Portrush Fish and Chips
Crisp golden battered haddock served alongside thick-cut fluffy chips, capturing the quintessential flavour of Causeway Coast seaside dining.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 780 kcal
Equipment
- •heavy deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer
- •kitchen paper
- •slotted spoon or wire skimmer
- •large mixing bowl
- •wire cooling rack
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- fat
- 32 g
- carbs
- 82 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 42 g
- calories
- 780 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Soak the cut potatoes in cold water for twenty minutes to remove surface starch.
- 2
Drain the potatoes thoroughly and pat completely dry using a clean tea towel.
- 3
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep heavy saucepan to 130C.
- 4
Blanch the chips in batches for seven minutes until tender but not browned.
- 5
Lift the chips out with a skimmer onto kitchen paper and increase oil heat to 180C.
- 6
Whisk the plain flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt, and chilled ale together until smooth.
- 7
Dust each haddock fillet in plain flour, shaking off any excess.
- 8
Dip the fish into the batter, coating evenly, and lower carefully into the hot oil.
- 9
Fry the fish for six to eight minutes, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp.
- 10
Transfer the fish to a wire rack, then drop the blanched chips back into the hot oil.
- 11
Fry the chips for four minutes until golden and crisp, then drain and sprinkle with salt.
Chef's tips
Keep the ale or sparkling water ice-cold to ensure a light, shatteringly crisp batter. Blanching the chips first at a lower temperature guarantees a fluffy interior with a crisp exterior.
Ingredient substitutions
- pale ale → sparkling water or club soda
- haddock fillets → cod or whiting fillets
- Maris Piper potatoes → King Edward or Rooster potatoes
Storage
Best eaten fresh immediately, though leftovers can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one day.
Reheating
Reheat the fish and chips on a baking tray in an oven preheated to 200C for ten minutes until crisp.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overcrowding the pan, which lowers the oil temperature and creates greasy, soggy batter.
- •Skipping the initial low-temperature blanch for the chips, leaving the centres hard and undercooked.
- •Whisking the batter too far in advance, which causes it to lose its carbonated lift.
Serving suggestions
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