Tonight I traveled to Seattle for their famous Pike Place Fish and Chips on page 384.
I love fish and chips! When I was a child growing up in Brooklyn there was an Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips right down the block. My mom and I would eat there about once a week and I always looked forward to it. For me, biting into the firm, flaky white fish with a golden crispy fried batter is one of life’s great pleasures and nothing compliments it better than chips.
Martha’s recipe is easy to make and creates a light and crispy batter. I made one change to the batter, I used half beer and half cold seltzer water. The reason I prefer to make it that way is because I find that the yeast in beer weighs down the batter a little, however it does provide a nice, rich flavor. That’s why I like to do it 50/50, so that I can get the flavor of the beer and the lightness of the seltzer water. I also made a curry aioli as a dipping sauce which is a nice change from the usual tartar sauce that’s typically served with fish and chips. I also did the chips more like french fries, because that’s my personal preference. Can I just say that if you don’t have your own deep fryer, you really should get one? It’s so much easier to fry up a tasty little comfort meal like this one if you have a little fryer equipped with baskets. I consider my deep fryer one of my most important kitchen staples, right up there with a stand mixer. Sure, you can use a heavy pot and wait for it to come to temperature and use a slotted spoon, but the deep fryer makes it so much easier and is also safer to work with. Like hot sugar, hot oil is no joke and you need to work safely to avoid getting any splattered on you.
Martha’s fish and chips go great with a cold beer on the side! This is the perfect summertime meal that’s easy to make and tastes great.
