Fish & Chips — fresh from Alaska healthy seas

What is life in Alaska without fresh-from-the-sea fish? After a day on a charter finding halibut with my dear friends (including Hannah fish slayer) and my dear friend Captain Jim, I learned that pacific cod can move into the super secret halibut spots and decimate your quest for halibut. Apparently, when you hook the halibut their white bottoms flash attraction—usually they are top-side up which is a great camouflage pattern. This attracts the cod into the spot and that’s what you start catching—time to move. Most people toss the cod back over but in my world they make excellent fish and chips. As for the chips, most people use russet potatoes—pretty much starch and many are GMO—I went with the yellow fingerling potatoes; local Alaska grown. This is truly an amazing and fun dish. Simple to make once you catch and filet your fish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Preparation

Potato fries:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, if desired.
2. Place potato slices in a bowl then toss with oil, salt and pepper. Arrange on the baking sheet so “fries” do not touch and have space in between to crisp up.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes take out of oven and flip chips to crisp the other side; bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until crispy on the outside while not overcooked on the inside.

Fried Fish:

1. How you portion your fish depends on the cut—the filets I used were approximately 1 pound each so I cut them in fourths. Important to dry the surface with a paper towel or the batter is soggy rather than crispy; season lightly with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
2. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. I used a smaller soup pot that required less oil to submerge the fish and fried them in batches. You want the oil to reach about 2-½” inside the pot. Note: you can use an air fryer by following these steps:
   1. Pre heat your air fryer. This means that the temperature and air flows will be at the right level when you cook the fish. If you don’t pre heat it can cook your food unevenly.
   2. Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket. The fish strips shouldn’t be touching; cook them in two batches if needed.
3. Make the batter for the fish by whisking together the flour, baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, eggs, and cider vinegar until fully combined.
4. When oil has reached a temperature of 350º to 370º (I use a digital meat thermometer) take a piece of fish and submerge in batter. Working quickly take out of batter before placing inside of oil. Continue with additional fish as space is available. The edges should not be touching. Flip fish after 2-3 minutes. Monitor the frying temperature to ensure it doesn’t dip below 350º for too long and adjust heat as needed. Fry fish until it reaches a temperature of at least 145º and is golden brown on the outside, 5-7 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish. If you don’t use a thermometer, you can check that the fish is cooked to your liking by testing with a fork to see if it flakes easily. You can return the fish for another 1 or 2 minutes if you need to.
5. Between frying batches of fish make sure oil temperature returns to 350º. Continue to fry until all fish has finished. Place fried fish on paper towel to drain of excess oil. Season with salt, if desired.

Tarter Sauce:

1. Make tartar sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Serve fish and chips immediately with tartar sauce.

This is lovely with cole slaw and/or a green garden salad with lemon garlic dressing or dairy free ranch dressing.