FISH AND CHIPS!

Would I make it again?  DEFINITELY.  Serve with an ice cold beer.

Before making fish and chips for David's parents (they're from England, I'm sure they're connoisseurs!), I decided that we better give it a try for ourselves first!  Thanks to David, Maritel, DJ, and Aileen for going on this impromptu adventure with me!

Here's the original recipe that I used, but just for the fish (you'll soon find out that FoodNetwork.com is my go-to for recipes):
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/fish-and-chips-recipe2/index.html
My modifications (for whatever reason - didn't have something on hand, wanted something simpler, etc.) are in red -

The fish:

• 6 to 8 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (for the batter)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 ounces amber beer (Used RedHook MudSlinger) 
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• +/- 2 teaspoons garlic powder and cayenne pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (for dredging the fish)
• 2 pounds cod white flesh fish cut into 4-ounce strips 
• Served with chipotle garlic mayo, garlic mustard mayo, tartar sauce, and malt vinegar (not all mixed together!)

The fries:

3 large russet potatoes

Salt

1. Peel and cut potatoes - then put them in a bowl covered with ice water and refrigerate for 1/2 an hour to rinse off some of the starchiness.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, beer, eggs and half of the salt, pepper, and garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Whisk until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour (had it in the refrigerator for about half an hour)
3. Heat oil in large pot or in an electric deep-fryer to 275 degrees F.
4. Cook the fries for 5 minutes just until they're light in color and soft.  Take them out and let them cool.  Meanwhile, heat the oil to 375 degrees F.
5. Dredge the fish in the all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder 
6. Working in small batches, submerge the fish in the batter and carefully place into the hot oil  (as I've learned watching numerous deep fried establishments on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and the like, holding it halfway into the oil first so that it doesn't sink to the bottom and make the batter stick to the basket is key before dropping it in completely!)
7. Fry the fish until golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook until golden on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove the fish from the fryer and transfer to a wire rack positioned over a baking pan so that the fish can drain.  Repeat the process for the remainder of the fish.  
8. Next, cook the fries at 375 degrees for 5-7 minutes until they look golden brown and crisp.  Salt right after you take them out of the fryer.

We kept the cooked fish in the oven set at 270 degrees, as we previously heard that it would keep the fish crisp and warm, but alas, it got soggier, so David suggested dropping it back in the oil after the fries right before serving for a minute or so and that worked out perfectly!  (He keeps me in check.)

Step 1

The batter before it thickened up in the refrigerator - it should look thicker than this!

Chipotle Garlic Mayo (LOVE Chipotle Chile Powder) on the left and Dijon Mustard Garlic Mayo on the right

Possible changes for next time:

1. Possibly cut the fries more uniformly so they cook to the same crispness - unless you have a crowd who likes the mix!

Let me know how I did on my first blog!  It feels super long and detailed, but I wanted to make sure to note my modifications.  I'm sure I've forgotten other things too, so feel free to ask questions.  I know I definitely forgot to take more pictures in the process; that'll take some learning.  Thanks for reading if you've gotten this far!