Easy Crispy Fish and Chips Recipe (No Beer) | Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
Fish and Chips, both deep-fried – with the fish fillets coated in a thin, crisp batter and the chips (french fries, in this case), give a satisfying crunch as most of the moisture is removed. Both tender and sweet on the inside, the flavours intensify with a drizzling of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add in the freshly made, zesty and tangy homemade tartar sauce – it’s a real summer party in the mouth (although we are in December)!
Although there is just so much deep-fried food that one can consume before feeling full, the lemon and citrusy flavours of the tartar sauce cut through the oiliness, making each bite delicious.
Mouth-watering and super appetising, this dish is perfect to enjoy on any occasion. The bursts of citrus in every bite, the tenderness and juiciness of the fillets and the soft crunch of fries are such a joy for the family.
Serves 2 adults.
Ingredients
Fish fillets, which were pat dry and cut in half so they would fit my serving plates.
Cooking oil, which is unscented. I used a blend of Canola oil.
For the batter, I used:
- Crispy Flour, which is homemade. Tempura flour can also be used if preferred. I recommend using the Gogi Tempura brand.
- Cayenne powder, for a little spice in the flour. This is optional.
- Salt, to taste. It is used in marinating the fish, a pinch in the tartar sauce and with the french fries.
- Water (iced). Using iced water slows down gluten from forming, resulting in a thin batter coating.
French Fries, which were straight from the freezer.
A whole lemon, cut into wedges, and with the seeds removed. It is used as both decoration and garnish for the fish fillets.
I used the following ingredients to make tartar sauce:
- Mayonnaise, which is the main body of the sauce. It was slightly sweet as well.
- Capers
- Dill
- Sugar
- Lemon zest
- Yellow mustard
- Parsley
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make this Easy Fish & Chips Recipe:
- Make the tartar sauce.
- Heat the oil.
- Cut the lemon into wedges.
- Marinate the fish.
- Prepare the flour.
- Make the batter.
- Coat the fish in flour and batter and fry until golden brown.
- Remove the fish fillets from the oil.
- Fry the French fries until crispy.
- Remove from the oil.
- Assemble the dish.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips
- To get a nice, crisp batter, the fish should be pat as dry as possible. This also reduces oil splashes from happening.
- When the fish fillets are deep-fried in 1 layer (without overlaps), they will cook evenly. There is also a smaller chance of getting stuck to each other.
- While the fish is cooking for the first 5 minutes, avoid moving it as much as possible. This is because they can get stuck to the bottom of the pan, which may cause them to break. If they are stuck, allow them to cook until the 5 minutes is up, or until the bottom turns golden brown. The fish fillet will separate from the wok on its own.
- Flour droplets are removed before adding the french fries to prevent burning and causing the oil to become bitter.
- The french fries are added to the strainer as an intermediary to prevent ice crystals from the packet, from going straight into the hot oil. This prevents sudden oil splashes.
- I moved the french fries a little once they were submerged in the hot oil, before leaving them alone to fry until all the moisture escaped. This is optional.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
With all deep-fried food, it is not recommended to keep these fish fillets or french fries once cooked, either in the fridge or in the freezer, as the crispy batter tends to soften over time. Once kept in the fridge or freezer, the fillets will tend to dry out. While it can be deep-fried once more (or double deep-fried to get its coating crispy again), it might become a little too oily.
However, the tartar sauce can be kept refrigerated in a clean, air-tight container for about a week or so. It’s perfect on its own, as a dip with chips, or any other deep-fried foods. It’s not recommended to keep in the fridge as the ice crystals may alter the texture of the tartar sauce.
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Easy Crispy Fish and Chips Recipe
Equipment
- Hand Whisk
- Mixing Bowl
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Wok
- Wooden Chopsticks
- Turner
- Strainer
- Food Tongs
Ingredients
Tartar Sauce
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 10 g capers, chopped
- 10 g dill, chopped
- 5 g parsley, chopped
- 3 g lemon zest, from half a lemon
- 2 tsp yellow mustard
Flour Coating & Batter
- 120 g crispy flour, homemade or tempura flour
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch salt
- 60 ml iced water, added gradually, 25ml each time and then 10ml
Deep Fried
- 500 ml cooking oil, unscented
- 2 fish fillet
- 1 tsp salt, to marinate fish
- 350 g french fries, frozen, unthawed
- 1/8 tsp salt, for the french fries
Garnish
- 1 lemon, cut to wedges, with seeds removed
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix together mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar, lemon juice, capers, dills, parsley, lemon zest, and yellow mustard until very well combined. Taste and adjust. Transfer the tartar sauce in an air-tight container and keep it in the fridge.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium heat for about 8 minutes.
- Cut one lemon into wedges and remove the seeds.
- Pat dry the fish with a kitchen towel. Optionally, cut it in half to fit the serving plates.
- Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt all over the fish fillets in 2 parts, and gently pat them to distribute the salt evenly on both sides.
- Make the flour batter and flour coating. Transfer 60g (or half) of the crispy flour onto a plate and set it aside. Add the rest of the flour to a mixing bowl, along with cayenne pepper powder and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly with a whisk until combined. Add 60ml of iced water gradually in 25ml increments, mixing thoroughly until a wet, thin batter is achieved. Set it aside.
- Place the fish, dry flour and flour batter next to the wok. Dip a pair of wooden cooking chopsticks into the oil. If bubbles form at the tips, it is ready for deep frying.
- Coat one fish fillet with dry flour thoroughly all around, before shaking off the excess flour. Dip the fillet in the wet batter next, coating it generously. Shake off the excess batter, and carefully submerge it completely in the hot oil. Repeat with the rest of the fillets, until finished or there is no more space in the wok. Ensure that none of the fillets are not overlapping each other.
- Fry the fillets for 5 minutes on one side. Carefully separate them if they get stuck to each other. Flip to the other side, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Remove them from the hot oil, shaking them to drip off excess oil. Transfer to a cooling rack and set aside.
- With a fine mesh strainer, strain and discard any and all the flour droplets in the oil.
- Place the french fries into the strainer. Carefully lower the strainer into the hot oil. Let them fry for about 5 minutes. Then, continuously stir fry for 3-4 minutes, or until crispy and evenly golden brown.
- Switch off the heat. Remove from the hot oil with a strainer and add them to a cooling rack lined with oil-absorbent paper. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp of salt over the fries and give them a light toss.
- Place the fried fish fillet on the serving plate. Add a handful of french fries. Scoop about 1 tbsp of tartar sauce and place it on a saucer. Serve the fish and chips with the tartar sauce and 1 or 2 lemon wedges.
Notes
- To get a nice, crisp batter, the fish should be pat as dry as possible. This also reduces oil splashes from happening.
- When the fish fillets are deep-fried in 1 layer (without overlaps), they will cook evenly. There is also a smaller chance of getting stuck to each other.
- While the fish is cooking for the first 5 minutes, avoid moving it as much as possible. This is because they can get stuck to the bottom of the pan, which may cause them to break. If they are stuck, allow them to cook until the 5 minutes is up, or until the bottom turns golden brown. The fish fillet will separate from the wok on its own.
- Flour droplets are removed before adding the french fries to prevent burning and causing the oil to become bitter.
- The french fries are added to the strainer as an intermediary to prevent ice crystals from the packet, from going straight into the hot oil. This prevents sudden oil splashes.
- I moved the french fries a little once they were submerged in the hot oil, before leaving them alone to fry until all the moisture escaped. This is optional.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!