As if we didn't already pack enough food into us over the Christmas period this delicious battered fish & chips recipe is gonna make it harder to start that New Year diet! Simple homemade tempura batter, fresh white fish and crispy homemade chips to rival any chip shop. You are in for a treat with this homemade fish & chips recipe!
sponsored by Moores Hill Estate, Tasmania
Why I love this recipe!
Because it's way easier than you think! Seriously though - it's deep-fried fish and crispy potatoes. What's not to love. From start to finish this recipe can be in your table in about 30 minutes. That's defo quicker than the time it takes your partner to find their keys, drive to the local fish & chip shop, screw up the order and drive home 😉 Oh, and most importantly it's simply frickin delish. Grab yourself some fresh white fish and whip up my battered fish & chips recipe today!
Best fish for fish & chips?
There are TONS of options out there. Best place to start is at your local fishmongers. My guys up at the Fresh Fish Co always have tons of great options and are more than happy to help with whatever your budget is. Personally things like cod, snapper, hake, halibut, whiting, mahi mahi, haddock or hoki (if you are in NZ!)
The best approach is choosing fish that are sustainably fished, that aren't endangered and is also economically viable for you!
Ultimately to create the perfect battered fish and chips dish you start with fresh fish. Make sure it's boneless as this might hinder your ability to shove a handful of homemade chips into your mouth! Just look for a nice flakey white fish and you are well on your way to success.
Tempura Batter
This is the make or break moment in battered fish and chips. You have gone to all that trouble to find the right fish, you have prepped (or bought) your favourite sauce and everything is looking like you are set for an epic homemade fish & chips dinner. Let's not ruin it with a lumpy batter or worse yet a watery one so that it can't be descibed as tempura fish & chips at all!
Now that I've scared the pants off of you take a deep breath and realise it's pretty darn simple to make a homemade tempura batter. All you need is COLD sparkling water. Notice the COLD is in blocks and bold? The colder the tempura batter is the better it will crisp up when hitting the hot oil. Always start with cold sparkling water, add it to some flour and a pinch of salt. It's really that simple - just keep scrolling to see the ratios below.
What to serve with battered fish & chips
This is really about personal preference. Are you a ketchup fan? Maybe you want a little garlic aioli or you are a follower of the delicious classic tartare sauce. Either way do what makes you enjoy it the most!
HOWEVER, it'd be very poor of me to not throw my 2 cents in and suggest some Asian flavours with my homemade battered fish and chips dish. Here I made a simple salt my mixing togaroshi and salt together. A little wasabi aioli and also some pickled ginger. All these flavours bring something to the table and make up the perfect homemade fish and chips dish that is washed down SO well with a glass of Moores Hill bubbles (more on that later!)
What is Togaroshi?
Togaroshi is a Japanese chilli that is used in making schichimi togaroshi. It is blended together with other ingredients like white & black sesame seeds, ginger, seaweed, chilli powder, orange zest and sichuan pepper. Thus getting it's name as Japanese 7 spice. It's available in most grocery stores and has a good kick to it so a little goes a long way!
Homemade Chips
Now technically you can buy some frozen chips and tbh there are some great options out there but by now you have probably learn't I like to cook from scratch wherever possible. Plus, we are trying to make this battered fish and chips recipe as close to your local fish & chip shop as possible and last time I looked they didn't roast their chips in the oven 😉
Let's start with the potatoes - typically look for a starchy potato like a russet, Maris piper, Desiree or brushed potato. Next, use a simple vegetable oil like canola and you are halfway there. Clean the potatoes with a scrubbing brush - don't worry about peeling them and then chop them into finger-sized pieces.
Here is where it gets a little technical. Par boil them at a low temperature first. Remove them from the oil, cook your fish at a higher temperature and then whack the potatoes back in at a high temperature. Trust me - you will have killer chips.
Toss them in the togaroshi salt and a little lime zest and you will have a bowl of homemade chips that you will be fighting over!
Wine Pairing
I know, I know you are thinking wine and fish and chips? I'm usually a diet coke fan or an ice-cold beer guy but trust me this pairing is perfection! What's more, it'll please the "boss" of the house too and every man knows who important that is!
We are heading back down to Tasmania with this pairing. For those of you who don't know Tasmania is an Island down the South of Australia. The climate is much like Ireland (my home country), cold and wet with a rugged landscape. There is one glaring difference - they make wine! And boy do they make some good stuff. Known globally for their great pinots & chardonnays they also produce some top quality riesling and gris too. This recipe we are sticking with one of the two main grape varieties - Chardonnay. BUT, we are having it in a different form. Blanc de blanc or "white of whites". This is the term given to sparkling wine made only using the Chardonnay grape. The guys over at Moores Hill produce an epic one and luckily for me I have teamed up with them to create this dish!
Described on their site as a wine that's great with oysters and "good friends" but your partner will also do for this battered fish and chips dinner 😉 It's a single vineyard wine, meaning all the grapes used to produce the wine came from one vineyard. As mentioned before it's 100% chardonnay too. For those of you questioning my sanity you honestly can't beat nice champagne and perfectly cooked fish and chips. Add a little Asian influence into the mix and you will be so grateful that you purchased more than 1 bottle after reading this!
The Moores Hill Blanc de Blanc itself is light, effervescent with fine bubbles. Lovely citrus notes with lime being the ones I picked up the most. A delicious creaminess to it with balanced acidity and good length. It's a wine that is perfect on it's own and even more perfect with my battered fish and chips recipe!
Alternative Fish Recipes
Inspired to whip up a few other fish dishes? Check out these recipes below for some inspiration any night of the week!
Grilled Salmon w/ Beet Hummus & Fennel Salad by Yours Truly
Tuna & Potato Patties by Alexandra Cook of 'It's Not Complicated Recipes'
Crispy Fish Tacos by Yours Truly
Smoked Salmon Pate by Robyn Jones of 'Mrs Jones Kitchen'
Cured Salmon by Yours Truly
Baked Whole Fish - Asian Style by Yours Truly
Easy Fish Tacos w/ Pumpkin Seed Pesto by Marie Roffey of 'Sugar Salt Magic'
Ingredients
- 300 g white fish snapper, cod, haddock, flake
- 600 g potatoes see blog post
- 600 ml canola oil
- 1 tsp lime zest
Salt
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp togaroshi
Aioli
- 3 tbsp wasabi paste
- 1 clove garlic
- 150 ml olive oil
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 2 egg yolks
Batter
- 50 g flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 100 ml sparkling water cold
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- wire rack
- baking tray
- mixing bowl
- large saucepan
- tongs
- food processor
Instructions
Salt
- Mix togaroshi & salt together and set aside
Aioli
- Add wasabi, egg, garlic, lime juice & salt to a food processor. Blitz to combine
- Gradually add the oil to the egg mix until it thickens
- If you aioli is a little too thick then you can add a splash of cold water
- Store in the fridge until necessary
Batter
- Add flour and togaroshi salt to a mixing bowl, gradually whisk the sparkling water in until smooth
- Store in the fridge until necessary
Potatoes
- Clean the potatoes and cut into finger sized pieces. Leave the skin on!
- Heat the canola oil to 140c and fry the potatoes for 6 minutes at 140c (you may need to do this in batches). Remove and leave on a baking tray to cool
- Fry fish (see next step)
- While fish is resting add the chips back in @ 180c and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until brown and crispy
- Remove to a bowl lined with paper towel
- Add a pinch togaroshi salt & lime zest, toss to combine. Adjust seasoning to your liking
Fish
- Heat oil to 180c
- Cut fish into 150g pieces and season with salt
- Dip in the fish in the batter until coated
- Place fish in the hot oil away from you so the hot oil won’t splash you
- Cook for 6 minutes or until the fish is golden brown. Bare in mind if your fish is very thick it will take longer to cook
- Remove, season with togaroshi salt and allow to cool on a wire rack while the chips cook
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- the salt will last for AGES so feel free to make a little extra. This is why we add the lime zest in separately so that there isn’t an expiry date
- cold batter means crispier fish – always use cold sparkling water and store on ice or in the fridge until ready to use
- cut your fish to even sized pieces so that it cooks evenly • Don’t overload the fryer or pot of oil – too many potatoes will drop the heat too low and you will have soggy chips
- the aioli will keep for about 3 days in the fridge
- if you want to make it easier you can buy wasabi kewpie mayo or even just mix mayonnaise/wasabi paste together #cheating 😉
Adrianne
Looks delicious Gavin! Everyone loves fish and chips.Great recipe.
Marie
This looks incredible. I love that the batter looks so light and that togaroshi salt and pickled ginger is pure genius.
Robyn
This looks amazing Gavin!! Such light and crispy batter - and I can’t wait to try those chips in togaroshi salt too!
AnotherFoodBlogger
That and the lime zest is KILLER on the chips 😉