Salt + vinegar “chips”
Chips are essentially English fries except maybe a bit chunkier. You can use this same technique to make regular French fries; they’re equally delicious!
There will be a full How-To coming to my YouTube on how to make proper fish n chips but this should hold ya over for now!
I use russet potatoes but Maris piper or other starchy potatoes would do great too!
As you cut your potatoes to an even thickness let them sit in some salted water until you finish. Next we’re going to boil the potatoes until they begin to get a bit chalky on the edges. It’s important not to boil them too hard as you will expel crucial starches and just over cook your potatoes, it’s actually more or a simmer than a boil. Once cooled, pop em in the fridge on a cooling rack so they can “dry out” a bit. We want as little as moisture as possible in these potatoes for a super crispy exterior.
After they have dried for a few hours we can start our first fry; 300 degrees for about 3 or 4 minutes. We’re essentially poaching them, par cooking so we can fry at a higher temperature later and still insure a perfectly cooked center. Make sure to let this cool on a cooling rack, dripping off any excess oil.
Lastly, one more fry at 375 for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown
For our seasoning blend, its kind of a cheat code but if you haven’t tried @spiceology malt vinegar powder then you’re missing out. This stuff is INCREDIBLE and soooo versatile.
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1-2 teaspoons malt vinegar powder
Now its no secret, the key to any good dish is quality. Grab yourself some fresh fish, the variety isn’t as important as whatever you can get fresh. Just look for a mild white fish, like cod or haddock.
As for the fry, well I’m not gonna lie, this recipe is a remix of @thehestonblumenthalteam
The main step we’re taking from Heston is his use of vodka instead of using all water or club soda. The alcohol evaporates faster than water, therefore allowing the exterior to get super crispy as it cooks at a rapid rate. It helps to “dry” out the exterior to have more of a crunch to it. He also doesn’t use AP flour but brown rice flour. I don’t have brown rice flour, but I do have amaranth flour, which is another grain that leads to a crispy coating.
My Recipe:
100g AP flour
100g amaranth flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp corn starch
150ml vodka
150ml club soda (beer also works, just use something carbonated)
1 tsp honey
Good pinch of salt
Make this mixture at least 10 minutes ahead of time. You need time to activate the baking powder, its going to promote more active bubbles in the batter, more bubbles to trap air = crispier exterior.
Fry at 375 for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown the the bubbles around the fish have slowed down. It’s important to salt immediately when it comes out of the fryer. Serve hot with fresh chips, lemon wedge and malt vinegar