Smoked haddock "specials" by Mark Hix
Prep: 10 min - Cooking Time: 35min
Serves: 4
These were on my grans rotating list of after school suppers. She didn’t always sandwich them together with a piece of fish but often told me how they were a Lancastrian chip shop special of Fridays as she grew up in that part of the world.
A small amount of fish fillet goes a long way with these specials and you can use smoked haddock as I’ve used here or a second division fish like whiting or coley. Try serving it with homemade tartare sauce or minted-pea purée using frozen peas; and I guarantee that the kids will love it.
Ingredients
- 120g natural smoked haddock fillet, skinned and boned
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 16 x 1/2 cm-thick slices
- Vegetable or corn oil for deep frying
- Lemon wedges to serve, and tartare sauce
For The Batter
- 100-120g gluten free self raising flour
- 150-200ml cold water
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to season
Method
First, make the batter: in a bowl slowly whisk in enough cold water to the flour with to make a thick batter and season well. Leave to rest for about 30-40 minutes.
Meanwhile, simmer the potato slices in salted water for 2-3 minutes or until just cooked, then drain and leave to cool.
Cut the haddock into pieces roughly the size of the potatoes. Sandwich a piece of fish between two slices of potato and lightly flour them to make the "specials". Meanwhile, preheat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large, thick-bottomed saucepan or electric deep-fat fryer.
Dip the specials into the batter about four pieces at a time, depending on the size of your fryer, then drop them into the hot fat. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, turning every so often until golden in colour. Remove with the slotted spoon, drain on some kitchen paper and put aside to keep warm. Repeat with the rest, and serve.
