Kitchen Culture: Cider-Battered Fish and Chips

By Nick Thomas

Photography by Grace Schrater

Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow a couple weeks ago, but the West Coast didn’t seem to get that memo—sorry, East Coast. Spring has sprung early on the left in a relatively sunny and mild Washington, and for some reason, all I can think about are the days of my youth and grabbing some fish and chips and a root beer with my grandfather at his favorite restaurant when I’d visit him in Arizona during my grade-school Spring Break.

This recipe for Cider-Battered Fish and Chips brings back nostalgic memories but also seems a little more mature now that I can enjoy it with a real beer or a cider. I used Square Mile Cider Company’s very quaffable Original Hard Apple Cider, which seemed like a natural choice and has just the right amount of apple flavor to add an extra level of dimension but won’t make your fish taste like a fruit salad. The frying batter is also very versatile and can be used to coat and fry just about anything. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t use the leftover batter to fry up some zucchini slices and a few of my roommate’s Oreos—sorry, Zoe.

Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
Oil for frying (quantity varies, see below)
½ cup, plus ¼ cup flour
½ cup, plus ¼ cup cornstarch
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne
¾ cup Square Mile Cider Co. Original Hard Apple Cider
2 lbs flaky white fish such as cod, de-boned and cut into 1-2 inch wide strips
Fries (store-bought or homemade)
Chopped parsley (optional, for serving)
Lemon wedges (optional, for serving)
Tartar sauce (optional, for serving)

Directions:
Heat frying oil your Best Deep Fryer or large pot if you don’t have a fryer. It needs tall sides (about a ½ inch more oil than your tallest piece of fish—my thickest piece of fish was about an inch, so I had 1-½ inches of oil) to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, whisk ½ cup flour, ½ cup cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne in a large bowl, then whisk in cider until just combined. Do not over mix. Batter should be thick and smooth. Mix remaining flour and cornstarch in a separate shallow dish.

When oil is hot enough, in batches of four at a time, dip fish pieces in batter, let excess batter drip off, then dredge in flour and cornstarch mixture and gently place fish in oil. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until they’re dark golden brown on the outside and flipping at least once while cooking to ensure even cooking. Fish out (pun totally intended) with a pair of metal tongs and place on a wire cooling rack, letting oil excess oil drip onto a paper towel. Allow frying oil a minute or two to heat up again between batches.

Serve over a pile of fresh, salted fries with a side of tartar sauce, a lemon wedge and a light sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley on top.