Sometimes, only Fish and Chips will do.
Not often, in my case, but when you fancy them they are the food of the Gods. We had some last night, on the way back from seeing an art exhibition. We bought them from the 'Sea Shell in Lisson Grove'. And they were very good.
Other times, I rather enjoy making my own. And this is what I do...
First, prepare your chips. Peel and chop some spuds into the size of chip you like. This is very important. With chip-shop chips, there will always be some too big or too small for your taste. And there will always be at least one chip which is a bit 'green' at one end. This is your chance to have chips exactly as you like them.
Now, pop into the garden and harvest about a tablespoon of rosemary. Pull the leaves off the woody stems and put them into a pestle & mortar with some chopped garlic cloves (two or three, depending on the size). Add freshly ground pepper and some Malden sea-salt. Pour in a good slug of olive oil - it doesn't need to be expensive stuff, you're just cooking with it.
Now, smush all that up until you have a greenish paste. Par-boil the chips in salted water for just a few minutes, no more.
Put the oil & garlic/rosemary goo into a roasting tray and heat it on the stove for a moment. Add the chips and mix it all up with a slotted spoon. Another sprinkle of salt & pepper and chuck it into an oven at gas mark 6. It'll be done when the chips are as brown as you like them.
Now, the fish.
For me, it has to be Cod, but any white fish will work. It should be a boneless fillet, though. Bones have no place in fish & chips.
Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of plain flour into a bowl and season with lots of salt and pepper. Dredge the fish through the seasoned flour. Then wait until the chips are almost done.
Now, get a cast iron frying pan and heat some olive oil. When it's hot, lob in the fish. If there's skin on the fish, cook it skin side up for just a minute or so. Then turn it over and watch it like a hawk.
In a very short time it'll start to flake. As soon as it does, the fish is ready. Just a few minutes is all it takes. Don't over-cook it, whatever you do.
That's it. A little lemon juice on the fish, and serve.
Do try it. It's so good.
