Fabulous Fish & Chips

 Fish and Chips are why I love Rhode Island! Do people in other states actually eat fish and chips? I have no idea? I never really thought about it. Fish and chips are uber popular in the summer in New England and mostly because they are so darn good!The light flaky fish and the crispy batter slathered in tartar sauce ( and ketchup.Yum.) If you missed my post before, I got the cod from Captain's Catch in Warwick, RI. They have a ton of great local seafood that comes in that day! You can't go wrong with fish that was caught that day.

I found a great recipe from Tyler Florence for this amazing dish. It uses rice flour instead of all purpose which makes the fish light and flaky. I also substituted amber beer instead of club soda. What can I say, I like beer batter. My batter was a bit thick so I added club soda so it was thinner. You don't want the batter to be super thick and make the coating uneven and the batter is uncooked. And of course I made my own tartar sauce ( Jay commented it was the best he has ever had.) Thanks Jay! This was the tartar sauce recipe I used.For the fries, soak them in ice water after you cut them to take out the starch so they get crispier when you fry them. We use that trick every time!


This recipe yields 4 Dinner size portions

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 3 large russet potatoes
• 2 cups rice flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1 (12-ounce) can soda water
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 (8-ounce) cod or haddock fillets, cut in 1/2 on an angle
• 1/2 cup rice flour, for dredging
• Malt vinegar, for serving

Directions

Heat 3 inches of the oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees F. Alternatively, use a deep heavy skillet.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into chips (that is, fries) about the size of your index finger. Put the potatoes in a fryer basket and lower into the oil. Fry the chips for 2 to 3 minutes; they should not be crisp or fully cooked at this point. Remove the chips to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.

Crank the oil temperature up to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Combine soda water and egg and pour into the flour mixture. Whisk to a smooth batter. Spread the rice flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter, letting the excess drip off.

Put the chips in the bottom of the fryer basket and carefully submerge in the hot oil. Carefully lower the battered fish into the bubbling oil on top of the chips. Fry the fish and chips for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown.

 Remove the basket and drain the fish and chips on paper towels; season lightly with salt. Serve wrapped in a newspaper cone with malt vinegar and/or tartar sauce.