This Recipe is part of the New Years Bites 5 Finger Foods Menu
The classic combination of fish and chips is considered comfort food because it’s salty, crispy and fatty. This mini version of fried fish has been spiced up to pair well with wine. You can always add a few pesto fries to the newspaper cone, as well.
Ingredients
2.5 lb (1.13 kg) cod fillets, skinned, pin bones removed flour (for dusting)
Vegetable oil (for frying)
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
Pinch sea salt
1 bottle ale (12 oz/360 mL), ice cold
Sea salt (to taste)
Newspaper to serve in
Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
2 tbsp (25 mL) finely chopped fresh chives
2 tbsp (25 mL) finely chopped cucumber
1 tsp (5 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Directions
1. Combine all the tartar sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Cover it and refrigerate it until it’s needed.
2. Cut the fish, diagonally, into 12 pieces, each about 2 inches (5 cm) long and ½ inch (1 cm) thick. Pat them dry. Dredge them in flour. Let them rest on paper towel.
3. Fill a deep fryer with oil and heat it to 375°F (190°C). Cut the newspaper pages into rectangles about 3 x 6 inches (7.5 x 15 cm). Roll up each rectangle into a cone, with an opening about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter and a pointed end. Using a stapler, fold over the pointed end of the cone and staple. Repeat, making 12 cones. Set them aside.
4. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the ale slowly, until the batter is smooth and not too thick. (You will not need the whole bottle of ale.)
5. Dip the fish into the batter and then drop it into the hot oil. Fry the fish in batches. Turn it frequently, until it’s golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer it to a paper towel–lined baking sheet and keep it warm in the lower third of the oven.
6. Season the fish with salt, then put it into the mini cone. Add a dollop of tartar sauce on top. Repeat this process for all 12 cones. Serve the fish hot.<
Serves 4–6 (makes 12 pieces of fish)
Recipe and image excerpted from Orgasmic Appetizers by Julie Rosendaal. Published by WhiteCap Books Ltd. Copyright 2008 by Julie Rosendaal. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book now!
Thought that was sweet? You'll enjoy: