Fish and chips - recipe

On today’s menu: battered cod, crispy chips and minty mushy peas to go with it… enjoy a very British meal of fish and chips! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English)
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Start by making the batter for the cod: in a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, the corn flour, the paprika, the active dry yeast, the milk, one egg yolk, a pinch of salt and stir until blended. There are many ways to make fish’n chip batter in the UK, some using beer: this is one of the most common recipes. Cover with cling film and allow to rise in the turned off oven with the light on for at least an hour and a half.
Finely chop a shallot and cook in olive oil on a very low heat for about 10 minutes, until softened; now add the shelled peas along with a ladleful of vegetable broth, a pinch of salt and cook until tender. Once the peas are cooked, reserve a couple of tablespoons and blend the rest of the peas. Add a few thyme leaves… that’s enough, you don’t want it to be too smooth, but it should be coarse in texture… and here’s our mushy peas! Move on to the chips: peel and cut the potatoes into sticks. Then place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water to release the starch and keep them from browning; pat them dry with a clean kitchen cloth, before using.
And here’s the secret to getting a crispy outside and soft inside: the potatoes are fried twice. Bring the oil to 266°F (130°C) and drop in the potatoes; fry for 3-4 minutes, then drain. After 4 minutes they are still pale in colour as you can see, but cooked through. Now move on to the fish. Here’s the cod: run your finger over the surface of the fillets to check for bones and remove any you find with tweezers. After an hour and a half of rising, the batter is full of tiny bubbles as you can see; all you have to do is dip the fish in the mixture and deep fry. Cut the cod into pieces as small or large as you like: in a restaurant, you’ll be served a large fillet of fish, whereas street vendors are more likely to serve you bite-sized pieces; it’s fine, as long as it’s thick like this. Meanwhile heat the oil to 340°-350°F (170°-180°C), no more. Dip the cod and deep fry. Fry for at least 7-8 minutes, constantly checking the temperature of the oil. We’re ready for frying the chips again until crispy: the oil should be at 345°-350°F (175°-180°C). And while I’m frying, let’s see together the ingredients needed for this recipe!
Ingredients
For 4 servings
- 1 lb (500 g) of cod fillets
- 1 lb (500 g) of potatoes
For the batter
- less than 1 cup (200 ml) of fresh milk
- 1 ½ tsp (6 g) of active dry yeast
- just under ½ cup (50 g) of all-purpose flour
- just under ½ cup (70 g) of corn flour
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 pinch of salt
For the mushy peas
- 2 cups (300 g) of green peas
- just over ¼ cup (70 ml) of vegetable broth
- 1 shallot
- a little extra virgin olive oil
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 1 pinch of salt
For frying
- 2 cups (500 ml) of peanut oil