Fish and Chips be with You

“Ruling a large kingdom, is like cooking a small fish.”
(Handle gently and never overdo it)
Lao-tse, Chinese philosopher (6th century BC)

It’s Lenten season and one of my favorite dishes to cook and eat is the delicious Fish and Chips. The recipe originated from England, and was immensely popular among the people because it was relatively inexpensive, the United Kingdom having vast fish resources and is quite easy to prepare. It is wrapped in newspaper or brown paper to absorb the excess oil from the fish, which is deep fried in animal lard or vegetable oil. The term ‘Chips” refers to potato wedges or French fries, and is accompanied with salt and vinegar sauce, though the more popular choices today are tartar sauce which is mayo based or tomato ketchup. There are numerous choices of fish that can be used, ranging from sole fish, monk fish, cod, snapper, but any white meat fish will do. The batter maybe thick or thin and adding breadcrumbs is an option.

In my version I like to use what the Japanese call Kisu or locally known as “Asohos” because of its soft texture and great flavor. Baking powder is added to “fluff” the batter, giving more volume while the baking soda gives a crispy exterior. When deep frying there should be enough oil to cover what you are cooking and it should be very hot. To check if it is at the right temperature get a wooden chopstick and put it at the center of the pan, if there are plenty bubbles, then its perfect, or use an oil thermometer and wait until it reaches 375 degrees. When frying, lower the fire and gently add fish to the pan. Raise the heat to high when enough fish is added. This helps lessen the spattering while cooking, giving you more confidence and less chances of oil hitting your hand. Wait until the fish floats up and the color is golden. Collect and place on paper towels to remove the excess oil and transfer to basket or plate. For the chips instead of using the usual potato for French fries, I like to use sweet potato or yellow camote. After cutting into wedges, place in ice cold water to prevent discoloration. Dredge in cornstarch then dip in the same batter as fish. Deep fry for two minutes, remove, transfer to napkin or newspaper lined plate or basket.

For many, Holy Week is a time for reflection, sacrifice, and prayer for everything that has happened in our life. We thank and continue to pray for the Lord’s blessing. May peace be the journey and fish be with you at the dinner table.

Philippine Style Fish and Chips

1) For the Fish: ½ kilo Asohos-cleaned and spine removed. Season with 1 tsp. each of Rock salt, liquid seasoning. Add in ½ tsp. pepper and 1 Tbsp. Calamansi juice.

2) Dredge in 1 cup all purpose flour.

3) Dip in Batter: Mix together in a bowl: 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup cornstarch, 1 tsp. each of salt, baking powder, baking soda, 2 cups water, 2 whole eggs

4) Deep fry in very hot oil until fish floats (few seconds only so fish is crispy outside, moist inside). Drain in Paper napkins.

5) For the Chips: 1 kilo sweet potato (camote or yellow variety). Cut into wedges ½ inch thick, 2 inches long. Soak in cold water until ready to fry to prevent discoloration. Drain. Dredge in 1 cup cornstarch, the dip in batter (#2). Deep fry until Golden Brown. Drain on paper napkins.

6) For the Dip: Mix in a bowl: 1 tbsp. crushed garlic, 1 tbsp. sugar, 2tbsp. soy sauce, 2 cups vinegar, 1 tsp. coarsely ground peppercorns. Top with 1 small violet onion, peeled and sliced into rings.

Erns Top 4 Fish And Chips

1) Fish and Company Shangri la mall has really good fish and chips, cook well and has a nice batter.

2) TGIF Fridays-High school would not be complete without their fish and chips, also very delicious.

3) Chilli’s-Thick batter, big servings can’t go wrong!

4) Burgoo’s-Fish is moist inside and nice color, very consistent dish

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