Homemade Fish and Chips with Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

For the Fish

• 7 tablespoons / 55 grams all-purpose flour (divided)
• 7 tablespoons / 55 grams cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup beer
• 1/3 cup sparkling water
• 4 pieces 7-ounce / 200 grams white fish
• black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

For the Chips

• 2 pounds / 900 grams peeled potatoes 
• 1 quart / 1 liter vegetable oil or lard for frying

Tartar sauce

• 2 Shallots
• 2 Cornichons
• 3 dl Mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 
• Black pepper 

Equipment

• Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Instructions

Tartar sauce

1. Peel the shallots.
2. Chop the cornichons and shallots, mix with mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.
3. Taste with black pepper.

Fish and chips

1. Set aside 2 tablespoons of flour to use later for turning the fish in.
2. In a bowl, mix the remaining flour with the cornstarch and baking powder. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Using a fork or whisk to stir continuously. Add the beer and the sparkling water to the flour mixture and stir until you have a thick, smooth batter. Place the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch / 1,2 cm thick slices, then slice these into 1/2-inch / 1,2 cm wide chips. Put the chips into a colander and rinse under cold running water for a minute.
5. Simmer the chips for 5 minutes.
6. Drain the chips carefully through a colander, then dry with paper towels. Keep the chips in the fridge covered until needed.
7. Lay the fish fillets on a paper towel and pat dry. Season lightly with salt.
8. Heat the oil to 350°F / 176°C in a Dutch oven or a pot. Cook the chips in batches in the oil for about 2 minutes. Remove the chips from the oil with a spider strainer. The temperature can drop when you add the chips into the oil so you might have to raise the temperature immediately when adding the chips. Keep an eye on the thermometer.
9. Place the 2 tablespoons of flour reserved on a plate. Turn each fish fillet in the flour so that they can take on the batter properly.
10. Dip the fish into the batter, coating the entire fillet.
11. Check the oil temperature so that it's still 350°F / 176°C. Carefully lower each fillet into the hot oil. Fry for about 8 minutes, or until the batter is crisp and golden, turning the fillets from time to time with a large slotted spoon. Keep an eye on the thermometer, if the temperature is too high the fish will turn brown instead of golden.
12. Once cooked, remove the fish fillets from the hot oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with parchment paper or another cover to keep hot.
13. Raise the temperature of the oil to 400°F / 204°C, then cook the chips until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oil with a spider strainer and drain on a piece of paper towel. Season with salt.
14. Serve immediately with the hot fish, tatar sauce, and lemon.