It works fine with dried sage which I think is what the chippies use. Not sure what the chippies use for batter but I use (measured in say a mug) half a cup of flour, then quarter of a mug of liquid (usually 50% malt vinegar/50% water). Beer in place of the vinegar is popular also.
You don 't use vinegar in batter. For four people(this is recipe from a chippy, it's obviously the same for fish or a pattie)... 125g flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 230ml beer oil for deep frying 4 fish fillets extra flour for coating Mix flour, baking powder, salt and beer in a bowl, stirring until a smooth batter is formed. Heat oil in heavy bottomed frying fan until very hot. Coat fish in flour first then in the batter. Add to the hot oil - taking care as this is very dangerous - and fry for 2 minutes until the batter is crispy and brown all over. Cook only 1 or two pieces at a time, so you don't overcrowd the pan. Remove fish and place on a piece of kitchen paper to drain before serving.
Malt vinegar is fine. Makes really nice tasty batter if you get the quantities right. Certainly not enough difference in taste to using beer that people should get all sniffy about it like they do. Masterchef has a lot to answer for.
Thanks OLM and Anal Frank. I will start with mash and dried sage for the patties and I'll try your batter recipe OLM. I've made fish and chips many times and have become quite proficient. I Usually use Old Speckled Hen for my beer batter as it's about the only English ale that I can find. Do you have a preferred beer?
I've never heard of using vinegar to make batter, tap water, sparkling water or beer yes but never vinegar
Malt vinegar in batter is fine, as long as it's not over half of the liquid used . Theakstons is a good lively bitter to use in batters. Only use dried sage in Patties ( mashed pots, dried sage, white pepper and salt, shape and leave to rest before dipping in batter) and be careful not to add too much as it tends to overpower the end product.
I used this batter exactly as posted with Heineken as I had it on hand and couldn't be bothered to source English beer. The fish (halibut) was caught yesterday and flown in from BC. It and the chips were fantastic. The patties were well received and considered tasty and interesting. I thought they were a bit "soft" unlike a fishcake which is the texure I remember for patties (experimentation to follow). I suspect patties are a Hull variation of "space filling food" ... like Yorkshire pudding and Ukranian perogies - inexpensive ingredients but stomach filling and tasty By the way, this forum gives me an opportunity to stay connected with my home town and I really appreciate it. Any word on St. Mathews? Although,I never had fish and chips there, I was christened and attended bible class. For all the good it did, I'm a non-believer now. Cheers.
Agreed, it's too good to put batter on anarll. Had a ride out last night to the chippy next door to the Black Swan at Wetwang, they were very nice but the fifty mile ride home was, putting it mildly, firkin' freezing!
Did you fridge them before battering/frying them, I believe this is necessary for the right consistency?
I used to live next door to a trawler skipper. Used to give us Halibut all the time. Bloody gorgeous.
Yes but probably not for long enough because I ran out of time. Next time I'll prepare the patties and refrigerate them well in advance of the cooking time. Thanks again for your help.
