How to get the perfect cod & Chips

[codhw]

any help would be appreciated just started boat fishing this season and so far landed a few decent cod, all of which have ended up next to the chips. The problem I have is the texture when I cook them they taste great but the texture isnt the same as the local chippy. Is this down to me in how Im cookin them or down to the way I store them i.e.freeze etc. Your expertise would be gratefully recieved. Cheers

 

[Norman]

I think your probably experiencing Fresh Cod for the first time LOL

No chippy has a taste as good as home caught fresh fish ..... (in my opinion anyway)

 

[mark]

moisture!

most chippies buy frozen cod, which they thaw, as they thaw they drop a lot of water out, then they sit for a while drying a bit more, then they are floured before being battered and fried

leave your filleted fish on a plate in the fridge for an hour or 2 (even overnight) with a tiny sprinkling of salt, before you cooked em pat them all over with kitchen towel to soak up as much moisture as possible, leave till back up to room temperature, then cook em

the other factor for chip shop fish is they have huge great friers, so when they drop a fish in the temperature of the oil doesn't drop much so the batter cooks quickly, sealing in the fish, put too much in a chip pan at home and the temperature drops so much, that the fish is being boiled in oil as much as fried, which breaks down the texture of the fish, and can allow some of the flavour to boil away, rather than be sealed in the batter, try cook smaller portions of fish in batches

For what its worth, I never wash any fish that going in the freezer, it just adds more water, which when it freezes, expands and breaks down the flesh of the fish, freeze it unwashed, and give it a rinse when its thawed out again, keeps the flesh firmer

 

[davem2005]

Well...lets see if I can help.

My grandparents opened a chippie in Leeds in 1952...my mum and dad took over in 1976...and they retired in 2000...so I have some experience.

The most important part is the batter.

This is plain flour, a pinch of salt and a minor pinch of bi carb and water . Nothing else. The consistency is a matter of trial and error but it should be slightly thicker than Yorkshire pud mix.

Next get the fat hot...a drip of batter should turn crispy in seconds...for those with a thermometer it needs to be around 180 deg.

Lightly flour both sides of your fillet and then into the batter in a deep bowl. Have the bowl next to the frier and get it from the batter to the pan asap. this gives you the scraps.

Initially the fillet will sink...leave it alone and it will start to float (leave out the strainer basket or it may get stuck) When it floats clear of the fat flip it over and brown the other side ( about 3 to 4 mins depending on the fat temp)

Personally I only ever do one at a time and put the cooked ones under the grill to drain and stay warm (same as they do in the shop)

Hope this helps. I am certainly no chef but if anyone wants to know the recipe for the ONLY other thing I can cook ...its toast..

Final thing to note is that my parents always used beef dripping to fry even after the BSE crisis.

Cheers#Dave

 

[Charlton]

first question is, when do you fillett your fish. You should preferably leave a fresh caught cod until the next day to fillett, gutted of course, if you fillett a fresh caught fish when it is slightly soft it does effect the texture of the fish, it tends to break the flakes up, and it does not go nice and white and chunky when frying, it tends to go slighty opaque. It also depends on how you have kept your fish, i got some the other week from the Bank House Open, some had been kept in fish bags in water, unfortunately they never changed the water and some of the fish where par boiled, it takes nothing to start a fish cooking. Keep fish cool at all times. This is a general rule which I break all the time, depending on the condition of the fish. For batter I prefer simple cold water and flour made quite thick, dip the fish straight into that and straight into hot oil.

 

[codnot]

???

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just go to the chippy less hassle hahaha dun right all the time yum yum :hallucine:

 

[mark]

talking of chippies, anyone tried this new panga or was it pingu(!)

seen it advertised in a few few places as an alternative to cod

 

[codhw]

Thanks lads some great advice very much appreciated . I will certainly be putting your advice into practice, all I have to do now is to catch some more cod.:thumbup: