Beer Battered Fish and Chips

Fish and chips is a hot dish of English origin consisting of fried battered fish and hot chips. It is a common dish and an early example of culinary fusion but we make it even tastier! British fish and chips were originally served in a wrapping of old newspapers but this practice has now largely ceased, with plain paper, cardboard or plastic being used instead.

Fish and chips became a stock meal among the working classes in England as a consequence of the rapid development of trawl fishing in the North Sea, and the development of railways which connected the ports to major industrial cities during the second half of the 19th century, so that fresh fish could be rapidly transported to the heavily populated areas. Fried fish was first brought to England by Spanish Jews, and is considered the model for the fish element of the dish. Originally, Spanish Jews settling in England in the 17th century would have prepared fried fish in a manner similar to Pescado frito, which is coated in a flour. Battered fish is first coated in flour then dipped into a batter consisting of flour mixed with liquid, usually water but sometimes beer. Some newer modifications to the recipe may have cornflour added, and instead of beer sometimes soda water is added. In 1860, the first fish and chip shop was opened in London by Joseph Malin who sold “fish fried in the Jewish fashion”.

In the United States, the dish is most commonly sold as “fish and chips”, except in Upstate New York and Wisconsin and other parts of the Northeast and Upper Midwest, where this dish would be called a fish fry. Despite the name “fish and chips”, and the US meaning of “chips”, the dish is served with French fries. In the southeastern United States, a common form of cuisine is fried catfish with French fries, accompanied by coleslaw, pickles, raw onion slices and lemon slices.

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