5 Expert Tips For The Absolute Best Fish And Chips Every Time

There's a reason most people dine out for the best fish and chips, and it has nothing to do with cooking skills or even the deep-frying mess it leaves in home kitchens. It really comes down to this: Fish and chips just taste better when professional chefs prepare it. The reasons can be multi-layered, but everyone agrees that an inferior piece of fish, or one cooked badly, is a why-bother scenario. Since eating out isn't always feasible, or affordable, we decided it's time to crack the code on making the absolute best fish and chips at home. 

With that in mind, we reached out to an expert for some insights. Roberta Muir of Be Inspired Food-Wine-Travel helped up cut through the culinary chatter with some practical hands-on insights, all of which are very do-able in your own kitchen. They essentially come down to a list of things to avoid, and what to try instead. In a nutshell, five top mistakes arise when making fish and chips, according to Muir. 

The first four involve frying the fish: Choosing the wrong fish, making the batter too thick, cooking at too low a temperature, and overcrowding the pan. The final one is all about those ever-important chips, aka french fries. Spoiler alert: Muir's method fundamentally neuters the word "fries" as the customary food descriptor here. She instead makes a good case for ditching the deep vat of sizzling-hot oil for a more hands-off approach to making the chips.   

First up is selecting the best starring ingredient for your at-home fish and chips meal. That would be the fish itself, and Roberta Muir has a very definitive recommendation. The right fish for fish and chips," she said, "is something firm fleshed and white, such as cod." That opinion is backed up by countless restaurants featuring fried fish on the menu, whether it's a walk-up seafood shack, a pub-grub scenario, an upscale dining establishment, or a "chippy" shop dedicated solely to classic British fish and chips. Cod is the tradtional choice, mostly because of the relatively mild taste, plus a flesh that's tender yet holds up well to frying in sizzling hot oil. 

Another benefit of cod is its ready availability in most scenarios, either fresh or in frozen filets ready to go. However, it's not the only fishy favorite for deep frying; some prefer other flaky white-fleshed fish such as pollock or haddock. Depending on location and regional sourcing, other alternatives include tilapia in the U.S., and plaice in the U.K. Each brings its own subtle flavor twist to the equation; some may be sweeter, more flaky than firm, or have a stronger or milder "fishy" taste.

To discover which one floats your boat, plan on trying several white fish varieties over time. Fresh catches are always ideal for pure flavor and pristine texture, so go with the seasons and discover local fish markets.  

Second in line for making the best fish and chips at home is perfecting the batter. It can make a major difference in the crispiness of the fish, which is, after all, the main appeal of this classic seafood meal. Nobody wants a soggy crust or one that slides off the fish in doughy defeat. Roberta Muir concurs, stressing that the thickness of the batter crust is crucial. "The best batter is as light as possible," she explained. "You want to eat fish in a thin, crisp, crunchy coating of batter, rather than thick stodgy batter with a bit of fish inside."  

In other words, the role of the light, crispy crust is to accentuate the fish it covers. The ingredients comprising the batter are important as well. "Beer batters are popular because the aeration in the beer makes them light," Muir said. "Alternatively, a tempura-style batter made with soda water has the same effect." The technique is to make the batter just thick enough to cling to the fish, and thinner is better. Note that this discussion if about classic fish-and-chips batter, not the alternative "breading" used in other fish preparations. 

The core ingredients of a basic fried-fish batter tend to be familiar kitchen staples. They include flour, baking powder, egg, and milk. A simple seasoning of salt and pepper keeps things easy, but it's fun to spice things up with smoked paprika, basil, dill, or other herbs and spices. Just ensure they complement rather than overpower the delicate fish flavor.  

The hot-oil guessing game applies to fried fish the same as it does to fried chicken: It must be sizzling hot. However, there's a delicate balance because "too hot" can be a disaster. Roberta Muir describes the dynamics at play. "Oil must be hot enough to seal the batter as soon as it hits the pan, otherwise the batter will absorb too much oil and be soggy," she explained. "But you don't want smoking hot oil, or the batter will burn before the fish cooks." 

We've all experienced that conundrum when deep frying, whether it's fish, meat, or vegetables. In the case of fried fish, it's generally recommended that the heated oil reach a temperature range of 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. A pro-level deep-fat fryer comes with a built-in thermometer, but most home chefs need different methods for gauging hot-oil temps. One option is a deep fry thermometer, but you can also go low-tech with simple eyeball testing. 

To gauge when hot oil is just-right for frying fish, toss in small bit of food to see how quickly it brown or burns. Muir offers her own suggestion: "Rule of thumb is it should take a cube of bread about 15 to 20 seconds to turn dark golden brown when the oil is at the correct temperature," she said. Other testing options include placing a wooden spoon in the hot oil; If small, gentle bubbles appear around the spoon's edge, you're good to go. Larger bubbles or spitting means it's too hot. 

This tip is a no-brainer, but one that most home chefs have difficulty with from time to time. It concerns the placement of food in a frying pan; in this case, the fish. It's tempting to cram all the pieces into one frying session, rather than doing multiple time-consuming batches. But that can backfire in ways you might not imagine. 

According to Muir, it's better to cook in batches than risk overcrowding the pan. "When you add food to a pan of oil, the temperature of the oil temporarily drops," she explains. "If you add too much food at once the temperature takes too long to recover, meaning the food absorbs too much oil and is soggy." 

Another rule of thumb when frying most anything, including fish, is to leave enough space so that no piece is touching the other. They'll inevitably brush up against one another briefly as they float and sizzle in hot oil, but plentiful pan space can prevent sticking. That leaves you free to flip or rotate each piece as needed, and remove them individually as they reach crunchy golden-brown perfection. 

This likely needs no explaining, but for full clarity: The "chips" in a fish-and-chips meal are nothing like crispy American-style potato chips. They're the British term for french fries. So what we're talking about here is how to make the ultimate french fries (aka Brit chips) to accompany your fried fish. 

Prevailing wisdom leans toward using real fresh-cut potatoes sliced into long, thin strips — in other words, the traditional french fry, or the slightly thicker British-style chip cuts. Having spent childhood summers in Leigh-on-Sea, a tiny fishing village outside London, I have vivid memories of slicing real potatoes into chips for our family's seaside cafe, with swarthy fishermen hauling in endless nets of fish, shrimp, and cockles just steps away. Suffice it to say, I harbor strong opinions about proper fish and chips. However, our expert, Roberta Muir, offers a different perspective. 

Alas, it reflects modern reality when she shared, "Most of the best restaurants use commercially prepared fries for a consistent result. It's surprisingly hard to make good chips from fresh potatoes." For home chefs who eschew frozen supermarket fries, here's Muir's version — albeit one that veers considerably from traditionalist fish and chips. "If you prefer to do it from scratch," she suggeseds, "consider dicing the potato, tossing it with a little olive oil –- do NOT add salt -– and roast in the over at 400°F (200°C) for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally until crisp and golden. Then salt well after they're cooked."