Fish and Chips – Vis en Slap Tjips | Chew and Chatter

Fish and Chips – Vis en Slap Tjips

A little over a week ago I got together with some girl friends, and naturally the discussion moved to some of the traditional foods we all ate when we were still in South Africa. It did not take long for us to come up with a long list of items we all missed. At the top of the list was the good ‘ole “Fish and Chips,” we could all literally smell the vinegar and lick the fat from our fingers before the end of the discussion. Several of the ladies asked me to add a recipe to the blog.  The attached photo is from our lunch today. Since the technology for “smell-a-vision,” or is that “smell-a-blog” is not there yet, you will have to make this yourself to lose yourself in the glorious smell of vinegar, fish, chips and hot oil. “Fish and Chips,” is a British culinary habit that the South African’s picked up.

I did not have to go far to get the perfect recipe. Till recently my dad’s sister, Rita, had a Fish and Chips Shop (A Take Away) in Brakpan, South Africa, and people drove for miles to get their oily paws on this delicacy. So I feel honored to post this recipe from a master on my blog. Rita tells me that she cooked as much as 150 bags of potatoes a day. In South Africa a bag of potatoes weighs 35 pounds. Imagine peeling 5250 pounds of potatoes a day, I would rather run away than sign up for that job. Rita mentioned that she worked with a smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks to improve the quality of the product, and after eating this for lunch today I can tell you that it was worth every tear, and smile.

In our conversation we also talked about my mom, Rita’s sister-in-law. Rita said as young woman they were really happy to have my mom as part of their family. My dad’s sisters used to say that “she comes from the same potato plant,” referring to the fact that she works just as hard as they did. Looking at the amount of chips Rita made per day, I am afraid I came from a different potato plant.

One of the secrets for these chips is in the fact that you wrap them in paper. After a second fry to crisp the chips up, they are wrapped in paper.  The paper keeps the steam in and creates a soft and “sloppy” chip. In the “old days,” or as my kids would say “the black and white time,” (referring to a time when movies were made in black and white) the fish and chips were wrapped in newspapers. In recent years butcher’s paper has replaced the use of newspapers. Since I wanted to preserve the old day feeling and I asked a local English Pub if I could buy some of their specially treated “newspaper.” They obliged, hence the lovely wrapping around my dish.

Serves 5

Ingredients

Chips

• 9 medium potatoes, peeled, washed and sliced – I used Yukon Gold – see TIPS
• 8 -10 cups (2,5 l) of Canola or Peanut Oil
• 1 onion sliced
• salt
• vinegar

Fish

• 1 cup (250 ml) flour
• ½ teaspoon (2,5 ml) baking powder
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water
• 2 pounds (about 1 kg) cod or hake
• ½ – 1 teaspoon (2,5 ml – 5 ml) salt
• pepper to taste
• 3 table spoons (45 ml) flour (keep separate)

Directions

Chips (twice fried)

    1 Pre-Cook: Heat the oil in a deep skillet or pot to 350° F (180° C). Add potatoes to the hot oil, make sure that potatoes are dry before adding it to the oil as water in oil will splatter and can cause bad burns. Cook chips about 20 minutes till very light brown. Remove chips from the oil. Cool down.

 

 

 

 

 

2 Five minutes before serving reheat the oil to a high temperature. Add the onions to the oil. Add the pre-cooked chips to the oil. Fry the chips for another 3 minutes till crispy and light brown. Remove the chips and onions from the oil when done. Place the chips and onions on butcher or parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and vinegar, and wrap in the paper.

 

 

 

 

 

Fried Fish

1 Use the remaining oil after the chips has been fried. Heat oil.

2 Clean and dry fish. Sprinkle salt and pepper on each side of the fish.

 

 

 

2 Mix the flour, baking powder, warm-water and egg yolk with a whisk till smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

3 Dip the fish in the 3 tablespoons flour and then in the egg mixture.

4 Slowly drop the fish in the hot oil.

5 Fry till brown, about 5 – 7 minutes.

 

 

 

6 Serve with lemon wedges, chips and vinegar.

TIPS

1 Feel free to use russet potatoes instead of the Yukon gold. The Yukon gold gives a chip with a very yellow color, which is not very traditional, but it is all I had in the house.

2 It can also be served with mushy peas as the English would do.

3 A metal frying rack is convenient to place the chips into the oil, and to remove it all at the same time.