Chip shop style fried fish is easy to make at home, the batter contains just 5 ingredients & it is gloriously crispy, just add salt & vinegar.
My version uses haddock fillet, but you could also use cod, pollock, coley or even plaice and get the proper chippy experience!
Chippy Fried Haddock in Crispy Batter
Growing up a trip to the chippy was a proper indulgence and always felt special.
My usual request was saveloy and chips, but proper crispy battered chip shop fish was a real indulgence. There is a lot of talk about the price of a trip to the chippy of late, but it was certainly a lot for us back then!
Fish on the menu tended to be some breaded cod, frozen of course, or some fish fingers.
If you still have childhood yearnings for fish fingers check out my fish finger curry and fish finger and baked bean pie.
This is my ode to my childhood memories of battered fish, I use haddock rather than cod. Probably because those frugal memories still chime hard when I see the price!
It is remarkably quick and easy to cook, taking 5 or 6 minutes to prepare and just 10-12 minutes to cook two portions.
Go ahead, break out the salt and vinegar and bring the chippy home!
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of fish is best to use?
If you are heading to your fishmonger, then they are the best people to ask. They will know what is fresh and they are always really helpful, just tell them that you are after some fillet of fish for frying.
If you have a choice then you could use everything from cod to haddock and coley or pollock to plaice.
I usually choose haddock, but coley and pollock are wonderful budget options.
How long will the batter stay crispy?
You will get a good 10 minutes from this batter before it starts to flag. This gives you plenty of time to fry a second piece and finish off some chips too!
How do I plan my time if I am cooking fish and chips?
If you are cooking oven chips they take around 20 minutes in the oven, you should put your oil on to heat up 3-4 minutes into their cooking.
Then move onto the batter, dredge the fish and then fry, these are the timings for two portions.
If you are cooking my chip shop chips, put the chips on for the first fry, then remove and place on kitchen paper and turn up the heat.
Whilst the oil is heating make the batter, dredge the fish, coat it and then fry it. Keep the fish warm in an oven at 120°C or 250°F for a couple of minutes whilst you give the chips a final fry for 2 minutes.
Can I use beer in the batter?
Yes, feel free to replace the water with beer or cold sparkling water. It is certainly not traditional in chip shop batter but it works wonderfully.
Serving Suggestions
Well, there is only one thing to serve with chip shop style fried fish and that is of course some old school chippy chips!
That is before you get to the obligatory salt and vinegar that is!
When it comes to fish and chips I am a mushy peas and tomato ketchup kinda chap.
My wife is a northern lass and has a fondness for chippy gravy. Whereas I’m a Brummie and it is chip shop curry sauce all the way for me.
Don’t forget to add a pickled egg or wally on the side to go all the way back to my youth!
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments below the recipe.
- Deep fat fryer, or a large pan to fry the fish. I personally would not make this without a fryer!
- Mixing bowl.
- Whisk.
- Slotted spoon.
- Weighing scales and or measuring jug cups and spoons.
- Kitchen paper.
Chip Shop Fish Recipe in Crispy Batter
When it comes to fish and chips, it's hard to beat the great British chip shop, this is my recipe for fried fish in crispy batter alla chippy!
Ingredients
- 375-400g Cod, Coley, Pollock, or Haddock
- 125g (1 Cup) Self Raising Flour (Plus extra to dust the fish)
- 3 Tbsp Cornflour
- 2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Tsp Salt (Plus extra to season the fish)
- 175ml-200ml (¾ Cup - ¾ Cup + 2 Tbsp) Cold Water
- Oil for Frying
Instructions
- Dry the fish fillets well with kitchen paper.
- Pre-heat the oil for frying to 170°C or 340°F.
- Place the self-raising flour, cornflour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and give it a whisk.
- Whisk in the cold water, the colder the better, to form a batter.
- Season the fish fillets with salt and dust them with flour, then dip them into the batter to get a nice even coating.
- Add the fish to the hot oil, lowering it into the oil slowly to allow it to form a seal and prevent it from sticking to the basket.
- Fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden and very crispy, then drain on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
- Sprinkle with salt and vinegar and get stuck in!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 506Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 2094mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 42g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Sarah Williams
Sunday 4th of August 2024
Can you make the batter a few hours ahead of time and store in the fridge?
Brian Jones
Tuesday 20th of August 2024
Hi Sarah... Yes, you can do that.
Brian
Matthew Lowe
Tuesday 18th of June 2024
I'm going to try this at the weekend! I know it says 3tbsp of cornflour but how much roughly on the spoon? Heaped spoon/level spoon/somewhere in between?! It's just I'm pretty rubbish at estimating!
Brian Jones
Sunday 23rd of June 2024
Hey Matthew...
A tablespoon is a fixed volumetric measurement 15ml, you can buy cheap plastic measuring spoons from most large supermarkets and they will cost 3-4 quid, they take out all of the guess work. You can probably find them in places like Pound Stretcher, Home Bargains and B&M too. You just dip them in level them off and job done.
Teaspoons and tablespoons from the cutlery drawer are not consistent in size at all... generally speaking a Tablespoon of cornflour would be roughly one heaped teaspoon form the cutlery draw, but that can vary considerably depending on the shape of the spoon.
I hope that helps.
Brian
Den
Saturday 16th of March 2024
I made this tonight. I used Perrier water, chilled a bit.
When I made the batter, it seemed far too thick, so I added more water, making the total about 220-230ml. The resulting cooked batter was beautifully crisp, but quite skinny, where I like a thick crunchy foam, so I’ll be applying the undiluted next time.
Brian Jones
Sunday 17th of March 2024
Glad you enjoyed it Den, it should be very easy to create a thicker batter :)