While I'm not generally a seafood fan, I am a sucker for fish and chips. I don't eat the dish often as it is a caloric nightmare, but I do enjoy it immensely. I had some pretty amazing fish yesterday (meh chips) so I thought I'd talk about them today!
Now, there are some key elements to preparing the dish in order to make it delicious, meh, or horrific, with the obvious goal being delicious.
a) Type of fish: I don't like the taste of fish, so in order for the fish to be good, it can't taste fishy. I therefore lean towards a cod or a perch... an Alaskan whitefish is also good. I stay away, FAR away from pickerel, halibut, and haddock.
b) Chips: Ideally, these should be fresh cut. The secret to really good chips involves a minimum two step frying process. A "par-fry" (I don't know if that's correct; I'm just adapting "par-boil") should occur, and then JUST prior to serving, they should be quickly fried up. Tasty. Shame on any restaurant which substitutes in wedges or novelty frozen fries.
c) Batter: Beer batter is fine-- the key is just a nice, even coating. It should be substantial but not doughy.
d) Sides: I don't want your coleslaw. I do want extra lemon and a plethora of tartar sauce. I like real tartar sauce-- not the restaurant quick fix of mayo and relish. It should be made with salad cream.
e) Location: I want to eat said meal in London, England. I'd like to eat most meals in London, actually. Even if I'm not consuming fish and chips there, I can't not think of London when I eat this British staple. In fact, I might enjoy the sentimentality of the meal more than the food itself!
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