson . I substituted about a pound of my husband’s fish haul for the tofu and added a tablespoon of fresh cilantro and 3 thinly sliced scallions right at the end. It was fantastic! The lemony dressing works perfectly with the fish. I also served this dish warm. The next time I make it (there will be many next times!) I will probably use linguini noodles, and cook the fish more carefully. When you *stir* fry what turns out to be a delicate fish, you end up with mostly fish flakes and some larger chunks of fish by the time it’s done. Lesson learned. We still ate every last bite.

I had wanted to try this recipe ever since it did the rounds on some the food blogs I read. Check out some of the other versions on Simply Recipes and on The Amateur Gourmet. When I make this dish again, I’ll take some pictures and get them up on the blog. We were hungry, and it was 10 PM, so the camera stayed in the bag this time!

Join us for the next installment of 99 Pieces of Fish in the Fridge: Fish with French Herbs and Spring Veggies.