If given the choice between something sweet and something fried, I will always go for the fried; even better if it is of the salty variety. I don't deep fry at home for reasons of both health and fear but am a big believer in shallow frying when the need for crispy hits.
Also, though obviously not an extra amount of oil that you would like to add to your calorie plan on a daily basis, shallow frying when done right does not add as much fat to your meal as you would think. Try the experiment that I periodically attempt just to check: measure exactly how much oil you use, measure the amount of oil that you have left when you are done cooking and eyeball the amount that you would further like to subtract based on how greasy the paper towels you used to absorb the excess are. See? Not that much in the long run.
L. remembers buying fish and chips in a newspaper cone from when we lived in London and requests this from time to time. My version is not authentic since I serve it with oven fries. Also, if you like a beer batter this is not the recipe for you.
Recipe:
2 lbs firm white fish (I used halibut) cut into 12 equal pieces
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsps cornstarch
1 tsp salt
2 tsps Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup ice cold water (or soda water which apparently makes an even lighter batter though I have never tried this)
3 Tbsps vegetable oil
Mix the flour, the 1/4 cup of cornstarch, the salt, the Old Bay and the baking powder together in a bowl.
Add 1/2 cup of the water to the batter. You want a thick batter so start with that and add more of the remaining water if necessary. I have used anything between 1/2 cup and 1 cup of water to get my batter how it should be, depending on the flour. The amount of water always seems to vary but basically you want something that is slightly thicker than pancake batter.
Dredge each piece of fish in some of the remaining 2 Tbsps of cornstarch. I find the best way to do that is to put the cornstarch in a plastic bag and, adding a couple of pieces of fish at a time, shake the bag to cover the fish in a thin layer of cornstarch. Lay the fish out on a plate in preparation for cooking them.
Heat 1 Tbsp of the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Working quickly, dip pieces of the fish into the batter and allow excess to drip off before adding to the pan. I usually cook 4 pieces of fish at a time in order to allow them space in the pan to fry rather than steam. Repeat this manoeuver several times, adding more of the oil as needed until all the fish is cooked.
By this I mean, cooked until golden brown, turning once. It is hard to give timing as it depends on the size and thickness of the piece of fish. My halibut took 3 minutes per side and I lowered the heat to medium part way through so as not to burn the batter. I have made this with tilapia filets and they only required 90 seconds per side
As the fish is cooked, put it on a plate lined with sevral layers of paper towels to absorb excess grease. Serve at once either with lemon, tartar sauce or malt vinagar. Whatever you do, do not put these in a low oven to keep warm or you will see your delicious crispy batter turn to mush. Trust me; I know this for a fact. Serve with oven fries.