Fish and Chips

Now, I know that I seem to have a lot of "favorite" dishes.. but I think that Fish and Chips are by far my favorite! I don't know if it's because I douse my fish with loads of Ketchup (I'm slightly in love with Ketchup) or if its the delicious beer batter that is fried around those succulent pieces of Haddock. I have also come to enjoy mixing the whole plate together. I like to get a big scoop of fish, with a few garden peas, and maybe even a chip on the fork all at the same time (covered in Ketchup of course!)

Fish and Chips may be the epitome of Traditional British food. When I was leaving the United States to come over here, my family members were all raving about how good the fish and chips were going to be (especially compared to the fish that we get in Arizona, which is a landlocked state with no ocean or body of water within hours from us.) I think it is safe to say that I had to include Fish and Chips into my blog. For this entry I will look at the recipe from the ever so infamous, Gordon Ramsey, and his cookery book of "Great British Pub Food."

Gordon Ramsey and Michelle (The previous author who's cook book I examined) have polar opposite ways of writing. Gordon is very straight to the point, no funny business, "this is the way it is." type of author. Where as Michelle was very sarcastic, funny, and didn't really give many precise instructions, unlike Gordon. The first section of Gordon's book he makes sure that you know your measurements, and that you must use the top notch ingredients in his recipes. The one thing that I do like that Gordon does right away is give an alternative to his demands for pregnant women or others with health issues. "Use large eggs unless otherwise suggested, ideally organic or free-range. If you are pregnant of in an alternate health group, avoid dishes using raw egg whites of lightly cooked eggs." Throughout his introduction to the book he tells a brief history of British pub food and how it wasn't always common to eat traditional meals inside the pub. "The earliest taverns may have served bread and ale, but the concept of eating out had not been born. You ate at home and you went to the pub for your social needs."

His recipe is as fallows:

Hake with Mushy Peas

Hake
4 hake fillets, or other chunky firm- textured white fish fillets, about 140g each
50g plain flour, plus extra to coat
50g rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
sea salt and black pepper
450ml light ale
40ml vodka
1/2 tps runny
honey groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep- frying

Mushy Peas

Few mint sprigs, leaves only

350g frozen peas

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

To serve

 Chips 

Tartar sauce

Along with savory pies, fish n' chips with mushy peas represents true British pub food. Fry the chips first and keep warm in a low oven- uncovered to keep them crisp.