Fish and Chips HELP [Cooking]

2009 Nov 30
So I am in a pickle.. I have a love for fish and chips, but not the copious amounts of oil that is involved in making it. I am in need of some advice on some recipes and cooking techniques, that won't kill my arteries.

I really love the beer battered fish, but any recipe suggestion will do. Please let me know what you have tried before and what you liked best.

Now on to the chips. I have tried many times to make oven-fried potato wedges but have yet to master getting them crispy. I am trying to avoid having to use a deep fryer so looking for anyone's secret as to how to get good crunchy oven fries.
In the past I have tried soaking wedges in salt/sugar mixer prior to baking in order to make the potatoes less starchy, but have had little success...

Please help..


2009 Nov 30
AFAIK, to get the good crunch, you need oil. Even the frozen fries that you bake, that have nice crisps still have oil on/in them. For example McCain oven baked fries have 2.8g of fat per 28g serving ( 10% fat/oil by weight). I think the trick would be to combine techniques with oven roasting. A light spray with the oil of your choice, followed by a very very light sprinkling of flour/salt mixed together might add some of that crisp you are looking for. As for the fish part, I would skip the 'won't kill my arteries' part, and instead of modifying the ingredients/preparation, modify the portion. I would consider cooking nice thick Halibut in small portions ( 2 inches x 2 inches?) with normal batter/oil. Mix the meal with a decent sized salad, and you should be able to mitigate some of the artery worries.

2009 Nov 30
Sorry I should have described that better.. not against using oil when baking have done that before. I just want to have to avoid deep frying that is all... But I like your idea with the flour idea never heard of that before..

As for the fish I know I can't get away from the frying in oil Ive pretty much given up on that..

Thanks for the ideas

2009 Nov 30
You can pan fry fish, with a light flour/salt/spice coating in butter or oil that taste quite wonderful, and saves the effort getting all that oil out to deep fry. It might go a long way to satisfy your urges ;-) I remember when I was a kid, catching Yellow Perch in Lake Ontario and doing them this way in an iron frying pan over a fire...always seemed yummy then.

2009 Nov 30
for the chips, i have had some success in coating the potatoes in egg whites. there is a recipe somewhere, but i can't remember where. i have just learned to live with the oven baked fries as they are. i cook them at a high temperature and for longer than the recommended time.

2009 Dec 1
Rocky Madsen's Fish Crisp is a great alternative, many different flavours. Available at Canadian Tire.

I sometime use Martha Stewart's recipe for oven fries...works out pretty good. Will print the recipe tonight...