Main dishes
Fish and chips with sparkling-water batter
Fresh cod in a light batter with twice-fried skin-on chips. Four proposed servings, detailed steps and estimated nutrition.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cuisine
- British
Ingredients
Fish and batter
Chips and frying
Seasoning
Method
Check and portion the fish
Weigh 600 g fresh Atlantic cod without skin or bones and divide into 4 pieces of about 150 g with similar thickness. Pat dry with clean paper and keep covered at 4°C or below. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator beforehand; that extra time is excluded. Do not wash raw fish or place it beside ready-to-eat food. Use separate boards and utensils, wash your hands and check carefully for bones. Yield and quantities are proposals without kitchen testing.
Cut and soak the potatoes
Wash and scrub the potatoes, remove green or damaged parts and weigh 800 g edible skin-on potatoes. Cut into sticks about 1 cm thick for even cooking. Cover with fresh drinking water and soak for 20 minutes. Discard the soaking water; it is not part of the recipe or nutrition calculation. This soak occurs within the 30 minutes of preparation and is not added to the total again. Keep the fish chilled while waiting.
Dry the chips and prepare the oil
Drain and dry the potatoes thoroughly: surface water can make hot oil splash. Place 1000 g sunflower oil in a dry, heavy, stable pot with enough capacity; oil must not exceed one third of its height. Prepare a frying thermometer, dry tongs or a spider and a rack over a tray. Heat to 160°C; the proposed 10 minutes for heating include later temperature adjustments. Never leave oil unattended or pour water into hot oil.
Give the potatoes their first fry
Fry at 160°C in 2 small batches for about 7 minutes each, a proposed 14 minutes in total. The potatoes should soften without becoming deeply golden; check a piece and adjust for thickness. Do not overcrowd the pot or add wet potatoes. Lift out with a dry utensil and leave on a rack while preparing and cooking the fish. This wait overlaps the following phases and adds no separate rest. The second fry happens just before serving.
Mix the cold batter
Set aside 30 g of the 150 g flour for dusting. Mix the remaining 120 g with 50 g cornstarch and 2 g of the total 6 g salt. Add 220 ml very cold sparkling water and mix only until the batter coats a spoon; avoid overworking. Do not add beer, egg, baking powder or extra flour without recording the change. Mix close to frying to retain the bubbles; never taste raw flour. Record any additions if the consistency changes.
Dust and coat the cod
Take the fish from the refrigerator when the oil is near 180°C. Divide 2 g of the total salt among the 4 pieces. Dust with the reserved 30 g flour, shake off excess and dip each piece in batter, letting the surplus drip off before frying. Batter that has touched raw fish must not be reused as food without cooking. The estimate counts all flour and starch as a formulation ceiling; weigh what remains unused and recalculate actual intake without assuming every bit sticks to the fish.
Fry and check the fish
Fry at about 180°C in 2 batches for approximately 6 minutes per batch, a proposed 12 minutes. Turn carefully if needed and do not stack pieces. Look for a golden coating and use a clean food thermometer to verify at least 63°C at the centre of the fish. Colour or floating is insufficient. If needed, cook longer and check again. Drain uncovered on a rack and hold hot at 60°C or above during the brief second fry of the chips. Record actual timings; the proposal is not a passed kitchen test.
Brown the chips in their second fry
Raise the oil to 190°C without letting it smoke. Fry the precooked chips in 2 batches for about 4 minutes each, a proposed 8 minutes total, until golden and crisp outside. Lift out and drain on a rack for 1 minute; add the final 2 g salt. The shared oil contacts fish and wheat, so these chips are unsuitable for anyone avoiding those allergens. Never add water or damp potatoes to the oil; let it cool before handling.
Serve and record the yield
Divide into 4 servings: 1 fish portion and a quarter of the chips. Serve immediately; sauces, lemon and extra sides are excluded from the calculation. The estimate proposes 100 g retained oil across the whole batch, not the 1000 g bath: this is neither measured absorption nor an exact figure. Weigh unused batter, flour and finished food to refine it; leftover frying oil is not counted as eaten. Refrigerate covered leftovers at 4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C, and use within 2 days as a prudent, untested proposal. Reheat to 74°C; crispness may be lost.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Nutrition facts
A quarter of the fish and chips; four proposed servings with no measured final weight
- Protein
- 34.7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 75 g
- Fat
- 26.6 g
- Saturated fat
- 2.9 g
- Fiber
- 5.3 g
- Sugars
- 1.7 g
- Sodium
- 677 mg
A formulation estimate with substantial uncertainty from absorbed oil and unused batter, without laboratory analysis, retention measurement or kitchen testing. Raw ingredients and USDA records are used; soaking and cooking losses are not modelled. The 100 g oil assumption applies to four servings, and all flour and starch form an upper ingredient ceiling. Measure residues and absorption to refine it. Excludes sauces, lemon and extra sides. All eight nutrients come from records, without filling missing values with zero.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018)
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
An original home recipe for fresh cod with egg-free, beer-free batter and twice-fried skin-on chips. Four servings and 75 minutes are proposed, including soaking. Quantities, oil retention and timings have not been tested in a kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
Does the batter need beer or egg?
This formula uses cold sparkling water, flour and cornstarch. Substituting beer, egg or self-raising flour changes ingredients, allergens and nutrition; it is not presented as the same recipe.
Why fry the chips twice?
The proposed first fry at 160°C softens the centre; the second at 190°C browns the surface. Thorough drying and small batches reduce splashing and large temperature drops. Adjust timings to the actual thickness.
Does nutrition include all the oil in the pot?
No. The proposed bath uses 1000 g, but nutrition assumes 100 g retained across four servings, without measurement. All flour and cornstarch are counted as a formulation ceiling; weigh residues and recalculate. Exact absorption is not claimed.
