Friday, November 8, 2013

Gluten-Free Fish 'n Chips

There are some staple foods that you simply can't give up.  Going gluten-free makes many people think they have to give up everything they used to love.  But it simply isn't so.  I will never--I repeat NEVER--give up my fish 'n chips!  Fortunately, this gluten-free recipe of fish 'n chips is so delicious, I won't have to.  I might even venture to say that it's even better than gluten-filled recipes.  Now that's saying something.

Does that look like something you might want to sink your teeth into?  It's just oozing "crispy," isn't it?

And how about these steak fries, or "chips," hmmm?  Think you might want to gobble some of those down?

So now that I have your attention, lol.  Fish 'n chips are just part of the American lifestyle, and at this point, so is being gluten-free.  Get yourself some nice mild fish.  Haddock is my favorite, but I couldn't get any today so what you see in the pictures is cod.  Cod fillets are very large, much larger than haddock.  I've got a little over 2 lb worth, and I've cut the two fillets down into six pieces.  Next you want to get yourself two russet potatoes, and they must be russet.  Other kinds of potatoes simply won't do for what we're trying to accomplish here.  So let's get started!

We're going to start with the potatoes first because they take longer to cook than the fish does.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Clockwise from top left:  two russet potatoes; then cut them in half; then cut each half in half, making quarters; then cut each quarter in half, slicing downward at a 45 degree angle.  You now have 16 pieces.

Now rinse all the pieces in water, both sides completely.  This is important.  There's a lot of starch in potatoes, and you want to rinse it away.  If you don't, they'll stick like mad to your pan and give you a gummy taste.  After you rinse the pieces, place them on a towel and put another towel on top.  Press down and dry each piece.  Put a good amount of oil (I never measure, maybe 1/2 cup) on a baking sheet.  Don't worry about using too much oil as the potatoes won't absorb that much.  Place all your slices on the oiled pan, and then turn them over so that all sides are well oiled.  Season your potatoes with your favorite seasonings.  (A prepared mix; salt and pepper; different herbs, etc.)  Put the potatoes in the oven.

Ta-da!!  What's this, you ask?  This, my dear readers, is the SECRET ingredient.  THIS is what will give you the most delicious, delightful, delectable fried coating on your fish--EVER.  A drum roll please . . . potato flakes.  Ha!  Yep.  You know those boxes of dried potato flakes they sell in the supermarkets?  The ones that make awful reconstituted mashed potatoes?  The ones you would never be caught using?  Well, they become a whole new product when you use them this way.  They redeem themselves!  As a coating, they fry up crisp and delicious with a sort of potato-chip crunchy taste.  And, of course, they're gluten-free.  :)

Set up your workstation like this:  Fish to the left, potato flakes in the middle, cutting board or platter to the right.  Place an eggwash in a bowl above.  It's one egg beaten with about 3/4-to-1 cup of milk (I never measure).  Slide each piece of fish into the egg wash and let it drain for a few seconds over the bowl.  Place it on the potato flakes and scoop up a bunch of flakes and dump them on top.  Press the flakes in well, adding and scooping up as you go until the fish is completely coated.  Set it aside on the board and do the same to all the other pieces.  

At this point, it may be time to check your potatoes.  If 10 minutes have passed, remove the potatoes from the oven and using thongs, turn each piece over.  Season them again and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Put about 1/4 inch of oil in a large nonstick electric frying pan and heat to 375 degrees.  (You can let it heat up while you're coating the fish.)  Place the fish in the hot oil and season with your favorite seasonings.  After 8-10 minutes, I turned over four of the pieces.  They were thinner pieces and they were cooking quicker.  I'll remove them from the pan sooner than the other pieces.  When you turn your fish, season it again.

At this point, it may be time to check your potatoes.  If 10 minutes have passed, remove the potatoes from the oven and using thongs, turn each piece over.  No need to season them again, just return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
 
Here are the potatoes after a total of 30 minutes.  Turn them one more time and place them in the oven for a final 10 minutes.  

At some point, while you are waiting for your potatoes to finish baking, the fish will be done.  Remove it to a serving platter.

Here you see the fried fish on the left and the finished potatoes on the right.  I placed them on some absorbent paper towels to remove any excess oil.

This looks ready to eat to me!  A nice coleslaw would be good with this and a lemon wedge to squeeze over the fish.

Here's a closeup.  Can you see how impossibly crispy that fish gets with the potato flake coating?  Each tiny piece makes it a personal mission to go "crunch" in your mouth!  And what about those fries, or "chips"?  Nice, huh?


2 lbs of fish (haddock or cod is good)
2 russet potatoes
dried potato flakes
1 egg and milk for an eggwash
oil for frying

POTATOES:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut each potato into eight wedges.  Rinse each wedge in water and dry on towels.  Place on a baking sheet with plenty of oil and coat each side of the wedges with oil.  Season and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn each wedge over.  Season and bake for another 10 minutes.  Turn the wedges again and bake for another 10 minutes.  Turn them one more time and bake for another 10 minutes, for a total of 40 minutes of baking.  Remove to a plate.

FISH:  Preheat a large electric frying pan to 375 degrees.  Add about 1/4 inch of oil.  Dip each piece of fish in the eggwash and then dredge in the potato flakes, pressing in well to make sure that each piece is completely coated with potato flakes.  Season the fish and then fry until browned (8-10 minutes).  Turn each piece over and season again.  Fry until brown and crispy.  Remove to a platter.

TIPS:
1.  Be certain any seasonings you use are gluten-free.

2.  Ovens vary dramatically in temperature.  I've given times for my oven.  If you notice your potatoes getting way too brown, you may have to remove them sooner than the allotted 40 minutes.

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