Beer & Vodka Battered Fish & Chips

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Ingredients

Battered Fish:

200g plain flour

200g white rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp honey

300ml vodka

300ml lager

2-3 sunflower oil

4 large turbot fillets

Sea salt, to season

Black pepper, to season

4 lemon wedges, for serving

Triple Cooked Chips:

1.2kg Maris Piper potatoes

2-3 litres groundnut oil

Sea salt

Pea Purée:

450ml water

300g frozen peas

Handful of mint

Sea Salt

Squeeze of fresh lemon

Method

• 1.For the chips, wash and peel the potatoes then cut into 1.5cm thick chips.
• 2.In a bowl, run the chips under cold water for 2-3 minutes to rinse off the starch then drain.
• 3.Boil a large pan of salted water, add the chips and simmer until the potato has almost broken up.
• 4.Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the water and place on a wire rack. Set aside to cool then refrigerate until cold.
• 5.Pour enough oil to cover the chips in a deep-fat fryer (or large sauté pan) then heat to 130C.
• 6.Add the chips and cook until they are slightly coloured. Remove and drain off excess fat using the wire rack. Allow to cool, then return to fridge until cold.
• 7.Reheat the oil to 190C, add the chips and cook until golden brown. Drain well and season with salt.
• 8.For the fish batter, add the plain flour, rice flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
• 9.Put the honey and vodka in a jug, mix well then pour into the flour to create a batter mix.
• 10.Open the lager and slowly pour in until fully combined in the batter. It’s important you don’t open the lager early as you need to retain the bubbles.
• 11.Put the batter into the fridge.
• 12.In a large pan, add enough groundnut oil to cover the fish and heat to 220C.
• 13.Rinse and pat the turbot fillets dry. Dust lightly with rice flour to ensure the batter sticks.
• 14.Dip each fillet into the batter then when it’s fully coated, lower into the hot oil.
• 15.As the fish fries, add a little batter over the top, to give it a crusty exterior.
• 16.When it’s a light, golden brown, turn it over and drizzle more batter on the other side. Cook for another minute until the colour is a deeper golden brown.
• 17.Drain on a wire rack or paper towels. Repeat with the remaining fillets.
• 18.For the pea purée, bring a large pan of water to the boil.
• 19.Add the peas, salt and mint then simmer for 5 minutes until the peas are tender.
• 20.Drain the peas, add them to a blender with the mint and purée until you have a smooth paste.
• 21.Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a knob of butter for extra richness.
• 22.Plate up your fish, chips and pea purée then dig in the old-fashioned way!