Beer Battered Fish

We tend not to deep-fry food very often these days, but properly cooked, battered fish is one of life’s pleasures. The crucial point is to have the oil at the correct temperature; if it isn’t hot enough the batter will be soggy and oily. What you want is a crisp, golden coating that seals in all the moisture of the fish.

Ingredients

• 500 grams small gurnard fillets
• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 x 330 ml bottle dark beer (we suggest Guinness)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• To cook
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• canola oil

Method

• Batter: Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and gradually whisk in the beer and oil to make a smooth batter.
• To cook: Put 6 cm of canola oil in a heavy-based, medium-sized saucepan and heat to 180˚C on a sugar thermometer or until a piece of bread dropped into the oil turns golden within 30 seconds.
• Cut the fish into 10 cm pieces and dry with kitchen towels. Put the flour in a shallow dish and season well. Working with 2-3 pieces of fish at a time, coat in the flour, shaking off the excess then dip into the batter letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Carefully place in the oil and cook for 2-3 minutes turning once during cooking. Cooking time will depend on thethickness of the fish. Drain on kitchen towels and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Place on a wire rack in a warm oven while you cook the remaining fish. Serve with the Green Goddess Sauce or Lemon and Harissa Aioli below. Serves 4

Green Goddess Sauce

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup thick plain yoghurt
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped
• finely grated zest 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped herbs, use any combination of flat-leaf parsley,mint or basil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Combine the ingredients in a bowl and season. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 1 cup

Lemon and Harissa Aioli

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic
• finely grated zest 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons harissa paste
• Put the egg yolks, mustard, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor and blend. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil to form a thick emulsion. Season and add more lemon juice if needed. Place in a serving bowl and swirl through the harissa and zest. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 1 cup

Pantry note: Harissa (pronounced ‘hah-RITH-ah') is a fiery hot sauce from North Africa made from chilli, garlic, cumin, coriander and caraway. Available from good supermarkets and specialty food stores.

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