Fish and Chips
Fish and chips is not simply a British dish — it is an accidental product of history: fried fish arrived in London with Sephardic Jewish immigrants in the 17th century, while the cut potato chip appeared in Lancashire in the 19th, where miners needed a fast, sustaining midday meal. Their combination on London street stalls in the 1860s created the Friday-night supper and the post-pub ritual that persist unchanged today. The beer batter with its fine bubbles — that lightly shattering coat — is the essence: not a pastry crust, but a shell of deep-fried air, golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.
Victorian invention
First combined in 1860s London — fried fish from Jewish immigrants, chips from Lancashire
Beer batter science
Ice-cold lager creates CO₂ bubbles that make the batter light and shatteringly crisp
180°C twice
Double-fry the chips: blanch at 140°C, then finish at 180°C for a fluffy centre and crisp shell
Malt vinegar + sea salt
The only condiment — applied the moment the chips leave the oil, not before serving
Ingredients 4 servings
- 4 cod or haddock fillets (about 180g each), skin removed
- 1kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), cut into thick chips
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying (about 2 litres)
- Batter: 180g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 300ml ice-cold lager or pale ale
- Salt and malt vinegar to serve
How to make it
- 1Cook chips in two stages: fry at 140°C for 8 minutes until soft but not coloured; drain and cool on a rack.
- 2Make the batter by whisking flour, baking powder, and salt together, then gradually whisk in ice-cold beer until the consistency of double cream — do not overmix.
- 3Pat fish fillets completely dry with paper towels.
- 4Heat oil to 185°C.
- 5Dust each fillet in the extra flour, shake off excess, dip into batter and let it drip for a few seconds.
- 6Fry 6–8 minutes — halfway through, spoon hot oil over the top for even crisping — until the batter is deep golden and crunchy.
- 7Drain on paper.
- 8Raise oil to 200°C and fry chips a second time for 3–4 minutes until golden and crisp all over.
- 9Serve immediately with salt and malt vinegar.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
