Ingredients
- 4 Maris Piper potatoes
- Sea salt
- For the citrus seasoning:
- 12 dried lime leaves
- 1 tbs sea salt
- 1 tbs onion powder
- For the batter:
- 160g plain flour, plus extra for coating the fish
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Sea salt
- 200ml plain beer
- Vegetable oil spray
- 2 cleaned pieces of fresh cod fillet, approx 200g each
- Vegetable oil, for cooking the fish
- 120g frozen peas
- pinch of salt
- 10g butter
- Lemon wedges, to garnish
- Place a large pot of heavily salted water on the hob and bring to the boil. Trim the potatoes and cut into even, medium-thickness chips, then place in the water and blanch for three to four minutes, until the outside of the potato is just starting to break down. Strain the potato, then place a cooling rack on a tray and use tongs to place the potato pieces on to the rack to allow them to dry and come to room temperature. Next, place the rack in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the potato to dry out further.
- To make the citrus seasoning, add the dried lime leaves, onion powder and salt to a small blender and blend to a powder, then set aside.
- To make the batter, add the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt and pepper to a bowl and stir together. Add the beer slowly then whisk well by hand until a smooth light batter is formed; you don’t want the batter to be too thick.
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 degrees. Remove the blanched potato from the fridge and place in the air fryer. Spray lightly with the vegetable oil and cook in the air fryer at 200 degrees for 18-20 minutes, shaking every five minutes.
- When the chips go into the air fryer, cook the fish. Place some plain flour on a large plate. Slice the piece of cod lengthways into two even-sized pieces and dredge in the flour to coat evenly. Place a medium, heavy-based saucepan on the heat and add a good amount of vegetable oil, enough to have roughly a 5cm (2in) depth of oil in the saucepan. To check if the oil is hot enough, drip a small amount of the batter into the oil: you want it to gently sizzle straight away. Place the cod in the batter. Then, lift the cod out of the batter and let excess batter drip off, before carefully and slowly placing in the oil using tongs. Allow to cook for four minutes, then turn with the tongs and cook on the other side for three to four minutes until golden brown and crispy. Carefully lift the fish out of the oil, again using tongs, and place on a kitchen towel to drain off excess oil.
- Place a small saucepan on the heat and add some freshly boiled water from the kettle. Add the peas and cook for two minutes on a high heat, then strain, add the peas to a bowl with some salt and butter, and mash with a fork.
- To serve, add the chips to a serving plate (or, if feeling nostalgic, you could use a large piece of newspaper), and place the battered cod on top. Season with citrus seasoning and serve with a side of the crushed peas and a wedge of lemon.
