Flathead Fish and Chips

Recipe courtesy of Josh Niland

INGREDIENTS

210g Self Raising Flour
400g Rice Flour
10g Baking Powder
45g Honey
345ml Vodka 37%
550ml Beer
600g Flathead Fillets
3kg Sebago Potatoes
5L Cottonseed Oil
300g Natural Yoghurt
80g (2 large) Eschalotts diced
80g Cornichons diced
80g Tiny Capers in Brine
Table Salt for Seasoning

METHOD

To prepare the pink ling start by slicing even thick medallions from the skinless fillet and set onto a square of paper towel in readiness to flour and batter.
For the potato chips, preheat a large saucepan of cottonseed oil to approx. 140 degrees Celsius. Scrub Sebago potatoes thoroughly, leaving the skin on and cut in to index finger width and length batons, soak in cold water to remove some of the potatoes starches that can sometimes colour inconsistently when deep frying.
Add drained & dried potato chips in small batches to the 140 degree oil and cook without colour for approx 9-10mins until the flesh of the potato has blistered and small bubbles begin to appear along the surface. Drain from the oil and allow to cool and slightly dry on a wire rack in the fridge for a minimum of 1hr
To make the tartare sauce, combine natural yoghurt with diced shallot, cornichon & capers.
Mix well and keep covered in the fridge until serving.
For the batter, whisk the flour, rice flour and baking powder together in a large bowl.
Measure the honey and the vodka into a measuring jug and mix together.
Pour the honey and vodka solution into the flour, then measure the beer using the same measuring jug.
Whisk all ingredients together and store in a large bowl.
If the batter becomes too thick add a little more beer.
Increase the temperature of the oil to 180 degrees Celsius and fry the par cooked chips again until very crisp and golden. Approx 5-6mins.
Drain well & season with fine table salt.
Dust fish lightly in rice flour first, then carefully lower the fish fillet into the hot 180 degree oil and fry till very crisp approx. 2mins.
You may need to turn fish over midway through the cooking for even colouring.
Serve immediately along with a generous amount of yoghurt, tartare and your favourite pickle