Battered Fish

As in fish and chips without the chips. I initially had other plans for the fish I bought but decided to make this instead. A friend of mine told me about a recipe she had for battered fish that was oh so delicious, and although I told her I try to avoid deep fat frying, I ended up craving it for the rest of the week.
The main issue I have with deep fat frying is that it stinks up your whole house, including the people in it and their hair. And especially if you don’t do it very often you have the problem with the leftover oil, what are you suppose to do with it? I made it anyway. There are probably a lot of baked varieties for this, but those are just big fish stick, and fish sticks do not make me happy.

Many recipes out there use beer or sparkling water as a liquid. I assume because the bubbles will create a light batter that will result in a better crust. What I did was add baking soda to the flour and vinegar to the liquid ingredients. Baking soda reacts to acid making it foam and bubble, and the bubbles keep longer than with a fizzy liquid.
A few things you need to keep in mind:
Use a very generous amount of oil for frying , if you happen to have a deep fat fryer use that without the net.
I fried them in a wide pan (not non stick) filled with oil, the batter seemed to be sticking to the bottom of the pan, I just made sure not to turn or even move them until I say that the edges where turning golden brown. Meaning the first side was done, then with a metal spatula lifted out the fish but scraping the bottom underneath it, in case it still stuck, and flipping it gently in one movement.
I’m assuming you’re planning to serve this with other things, make sure everything is ready. This cooks very fast and is best served immediately.

Battered Fish
Serves 2-3
500 grams (1lb) white fish fillets, boneless (I used cod)
225 grams (1 ½ cups) of plain flour, divided
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika powder (or cayenne powder)
½ tsp baking soda
180 ml (¾ cup) water
2 tbsp vinegar
oil for frying

If you're starting out with frozen fish, make sure it's thawed and pat dry. In a bowl whisk together 150 grams (1 cup) of flour, paprika, baking soda, salt and pepper. Put the rest of the flour (75 grams/ 1/2 cup) on a plate. In a separate bowl mix water and vinegar. Over medium high heat, heat your oil in a big pan. If you're not using a deep fat fryer make sure the oil is at least 3-4 cm (inch and a half) deep. The oil should be hot and ready, add a drop of batter if it sizzles and floats up immediately, it is ready.
Add the water with vinegar to the bowl with flour and stir until combined. Dredge a piece of fish in flour, shake of the excess and dip into the batter, make sure the fish is completely covered and let the excess batter drip back into the bowl.



Carefully put the fish into the hot oil. Fry about two pieces at a time. They need about 3 minutes on the first side and an additional 2 minutes or so on the other side. (you probably don't need to turn them if you're using a deep fat fryer, but the overall cooking time will be about 5-6 minutes) Make sure they are golden brown, and try to tun them just once during frying. Only batter the fish the moment you are ready to fry them.

Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon and tartare sauce if desired*

*I make mine by mixing one part yogurt one part mayo and a handful of finely chopped cornichons. Add black pepper, salt a splash of vinegar if it needs it.