Galway Hooker battered Ling, chips, lemon mayonnaise
Serves 2
Ingredients
· 2 x 150g ling (you can use any other white round fish, such as cod, haddock, hake, or cooley). Make sure your fishmonger removes the bones for you.
· 4 large rooster potatoes
· 200g strong white flour
· 1 bottle of Galway Hooker (you can use any other beer or water if you like)
· Pinch of yeast (fresh or dried)
· 1 lemon
· 450g good quality mayonnaise
· Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
· 2L rapeseed oil or sunflower oil (light, unflavoured)
· Some small greens, such a mizuna or baby spinach
· sea salt
Equipment
· deep fryer
· Sieve
· Balloon whisk
· tongs
· mircoplane
Method
1. Set the fryer at 140°C.
2. For the chips: cut the potatoes into finger sized lengths and blanch until soft. You should be able to pass a cocktail stick through the potato. They will be pale and without colour.
3. Turn the fryer up to 170°C.
4. Place some flour in a separate bowl and lightly dreg the fish to ensure an even coating of flour.
5. To make the batter. Sieve the rest of the flour into a bowl and season with some sea salt. Add the pinch of yeast. Whisk in the Galway hooker until you achieve a velvety consistency. You won’t need all the beer, so pour slowly. It’s roughly twice liquid to flour (200ml liquid to 100g flour)
6. Place the fish into the batter with the aid of a tongs. Left out and allow to drip. Ensure that the fish is evenly coated.
7. Place the fish into the fryer. Depending on the thickness of the fillet it will take 3-4 minutes. Keep an eye on the fillet so it doesn’t get to brown. It should have a nice golden colour. If your fillet is particularly thick you can place it in a 200°C oven for a further 3 minutes to ensure the centre of the fish is warm. The inside of the fish should still have a nice transparent texture and should not be too hot. It is importance not to overcook the fish as you’ll lose all the flavour and nutrients.
8. Drop the chips in a separate basket alongside the fish.
9. To make the mayo: place the mayo in a bowl and add the juice of half the lemon. Grate the zest of other half with the mircoplane. Add the parsley and mix thoroughly.
10. To serve: Dry the fish and chips on some kitchen paper to remove excess fat. Season both the chips and fish with some sea salt. Serve on a warm plate with the green and the lemon mayo on the side.
