This classic beer-battered fish and chips recipe is really simple and easy. The secret to making your homemade chippy tea taste like it's from a fish and chip shop is to use a thermometer to check your oil and fish temperatures. This will help you create perfectly cooked fish with a nice crispy batter.

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Notes

Serves: 4

Difficulty: easy

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cooking temperatures: 190 °C for the oil, 60 °C for the fish

How to make homemade fish and chips without a deep fryer?

Homemade fish and chips are easy to make without a deep fryer. Simply fill a large pan with oil and heat it to 190 °C.

Use a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature and ensure it's maintained throughout the cook. If your oil temperature is too high, it can spoil the flavours; if it is too low, the batter can become mushy and overly greasy.

How to make fish and chip batter?

Fish and chip batter is so easy to make. It's a simple combination of flour, baking powder and beer. Combining rice flour with self-raising flour and ensuring your batter is really cold before dipping your fish in it will help to create a lovely light and crispy coating for your fish.

What to serve with British fish and chips?

A classic recipe for British fish and chips would not be complete without some peas. We've opted for buttery mushy peas with double cream for extra indulgence. 

You can also never go wrong with a big dollop of homemade tartare sauce. We've included our favourite easy tartare sauce recipe; all you have to do is combine five ingredients.

A squeeze of lemon juice on your fish and a drizzle of malt vinegar and ketchup on your chips is also essential.

Ingredients

For the tartare

• 4 large dill gherkins
• 8 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp double cream
• Seasoning
• Juice and zest of half a lemon

For the batter

• 120g self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 250ml cold lager, or more if needed
• Seasoning

For the fish

• 4 cod fillets
• 2 tbsp rice flour, or more if needed
• salt, to taste
• vegetable oil for frying

For the chips

• 4 large Maris Piper Potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt, to season

For the mushy peas

• 500g frozen green peas
• 3 tbsp double cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ tsp dried mint
• Seasoning

Directions

To make the tartare sauce

• Finely chop the gherkins and combine them with the mayonnaise, cream and lemon. Season to taste.

To make the chips

• Heat your oven to 220 °C/ fan 200 °C/ gas mark 7. Cut each potato into sticks with a width and thickness of 1cm. Boil in a large pan of water for 5 mins, then drain well.
• Tip the potatoes into a roasting tin, evenly coat with plenty of oil and season well. Bake for around 25 minutes, turning the potatoes at least twice, until golden brown and crisp.

To make the mushy peas

• Whilst the chips cook, prepare the peas and fish. Gently boil the peas until cooked.
• Drain, then add the cream and butter. Blitz the mixture with a hand blender.
• Add the mint and season to taste. Keep the peas warm whilst you fry the fish.

To make the fish

• Gently whisk self-raising flour, rice flour and baking powder together. Keep in the freezer until ready to use.
• Using a piece of kitchen towel, pat the fish fillets to dry them as much as possible. Cut into pieces, whichever size you'd like best. Place some rice flour on a plate and season with salt. Dust the fish lightly with the mixture and shake off the excess.
• Heat the oil in a deep pan to 190 °C, turn the heat down to maintain a steady heat and monitor it with your Thermapen to ensure it doesn't drop.

• Remove the flour mixture from the freezer. Pour the beer into the mixture and whisk, adding more as needed, until it's the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Dip the fish pieces into the batter to coat, allowing the excess to drip off as you remove them.
• Use a pair of tongs to lower the fish fillets carefully into the hot oil. Fry them in batches until the batter is golden and crisp and the core temperature reads 60 °C on your Thermapen. Drain on paper towels before serving.
• Serve the fish with homemade chips, a generous serving of mushy peas and a big dollop of tartare sauce.

Laura Tulloch

Thermapen Chef & Caterer

@laura_sussexfoodie

"I love my Thermapen, it really helps me cook with confidence. As a caterer the health and safety of everyone you cook for is paramount, but that doesn't mean you have to compromise with your cooking. A simple reassuring check with the Thermapen throughout the process is all that's needed to allow you to enjoy, and confidently serve what you've made."