Updated: by Marc Matsumoto · 75 Comments
I’m leaving this post up for the curry sauce, but please see this updated Fish and Chips post for making fish and chips. Before you start thinking that this blog has turned into a golden arches franchise I should explain the recent streak of deep fried food. I hardly ever deep fry food, so when
Recipe Pin
UPDATE: I'm leaving this post up for the curry sauce, but please see this updated Fish and Chips post for making fish and chips.
Before you start thinking that this blog has turned into a golden arches franchise I should explain the recent streak of deep fried food. I hardly ever deep fry food, so when I do, I like to get the most out of the oil. Since I'd used half a bottle of oil for the chicken cracklins, I started running through the long list of deep fried goodies I've drooled over in the past months.
State side, good fish and chips are tough to come by. While it may seem simple, it's all too common to end up with a platter of greasy fried batter smelling of old oil with dry bits of fish in the middle along with soggy burnt fries.
For my version I used a mixture of flour and cornstarch, along with a few seasonings and baking powder, then hit it with some ice cold beer (using cold beer prevents strands of tough gluten from forming in the batter). For the fish, I chose cod since it looked the best at the market, but it also happens to be my favorite for making fish and chips. It's just firm enough to hold up to frying, with a nice balance of fat and meat that keeps it moist without being too oily. The result is a light, crisp shell holding a moist, tender fillet of cod. The shell was so crisp in fact, that when I took some leftovers out of the fridge the next day, it was still crisp.
For the chips, I went with a double fry, once before frying the fish then a second time after to get them really crisp. The first fry cooks the potatoes and forms a thin skin, free of moisture, that then becomes crisp when you dump them back into the hotter oil. This also gives the fish a chance to cool off a bit, so you don't burn yourself when you bite into it. If you have some batter left and really want to go nuts, try beer battering some on their way into their second fry.
I'm not a huge fan of tartar sauce, so instead I made a simple curry sauce. Along with some malt vinegar or lemon juice, it makes for a fantastic condiment for both the fish and chips.
📖 Recipe
Fish & Chips with Curry Sauce
4.67 from 3 votes
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Units
Ingredients
for curry sauce
- ½ onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ⅓ teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- ¾ cups low sodium chicken stock
for chips
- vegetable oil (for frying)
- 2 large russet potatoes (cut into ¼" sticks)
for beer battered fish
- 1 pound cod (cut into 4 strips)
- 1 cup all-purpose
- ¼ cups cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup beer very cold (plus some extra if needed)
Instructions
make the sauce
Add 2 tablespoons of oil into a small saucepan and fry the onions over medium heat until they are soft. Add the ginger and garlic and continue frying until they are very fragrant and browned all the way through. Add the curry powder, ground coriander, and flour and fry until saturated with oil and fragrant. Add the ketchup and stock then whisk, cooking until the sauce thickens up just a bit.
fry the chips the first time
Add about ¾" of oil to a heavy bottomed pan (cast iron ones work great), and heat over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees F. Carefully lower some potatoes into the oil without overcrowding the pan. Fry until they are limp but not brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and fry the rest of the potatoes.
for beer battered fish
Mix the flour, cornstarch, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl. Put about ½ C of the mixture into a shallow pan or bowl and dust the cod with the mixture.
When the chips are done, raise the temperature of the oil to 375 degees F. Add ¾ tsp of baking powder to the unused flour mixture in the bowl then add about 1 C of cold beer. Gently stir until just combined (it's okay if there are still a few lumps), and add more beer if the mixture seems too thick (should be like thick pancake batter). Dip the cod in the batter, coating and allowing any excess to drip off and place in the hot oil.
Fry until golden brown on one side then flip and fry until golden brown on the second side. Transfer to paper towel lined wire rack and repeat until all the cod is fried. Sprinkle with sea salt.
fry the chips the second time
Add a handful of potatoes into the hot oil and fry until crisp and golden brown. Repeat until all the chips are fried. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Plate a mound of fries, top with a piece of fried cod and serve with curry sauce and a wedge of lemon or malt vinegar.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Kathy Stroup says
Wow, what a great method! I love cod for fish and chips, too. You seem to have gotten over your frying aversion since moving to Japan.😊 You got me frying again! I will make this; we have been craving fish and chips, and the good shop we used to go to has closed.
The Curry Sauce is new to me. I usually put so much Malt Vinegar on I don't need any other condiment! I have some Banana Ketchup I made a while ago to go with Lumpia and I may have to get that out. It's so good! Or maybe I'll try making Tartar Sauce with the Preserved Lemons I made last week. As I've said before, I never make anything without checking your site. I'm rarely disappointed.😍Reply
Marc Matsumoto says
Now you have me craving fish and chips Kathy 🤣
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shenadebee sucks juevos says
By diction i would say shenadebee is british, maybe why they are hating on this fish and chips dish. Regardless; if you think ketchup, chicken stock, curry powder, garlic, flour, ginger, and onion are too complicated ingredients for a sauce to heat and mix together, you might be missing the point of this blog. And eating.
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fusiondesigner says
nice sauce tried it today blog
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I HATE SHENADEBEE says
Aye aye aye! people like you 'shenadebee' dont know how to talk properly-allow swearing on someone elses website-flippin heck its only food, not even that, it's only sauce. if you wanna know how to make a simple sauce recipe-go learn to become a chef, or a sauce person dont go takin it out on other people and their mums.
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ShenadeBee says
i searched for simple sauce recipies not f*ckin 8 ingredient ones-bloody hell some people dont understand the f*ckin meanin of simple. i feel sorry for your f*cked mum for havin such a f*cked kid!
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Debbie Pierce says
You are absolutely awful! If eight ingredients are too much for you...move on to something that you DO consider simple! No need to be insulting. This recipe is one of our family favorites.Reply
Marc Matsumoto says
Cold soda water should work fine. As for frozen fillets, they will work, obviously there will be a difference in taste and texture.
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Tara says
Do you have a substitute for the beer? And is it okay if I use the normal frozen fishfilletsinstead of cod? Thank You
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Peko says
Yum! That looks REALL yummy.
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Peko says
Yum! That looks REALL yummy.
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Kevin (Closet Cooking) says
I really like the sound of serving fish and chips with a curry sauce!
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Kevin (Closet Cooking) says
I really like the sound of serving fish and chips with a curry sauce!
Alex says
Love it, looks amazing
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Alex says
Love it, looks amazing
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Ursula says
sounds delicious. I love anything fried. It's like window shopping, you get to sample the food without really eating it!
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Carolyn Jung says
I usually like the tang of malt vinegar on my fish and chippies. But curry sauce? Oooh, you have something there. I love curry so I can totally see the two going together. A great idea!
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Ursula says
sounds delicious. I love anything fried. It's like window shopping, you get to sample the food without really eating it!
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Marc Matsumoto says
You're both welcome to come over if you're ever in NYC:-)
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Marc Matsumoto says
There are so many foods in the world I've yet to try too!
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Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for telling me! I had no idea I was even nominated:-)
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Marc Matsumoto says
I'm usually the same way. It makes a mess, uses a lot of oil and is bad for you, but in this case I'll say it was worth it:-)
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Carolyn Jung says
I usually like the tang of malt vinegar on my fish and chippies. But curry sauce? Oooh, you have something there. I love curry so I can totally see the two going together. A great idea!
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[eatingclub vancouver] js says
This looks amazing! So hard to get good fish and chips here. "Do we have to do everything ourselves?" I'd rather angle for an invitation to your home. LOL
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Yvo says
I'm so with you. Why is it so hard to find good fish'n'chips here in NYC? I grew up here, so I'm not even sure where this standard to which I'm holding them hails, but ... yeah.
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Nuria says
I would have gone for cod too! 😀
Never tried fish and chips, can you believe that? Of course I've coated and fried fish and had some chips aside, but not the "original" one. I think I will go for your coating mixture!
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[eatingclub vancouver] js says
This looks amazing! So hard to get good fish and chips here. "Do we have to do everything ourselves?" I'd rather angle for an invitation to your home. LOL
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Yvo says
I'm so with you. Why is it so hard to find good fish'n'chips here in NYC? I grew up here, so I'm not even sure where this standard to which I'm holding them hails, but ... yeah.
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Cate O'Malley says
Couldn't find an e-mail contact on your website, but thought you'd like to know that your site is a finalist in the Food Blog Awards on The Well Fed Network (www.wellfed.net).
Reply
Nuria says
I would have gone for cod too! 😀
Never tried fish and chips, can you believe that? Of course I've coated and fried fish and had some chips aside, but not the "original" one. I think I will go for your coating mixture!
Reply
Cate O'Malley says
Couldn't find an e-mail contact on your website, but thought you'd like to know that your site is a finalist in the Food Blog Awards on The Well Fed Network (www.wellfed.net).
Reply
diva says
wonderfully cooked f&chips. i couldn't eat it with curry sauce, i think my stomach would just give way. but one of my girlfriends will die for you just to have this. curry and chips is a massive thing for her 😀 x
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Peter says
Marc, frying is perfectly justified when it comes to fish & chips. I'm diggin' the curry twist!
PS. Congrats on your nomination at Well Fed...I voted right!
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Elra says
Definitely bookmarking this!
Cheers,
ElraReply
diva says
wonderfully cooked f&chips. i couldn't eat it with curry sauce, i think my stomach would just give way. but one of my girlfriends will die for you just to have this. curry and chips is a massive thing for her 😀 x
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Peter says
Marc, frying is perfectly justified when it comes to fish & chips. I'm diggin' the curry twist!
PS. Congrats on your nomination at Well Fed...I voted right!
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noobcook says
terrific recipe! what a great idea to use curry sauce instead of tartar ... and the fish looks perfect!
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Peter G says
Sensational Marc! You've explained the whole process so well! The curry sauce is a nice touch!
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Syrie says
Great looking fish and chips. I do the double fry on the chips too and they always come out perfect. The curry sauce is an interesting combo. Cod seems to be the perfect type of fish to fry too.
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Nicole says
Yum! I have been hungry for fish and chips for a while myself. I read that post from "We Are Never Full" too. AND I got a deep fryer for Christmas. I must try this soon.
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Elra says
Definitely bookmarking this!
Cheers,
ElraReply
Zenchef says
Gosh, i wish i could have some of that for dinner. Love Fish & Chips and i love the photo of the fish frying in the cast iron pan.
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The Duo Dishes says
Gosh. When someone slides a plate of fried goodies to you, isn't it rude to say no? You must say yes and eat all of it greedily. So if this is what you're going to make us eat, then by golly, we have to eat it!
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noobcook says
terrific recipe! what a great idea to use curry sauce instead of tartar ... and the fish looks perfect!
Reply
Peter G says
Sensational Marc! You've explained the whole process so well! The curry sauce is a nice touch!
Reply
Jilly says
I just love deep fried food sooooo much. I don't do it very often but I really enjoy it. Have you tried frying with rice bran oil-the smoke point is so hot that fried goodies come out crisp!!
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Syrie says
Great looking fish and chips. I do the double fry on the chips too and they always come out perfect. The curry sauce is an interesting combo. Cod seems to be the perfect type of fish to fry too.
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Nicole says
Yum! I have been hungry for fish and chips for a while myself. I read that post from "We Are Never Full" too. AND I got a deep fryer for Christmas. I must try this soon.
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Zenchef says
Gosh, i wish i could have some of that for dinner. Love Fish & Chips and i love the photo of the fish frying in the cast iron pan.
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The Duo Dishes says
Gosh. When someone slides a plate of fried goodies to you, isn't it rude to say no? You must say yes and eat all of it greedily. So if this is what you're going to make us eat, then by golly, we have to eat it!
Reply
Vin de la Table says
I saw Jamie Oliver pour Guiness into a fish and chip batter a while ago, and haven't heard of beer batter for fish since. Happy to find this, and props for frying in cast iron.
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Jules says
As a Brit I love Fish & Chips with both mushy peas and curry sauce. Your Fish & Chips looks delicious. I'll have to give your curry sauce a try.
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Jilly says
I just love deep fried food sooooo much. I don't do it very often but I really enjoy it. Have you tried frying with rice bran oil-the smoke point is so hot that fried goodies come out crisp!!
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Scott at Realepicurean says
Yeah, now that's British food alright! Still, most chips over here are actually single fried in cheap oil...
I'm sure yours taste better though
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Vin de la Table says
I saw Jamie Oliver pour Guiness into a fish and chip batter a while ago, and haven't heard of beer batter for fish since. Happy to find this, and props for frying in cast iron.
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Marysol says
I can't begin to tell you how good that looks to me. Even if I am an active member of WADF (women against deep frying), I'd still be willing to give deep-frying a try, once again, if I can get results like that.
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Jules says
As a Brit I love Fish & Chips with both mushy peas and curry sauce. Your Fish & Chips looks delicious. I'll have to give your curry sauce a try.
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We Are Never Full says
heck yeah for the double fry! thanks for the shout-out. your curry sauce recipe looks great. there's nothing as comforting than a big plate of fish and chips.
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Scott at Realepicurean says
Yeah, now that's British food alright! Still, most chips over here are actually single fried in cheap oil...
I'm sure yours taste better though
Reply
manggy says
Aah! I love it. Fried food is good for the soul. And I don't like tartar sauce either-- curry is a wonderful accompaniment.
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Tartlette says
We were just saying last night we were both craving fish and chips (watching British movies does that to us I guess!). I love the curry sauce with those!
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pigpigscorner says
Curry sauce..yummy! I've never tried making fish & chips too, I try to avoid deeep frying anything in my kitchen.
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Marysol says
I can't begin to tell you how good that looks to me. Even if I am an active member of WADF (women against deep frying), I'd still be willing to give deep-frying a try, once again, if I can get results like that.
Reply
Mari (Mevrouw Cupcake) says
I have never attempted fish and chips at home, but your images are making me want to! Mouth...watering.
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We Are Never Full says
heck yeah for the double fry! thanks for the shout-out. your curry sauce recipe looks great. there's nothing as comforting than a big plate of fish and chips.
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Christie @ fig&cherry says
Double fried chips = heaven!
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manggy says
Aah! I love it. Fried food is good for the soul. And I don't like tartar sauce either-- curry is a wonderful accompaniment.
Reply
Tartlette says
We were just saying last night we were both craving fish and chips (watching British movies does that to us I guess!). I love the curry sauce with those!
Reply
pigpigscorner says
Curry sauce..yummy! I've never tried making fish & chips too, I try to avoid deeep frying anything in my kitchen.
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Rasa Malaysia says
This is a great idea Marc. I always have curry, and I got myself a brand new professional deep fryer during Christmas, so I might have to try this out the next time when I have curry. 🙂
Reply
Mari (Mevrouw Cupcake) says
I have never attempted fish and chips at home, but your images are making me want to! Mouth...watering.
Reply
Christie @ fig&cherry says
Double fried chips = heaven!
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Tan says
WoW!! interesting with curry sauce. So bored with tartar sauce. Very interesting and thank you for sharing and idea.;)
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Rasa Malaysia says
This is a great idea Marc. I always have curry, and I got myself a brand new professional deep fryer during Christmas, so I might have to try this out the next time when I have curry. 🙂
Reply
Tan says
WoW!! interesting with curry sauce. So bored with tartar sauce. Very interesting and thank you for sharing and idea.;)
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