Recipes

From James Martin: The Collection, James says "I can now say without doubt that the best fish and chips on the planet are to be found at Trencher's fish and chip shop in Whitby. Eat in or out, or do as I do and have one of each. Walk down the pier and sit on the seat at the end and, in the wind and cold, with your nose dripping on to the fish, munch away. That's how to eat fish and chips."

Serves 2

    Vegetable oil for deep frying
    Plain flour
    Salt and pepper
    2 x 200g (7oz) cod fillet, boned (or haddock if you prefer)

For the Batter

    225g (8oz) self-raising flour, sieved
    300ml (10fl oz) lager

Heat the vegetable oil in the deep-fat fryer to 180C/350F.

Lightly season some flour with salt and pepper. Dip the cod fillets into the flour, shake off any excess and leave to one side.

To make the batter, place the sieved flour in a bowl and slowly whisk in the lager until very thick and slightly gluey in texture. Season with salt. Dip the cod fillets in, one at a time, to coat well with the batter. If the batter falls off, it is too thick.

Place the battered cod into the deep-fat fryer very slowly, literally a couple of centimetres at a time. If you drop the fish in, it will sink straight to the bottom and stick! Allow the fish to cook for 4-5 minutes before turning over and cook until golden brown. This should take 10-12 minutes in total.

Once the fish is cooked, drain on kitchen paper and season well. Serve with chips, mushy peas, Sarson's vinegar and a wedge of lemon if you wish.