Fried Fish Minus the Chips

Directions:

1. Heat cooking oil or shortening in an automatic deep fat fryer or a skillet or wok to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2. Put some flour onto a plate. Dredge the fish fillets in the flour thoroughly.
3. Make the batter. Put flour, baking soda, salt and pepper into a large roomy bowl.
4. Add the beer gradually, stop when you have a thick coating type of batter. If there is any beer left – enjoy!
5. Whisk thoroughly until it is smooth with no lumps.
6. Add the lemon juice OR a splash of malt vinegar if desired. Mix thoroughly again.
7. Do one fillet of fish first. Hold it by the thin end, dip into the batter until well coated and slowly lay into hot fat or oil using a metal spatula.
8. As soon as it starts to crisp up, add your other fillets one at a time being careful not to reduce the heat of your oil too much between fillets. Frying time for a fillet should be between 6 to 10 minutes depending on the size.
9. Take out the first ones as they cook. Place onto a tray and keep warm in the oven that is set to 160 degrees.
10. When all the fish is done, serve with salt & malt vinegar.
11. This is a perfect time to drink the rest of the beer.

Note: We’ll leave it up to you to cook the “chips.” Some people like to save a few calories and bake them. Some people like sweet potato fries. It’s easier to use a small fryer like a Presto 05411 GranPappy Electric Deep Fryer for small batches but if prefer to fry in a skillet or wok that’s up to you.