Did you know this week is National Chip Week? I’m not really sure what makes the 18th through the 24th of February so darned chipper, but I have no qualms setting aside a few days out of the year to celebrate Britain’s most satisfying side.
For my own little private spud fest, I had a go at Great British Chefs’ two traditional fish and chips recipes: one by Nathan Outlaw and the other by Josh Eggleton. I found both recipes to add a subtle touch of gourmet panache to this classic gourmand dish. I thoroughly enjoyed cooking each. Something I liked about both was that they don’t yield to the cult of cod. Outlaw’s recipe calls for hake; Eggleton’s recipe haddock.
Please note that both the recipes include peas, which I didn’t make (when’s National Mushy Peas week?). Instead, I decided to focus on the frying aspects of the recipes and to have a fresh salad alongside my fish and chips. Also, I was able to buy all the ingredients with minimal shopping effort except for pomace oil (for Eggleton’s tartar sauce – I substituted with olive oil and nut oil) and fresh chervil (for Outlaw’s tartar sauce – I used a teaspoon of Bart’s brand dried chervil instead). It’s also worth pointing out that my photos do no justice to how good the plated food actually tasted. The stuff coming out of my kitchen usually tastes pretty awesome, even if it doesn’t always look that way.
Traditional Fish and Chips | Josh Eggleton
Here’s a breakdown of the two recipes and the highlights of preparing and eating them in my home kitchen.
The Fish
Haddock (Eggleton) was the heartier fish for deep frying. Don’t get me wrong; the hake (Outlaw) was absolutely gorgeous, just really delicate. Each was about as tasty as the other.
The Batter
I found both equally scrummy. One thing to keep in mind: Outlaw’s lists ale only while Eggleton includes lager as well. Real ale lover? Go with Outlaw. Cooking for guests and not sure how finicky they are? Eggleton’s 150ml lager/150ml ale mix might be the safer bet. With a pinch of dried yeast as an
ingredient, Outlaw’s batter goes on thick. With just a touch of curry powder, Eggleton’s had a certain unusual but totally complementary zing to it.
The Chips
Hmmm … loved ’em both and wouldn’t be against making either again. I’m more accustomed to frying with floury Maris Piper potatoes (Outlaw). So giving the firmer Désirée potatoes (Eggleton) a try was fun for me. Eggleton’s chips were cooked in ground nut oil resulting in (obviously) nuttier flavour (Outlaw’s recipe suggest vegetable oil). Aside from choice of oil, differences seemed minor.
The Tartar Sauce
Pretty similar recipes. Outlaw’s was considerably more herbaceous. Eggleton’s suggestion of grating a hard boiled egg and mixing it into the mayonnaise was like a revelation to me.
Fish and Chips with Tartar Sauce | Nathan Outlaw
And the Winner is …
Me! Seriously, each recipe rocked my palate in its own special way. Maybe Nathan Outlaw’s demands a little more cookery skill and results in a more refined result while Eggleton’s was a more solidly old school experience. I’d probably go with some sort of a la carte approach next time around – Eggleton’s haddock and batter with Outlaw’s sauce, for example. And I reckon that’s one of benefits of having Great British Chef’s collection of recipes at my fingertips: I can pick and choose, experiment while learning from the pros, and develop my own repertoire of cooking.
