Fish and chips: a national treasure

Robyn Lewis takes a masterclass in how to create the perfect fish and chips.

Mystery surrounds the actual date that fish and chips were first served together in the UK, but it is generally thought that the most likely time frame is around 1860.

By that calculation 2010 marks 150 years of the humble fish and chip and it remains one of Britain's most treasured meals; the 11,000 fish shops in the UK today serve 382 million meals a year, that's six meals for every man, woman and child in the UK.

Of course, it isn't just traditional chippies in which UK consumers wish to eat one of their favourite dishes — with the revival in proper pub grub, fish and chips is making a comeback in UK pubs as well.

So with National Fish & Chip Day on 25 June, there's just enough time to find out what separates truly great fish & chips from a plate of greasy chips and soggy batter. Last month, Marston's Beer Company gathered a shoal of fish and chip experts, and those of us who are mere fans, at legendary seafood restaurant Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill in London to answer just that question.

Beer it in mind​

For Marston's the main objective was to debunk the commonly held assumption that all beer batters taste the same, says marketing director Peter Jackson. "What this tasting and pre-tastings strongly suggest is that the style of beer you use in a beer batter will have an effect on its colour, aroma and flavour."

Using an otherwise consistent recipe, the team at Bentley's cooked up five different types of batter using five different beers. The effect of the beer was as follows:

Wheat beers, both spiced (here Blue Moon) and German (here Schneider Weiss), added a soft sweetness to a batter, which works well with white fish, but which might develop excess sweetness when paired with salmon or oiler fish such as sardines and mackerel.

India Pale Ale, in this case Marston's Old Empire IPA, added an extra edge and spiciness to white fish and rated well with salmon and oilier fish.

Stout, in this case Marston's Oyster Stout, was the big surprise. The beer transformed the batter into an almost chocolate brown, which didn't score too well in terms of appearance, but the sweet, oatey flavours really enhanced the flavour of the haddock.

Pale ales, Oxford Gold in this instance, had little effect on the flavour of the batter, but did give a light colour and crispness.

Light lagers seem to aerate the batter and keep it pale, but have the least effect on flavour.

Some still call the current obsession with adding beer to batter a fad, but — height of fashion or not — adding a variety of batters made with different beers to your menu and allowing consumers to choose could prove a real business-boosting point of difference. If you do use beer in your batter, then make sure you name it in the dish description, rather than just beer batter, as this can help drive sales and add a more premium feel to the dish.

An act of cod​

Of course there's little point perfecting your batter if you aren't going to put the best fish in it. Haddock and cod remain the most popular types of fish for this dish, with 60% of what's sold consisting of cod and 20% haddock, with the rest made up of pollock, hake and so on.

Richard Ord of Colman's Fish & Chips, Tyne & Wear (the winner of the 2010 Good Catch award), advises that there is a north-south divide when it comes to fish, with the north preferring haddock and the south preferring cod.

Ord urges businesses to consider the sustainability of what they buy. "Haddock sourced in the north-east Arctic and the North Sea, Skaggerak and Kattegat are currently in a healthy state and are harvested sustainably," he says. "Meanwhile, there is more of an issue with cod due to very low stocks from the Irish Sea to the Atlantic."

One further factor is the fresh versus frozen debate. Many consumers and chefs believe that fresh is best, but, warns Ord, unless you are buying from day boats, then frozen fish in this context usually represents better quality and value.

Fried and tested​

Peter Constantinou, of the award-winning George's Tradition fish and chip shop in Belper, Derbyshire, discussed the finer points of making great chips. According to Constantinou, it is all down to potato variety.

The panel tasted four varieties, all cooked in beef dripping in exactly the same way by the Bentley's team. Cabaret, a very old variety belonging to the same family as the Maris Piper, came out top, with Maris Piper a close second (the latter is Constantinou's preferred choice). Third was Markies, which is becoming more popular as it "fries consistently and holds well", followed by Victoria potatoes, which were generally found to produce a greasier chip.

To achieve the perfect chip, proper storage of potatoes is key, says Constantinou, who stores his between 8°C and 11°C. When ready to cook, the potatoes are peeled and cut into 17mm chips, much larger than the 12mm to 14mm industry standard. "The best chips are fat; nice and crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside," he says.

Oil should start at 160°C until an optimum drop temperature of 125°C is achieved. The cooking process should take about 9½ minutes, at which point the chips should float to the top and be golden in colour. Constantinou does not favour the fashionable "triple-cooked" method. "For me triple cooking gives much higher fat content and, as long as you get the right potato to start with, there isn't a huge difference," he says.

Give peas a chance​

At the Marston's masterclass no less than five different examples of mushy peas were tasted, from the humble mushed-up tinned marrowfat, to Derby County Football Club's famous offer. Home-made mushy peas are not only tastier, but far more profitable for businesses, said Fred Capel of Chez Fred Fish & Chips in Bournemouth.

The secret to his simple recipe of peas, bicarbonate of soda and water lies, he says, in his seasoning with salt and sugar "to bring out the natural sweetness of the peas" and in the preparation. "You must wash them several times over in cold water before steeping."

Other variations on the basic mushy pea recipe include adding colouring (which although common was not advocated by Capel), seasoning with vinegar at the end, and even cooking with mint and chicken fat.

"Mushy peas make up one of your five portions of fruit and veg a day and I can't think of another product as part of a takeaway meal that matches them for nutrition," he says.

Fat facts​

Whichever variety of potato or type of fish you choose, however, a vital but often overlooked aspect of decent fish & chips is the fat you choose to cook with.

The most popular "frying medium" in the UK is palm oil, second is beef dripping and third is groundnut oil, though Rapeseed oil — produced in the UK — is growing in popularity.

"Rapeseed is favoured by some friers because it imparts little flavour," explains Mark Petrou of Petrou Brothers Fish & Chips, in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire. "It also has better properties than groundnut oil in terms of unsaturated fats, and the fact that it's produced in the UK is an advantage too. However, I always choose beef dripping — both for flavour and value."

Menu matters​

• Offer a selection of batters, all made with different beers to add interest to your menu.

• Specify the variety of potatoes used to make your chips, particularly if they are locally sourced.

• Offer portions of mushy peas free — they are cheap to make so you won't lose much margin and consumers will feel their meal is better value.