A real fish & chips experience in less time than it takes to wait for the takeaway. Look for cod loin fillets which are thicker, for best results.
If you’re in the mood to make your own chips rather than take the shortcut of a bag of frozen ones, this recipe is great. But for me, the fact that this meal is near-instant and incredibly low effort is a huge part of the attraction.
Feeds 2, but easily scaled up
Ingredients
Frozen chips you bake in the oven
2 x 140g cod fillets
¾ cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 ½ tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little more to drizzle over the fish
Salt and pepper
2 cups frozen peas
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, sour cream, crème fraiche – whatever you have)
To serve: tartar sauce, malt vinegar and ketchup
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425F / 220C / 200C Fan.
If you’re throwing in some oven chips, get those in and give them a head start.
Pour the peas into a saucepan and add 1/4 cup water and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and let cook for a few minutes.
While the peas are boiling and the chips are baking, mix together the crispy topping for the fish. All you do is mix together in a bowl the breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Dry the cod fillets with a paper towel then place on a parchment-lined baking tray. Drizzle the fish lightly with olive oil and sprinkle over a little salt and pepper. Press the breadcrumbs firmly on top of the fish into an even layer.
When the chips are 10 minutes away from being done, put the fish in the oven to bake. Bake the fish for 10 minutes, after which time it will be lightly golden and cooked through.
While the fish is baking, make your mushy peas. Transfer the peas and their cooking water to a food processor or immersion blender and add a small squeeze of lemon – 1 tsp at most – and the yogurt. Process until you have a rough puree. Taste and adjust the lemon and salt if required, then scrape the peas back into the pot you boiled them in to keep warm until the fish and chips are done.
To serve, spoon a generous mound of the mushy peas onto each plate and place the crispy fish alongside. Serve with chips, tartar sauce, malt vinegar and ketchup for the whole experience.
Caroline Feeds 