The chippy at home: cold beer batter that shatters, twice-fried chips, malt vinegar in the air. Friday's highest form.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
4
4 fillets
🐟 Cod ›
thick, 180 g each
200 g
🌾 Flour ›
plus extra for dusting
1 tsp
🥄 Baking Powder ›
330 ml
🍺 Dark Beer ›
COLD — a lager works too
1 kg
🥔 Russet Potatoes ›
thick chips, soaked
1 l
🛢️ Vegetable Oil ›
1 bottle
🍺 Malt Vinegar ›
the table sauce
150 g
🫛 Peas ›
crushed with butter and mint, optional but right
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
30m
Prep
30m
Cook
60m
Total
4
Serves
Equipment
Large skillet
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Prep checklist
Cod — thick, 180 g each
Flour — plus extra for dusting
Dark Beer — COLD — a lager works too
Russet Potatoes — thick chips, soaked
Malt Vinegar — the table sauce
Peas — crushed with butter and mint, optional but right
4 steps
Method
1
First-fry the chips at 150°C, 5–6 minutes, pale and floppy; rest on a rack.
2
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and the COLD beer just until barely combined — lumps welcome. Cold + bubbles + minimal gluten = the shatter.
💡
Make the batter at the last second and keep it icy. Warm flat batter fries into a sleeping bag.
3
Dust the dried fish in flour, drag through batter, and lower into 180°C oil, waving each fillet for 3 seconds before release (stops sticking). Fry 6–8 minutes to golden armor.
4
Second-fry the chips at 190°C to bronze, 2–3 minutes. Salt everything immediately; vinegar at the table, generously.
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water.
Freezing
Freezes well up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat gently: covered in a 160°C oven for 15 minutes, or in a pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock. The microwave works at 50% power in short bursts — full blast toughens proteins.
Make ahead
Most braises and sauces improve overnight. Sear-and-serve dishes: do every step up to the final cook, then finish fresh.
Wine pairing
Match the weight of the dish — ask the AI Chef for a specific bottle.