When we discovered today was International Beer Day, we fought each other over who should write the blog and provide a recipe.
After all, who doesn’t like beer?
Not only is it great on its own, from a chef’s point of view, it’s fantastic for using in food. Whether it’s giving some robustness to a steak pie or some tang to a cake, it’s very versatile and there is nearly always some leftover after cooking, so it’s win, win!
You know we like to do our research here at SK, so if you are still not convinced, here’s what some very famous/influential people said about beer:
“He was a wise man who invented beer.” – Plato, Greek philosopher
“Most people hate the taste of beer—to begin with. It is, however, a prejudice.” – Winston Churchill, Prime Minister
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin, founding father of the USA.
We’re not going to argue with Plato, Winston and Ben, as his friends called him, so make sure you enjoy International Beer Day by having a pint or six before, during and after making this recipe.
Beer battered fish and chips
Ingredients:
700 g potatoes
sunflower oil, for deep-frying
200g white, boneless cod fillets
225 g plain flour
300 ml cold beer
3 heaped teaspoons baking powder
Salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4
- Peel and slice the potatoes
- Put the oil in deep fat fryer or a large pan and heat it to 190ºC/375ºF
- Mix ½tsp of salt and 1tsp of pepper together, then season the fish on both sides
- Whisk the flour, beer and baking powder together until shiny
- Dust each fish fillet in a little of the extra flour; dip into the batter and gently lower the fish into the oil one by one
- Cook for 4 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the batter is golden and crisp, then remove to kitchen paper to drain
- Meanwhile, parboil the chips in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and steam dry
- When the chips are dry, fry in the oil that the fish were cooked in at 180ºC/350ºF until golden and crisp.
- While the chips are frying, transfer the fish from the kitchen paper to a baking tray. Place in the oven for a few minutes to finish cooking. This will ensure they stay fresh.
- Serve the fish and chips with whatever takes your fancy. We like chip shop curry sauce, but mushy peas are great, or just keep it simple by squeezing some lemon over and adding a dash of vinegar.
- Drink a few beers.
About Neil Shaefer
Marketing & Communications Executive of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
