Beehive fish and chips, mushy peas, tartare sauce

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Dominic Chapman's fish and chips recipe is a true classic, taking the time to make proper mushy peas (using marrowfat peas, of course), a piquant tartare sauce, beautiful crispy chips and fantastic haddock.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Haddock

Mushy peas

Mayonnaise

Tartare sauce

Batter

  • 350g of plain flour
  • 90g of cornflour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 850ml of soda water

Chips

Equipment

  • Deep-fryer

Method

1
For the mushy peas, dissolve bicarbonate of soda in 200ml of water, add the peas cover with 4 inches of water above the peas. Soak for 24 hours
2
Rinse well, cover with fresh water 3 inches above the peas, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and season with salt and pepper. Finish with fresh mint, parsley, lemon and adjust seasoning
3
To make the mayonnaise for the tartare sauce, whisk the egg yolks and mustard together. Add the white wine vinegar and whisk again
4
Slowly start drizzling in the oil, whisk well until all the oil is used. If the mayonnaise becomes too thick, add a splash of water to thin out. Correct the seasoning and add the lemon juice to taste
5
To make the tartare sauce, measure out 100g of mayonnaise (you can save the leftovers for another dish) and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Taste for seasoning
6
To make the batter, combine all of the dry ingredients whisk in the soda water. Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
  • 350g of plain flour
  • 90g of cornflour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 850ml of soda water
7
For the chips, peel potatoes and cut chips to the required size. Rinse the chips under cold water for 5 minutes then store in water until required
  • 1kg potatoes, (chipping potatoes such as Maris Piper)
8
Fill a large pot with water, add the chips then place on stove with a lid on top. Bring the water to a simmer and cook until chips begin to soften and crack
9
Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the chips from the pan and allow to steam on a tray in a single layer. Once they have stopped steaming they are ready for the next stage
10
Preheat the fryer to 145°C
11
Place a basket of chips in the fryer making sure that you do not overfill the basket. Cook chips for 8 minutes – they must form a dry crust but have no colour. Once cooked, store on a tray in a single layer and allow to cool
12
Finish the chips at 190°C for another 8 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crisp. Season with salt and keep hot while cooking the fish
13
To cook the fish, dust the fillets in a light coating of flour then individually dip them into the batter. Transfer straight to the fryer as quickly as possible
14
Fry the fish for 5-6 minutes until golden brown and crispy. You may need to do this in two batches if your fryer is small to retain the heat of the oil
15
Drain on kitchen paper, season with salt and serve with the mushy peas, tartare sauce and wedges of lemon
First published in 2015

Dominic Chapman's passion for food is in the blood: his family has owned and run the highly acclaimed Castle Hotel in Taunton for over 60 years.

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