Healthier fish and chips

Try this healthier recipe for homemade fish and chips with a lighter batter, fewer calories and less fat.

Try this healthier recipe for homemade fish and chips with a lighter batter, fewer calories and less fat.

Ingredients

For the chips:

For the fish:

1 medium free-range egg
250ml ice-cold water
70g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve
Sunflower oil for frying
4 x 150g sustainable white fish fillets, such as pollock or haddock, skin removed

Cook Mode Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Cook the chips in a pan of boiling water for 7-10 minutes until just tender, then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Put the chips in a roasting tin, then toss with the salt and olive oil. Roast the chips for 15 minutes, turn, then cook for another 20-25 minutes until golden.
Meanwhile, make the fish batter. Whisk the egg in a medium bowl with the water until frothy. Sift the flour and baking powder into another mixing bowl, then gradually whisk in the egg mixture. Stir through the lemon zest and season well.
Pour the sunflower oil into a wide, deep pan until half full, then heat to 180-200°C (a piece of bread dropped into the oil will turn golden in 30-40 seconds). Dip the fish fillets into the batter to coat, then use a slotted spoon to lower them into the hot oil (you may need to do this in batches). Fry for 5 minutes, keeping the oil at 180-200°C, or until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with the chips and lemon wedges for squeezing.

Nutrition: per serving

This recipe uses a tempura-style batter, which is lighter and less oily than traditional batters.
Keep the mixture cool and be gentle.
Overbeating develops the gluten in the flour, resulting in a thick, chewy batter.