Battered cod and chips

  • medium
  • 4
  • 1 hour 30 minutes
Not yet rated

In this classic cod and chips recipe, Josh Eggleton coats cod fillets in a crisp, golden batter infused with lager and pale ale to create a light as air finish. Served with homemade chunky chips, crushed garden peas and tartare sauce this dish is the pinnacle of British comfort food.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Fish fillets

Batter

Tartare sauce

Crushed peas

Chips

Equipment

  • Deep fat fryer
  • Food processor

Method

1
For the batter, whisk together the plain flour, cornflour, lager, ale and curry powder until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside
2
To make the tartare sauce, stir the capers and cornichons into the mayonnaise along with the shallot, egg and lemon. Season to taste with salt and pepper and finally fold in the parsley
3
For the crushed peas, make a garlic butter by mixing the crushed garlic clove with the butter in a small bowl. Set aside
4
Add half of the peas to a food processor and roughly blend – you want a crushed texture, not a smooth purée
  • 250g of frozen peas, defrosted and drained in a colander
5
Place a saucepan over a moderate heat and add the rapeseed oil. Gently sauté the minced shallots for 2 minutes, then stir in 2–3 tablespoons of the garlic butter mixture (any excess butter can be stored in the fridge and used in other dishes)
  • 2 shallots, very finely minced
  • 2 tsp rapeseed oil
6
Once the butter has fully melted, add the whole and blended peas to the pan with enough chopped mint to taste. Keep stirring everything around for a few minutes until the peas are heated through. Season to taste and keep warm until needed
7
Preheat a deep-fryer to 140°C
  • groundnut oil, for frying
8
For the chips, cut the potatoes lengthways into slices about 2cm wide, then cut each slice lengthways into 2cm thick chips
9
Place the raw chips in a large pan, cover with cold water and season well with salt, allowing about 30g of salt per litre of water
10
Heat the pan over a high heat and when the water is barely at a simmer, drain the chips in a colander and allow the chips to steam themselves for 5 minutes
11
Tip the chips onto a tray, spread out evenly into a single layer and leave to cool to room temperature
12
Fry the chips until they are soft, but are still pale and retain their shape. Lift the chips out of the oil and turn the deep-fryer up to 180°C
13
Trim the cod, remove any pin bones and if the fillets are damp, pat dry with kitchen paper. Dust each piece of fish in seasoned flour and dip in the batter to coat
14
Gently lower each piece of fish into the deep-fryer and fry until the fish is floating and the batter is golden – this should take 5–8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish
15
Remove the fried fish and drain thoroughly on kitchen paper. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining fish in the same way
16
When ready to serve, fry the chips until golden (about 3–5 minutes) drain well and serve hot with the fish, crushed peas, tartare sauce and a wedge of lemon
First published in 2016

Josh Eggleton turned down jobs with some of Britain’s most renowned chefs in order to follow his dream of running his own establishment. At The Pony Chew Valley, he cooks modern British food with an emphasis on sustainability and artisanship.

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