Total cost: 4.93 zl per person (99 pence UK, 1.15 cents Euro, 89 Indian Rupees)
One of the first things on my list when I go back to the UK is get into a pub as soon as possible and order some traditional fish and chips washed down with a pint of ale! Delicious! Until relatively recently, I used to have a mental block about mushy peas - they just didn't look good at all. It was worth getting over that one because they sure taste good!
I'm using cod freshly caught, straight out of the Baltic Sea and bought from a fishmonger at my local market. I usually buy it with the skin on - it gives you more flexibility over how you cook it.
Ok, hand up... I'm cheating slightly here by buying oven chips. I'll post a recipe for real chips later on...
Here we go!
You'll need:
500g cod
4-5 good handfuls of frozen peas
6 handfuls of frozen oven chips
some flour
1/2 tsp salt for the batter
1 tsp of baking powder
beer
vegetable oil
a pinch or two of salt for the peas
pepper to taste
a generous knob of butter
malt vinegar
Let's go:
1. Trim the fish and pull out any bones with a pair of pliers. Get the oven heated up to 180 degrees (for the chips).
2. Meanwhile, simmer the peas in a pan with a minimal amount of water
3. Cut the fish into 4 pieces and coat with flour
4. For the batter you'll need to put some flour in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Throw in the baking powder and salt. Mix up and make a well in the middle. Pour in enough beer to form a thinnish batter (crepe consistency)
5. Whisk into a smooth batter - no lumps allowed! Some time around this stage you could put the chips in the oven (they'll need around 20 minutes)
6. Heat some oil up for deep frying. Do the "bread test" - throw in a small piece of bread. If it starts to fry immediately, then the oil's hot enough. Dip the fish into the batter so that each piece is thoroughly covered and immediately add to the oil. Deep fry on a medium heat to ensure that the fish is cooked through (roughly 10 minutes) but the batter isn't burned. Drain on kitchen paper.
7. Add the butter to the peas. Squirt in some malt vinegar, a couple of pinches of salt and a good amount of freshly milled black pepper.
8. Mush up coarsely with a potato masher.
9. Finish off that beer and enjoy your meal!
The cost:
500g cod - 15 zl
frozen peas - 1 zl
frozen oven chips - 1.80 zl
flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, vinegar, butter - 0.40 zl
beer - I'll assume you were going to open one anyway!
vegetable oil - 1.50 zl
Total: 19.70 zl
Serves: 4
Cost per person: 4.93 zl
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