Fish & Chips...yes please!

After a summer of being spoiled having dinner prepared by our lodge chefs (Thank you Bruce, Jake & Bronco) we like to get home and play in the kitchen cooking whatever sounds good. No surprise we have had fish tacos a couple of times already, they are a favorite around here, but what did surprise me was a request for deep fried halibut. There are so many options, preferences and recipes for deep fried fish it is really up to you which recipe you use.

I grew up eating fried fish with a lovely thick layer of breading and seasoning. Kelly prefers a lighter breading that really lets the flavor of the fish shine through. I wanted to try a new recipe and lucky for Kelly the result was a nice flakey light breading. To me the breading seemed a little bland so I added some lemon pepper, next time I think I will try Old Bay or Creole seasoning, nothing like a little spice! I also made an amazing homemade tartar sauce…make this one a couple of hours ahead of time to let the flavors mix together; I will admit I love lots of pickles in my tartar sauce, so I doubled mine, don’t be afraid to play with the recipe. I fed the family vegetables with our fish because I was trying to be a little more healthy but I really wanted to turn this into fish-n-chips with a little malt vinegar…drooling! Make extra for lunch leftovers the next day and I have even used the batter for onion rings. This one is a keeper!

Enjoy ~ Momma Mary

Tartar Sauce

2 Cup Mayo

2 TBS Dill Pickle Relish (I doubled this)

1/3 Cup Celery chopped fine (I didn’t have any, left it out)

1/3 Cup Onion, minced

2 TBS Lemon Juice

1 TBS Worchestershire Sauce

Pinch ground Mustard (1/8 tsp)

Pinch Salt (1/8 tsp)

Pinch Ground Pepper (1/8 tsp)

1. Combine all tartar sauce ingredients and mix well.

2. Chill 1-2 hours

Fish Batter

1 Cup Bisquick Mix

½ Cup Water

1 Egg

½ tsp Salt

Optional:

· 1 ½ - 2 tsp Lemon Pepper

· 1 ½ - 2 tsp Old Bay

· Get creative and add what sounds good to you!

1. In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients until just combined. The batter should be on the runny side.

2. If the batter is to thick, add additional water, 1 TBS at a time

Chips – Because I couldn’t resist!

4 to 5 russet potatoes

1. Peel and cut into thin sticks

2. Spread on paper towels, do not rinse

Now, Let’s Make Something Amazing!

1 ½ Pounds Fish, trimmed and cut into pieces ¾ inch thick

Oil for frying

**Hint: To keep fish from getting oily keep the oil temperature above 350 degrees**

The Chips…

1. Pour oil a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven or deep fryer, heat to 365 degrees. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Add the potatoes in batches and fry until they begin to turn golden, about 5 min.

3. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

4. Move potatoes to a sheet pan and bake until crisp, about 5 min. Once crisp reduce the oven to 200 degrees.

5. Before serving sprinkle potatoes with salt.

The Fish…

1. Pat halibut dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

2. Dip fish into the batter, allow excess to drip off, CAREFULLY lower into oil.

3. Fry until golden, time will depend on the size of your fish.

4. Transfer fish to an oven proof dish and place in oven.

Serve with Tartar Sauce and garnish with lemon wedges and ketchup if you like…malt vinegar would be yummy on the potatoes as well!