Fish and chips are widely regarded as a quintessential British dish, often serving as the go-to Friday night takeaway. The tradition of enjoying this meal has been so popular that it has earned the nickname “fish and chip Friday,” when Britons end the working week by flocking to their local chippy. With 10,500 dedicated fish and chip shops across the UK, it’s easy to get your fix of these deep-fried goods, though you may expect to pay £18 or even £21 for the luxury.
The cost alone is a good enough reason to consider making fish and chips from scratch, and you don’t even need a deep-fat fryer. Cooking experts at Maldon Salt have shared an easy air fryer recipe that promises deliciously crispy cod and chips in just one hour.
The recipe calls for panko breadcrumbs, which are made from bread without a crust and specifically designed to be airy and fluffy.
You can achieve a crunchy batter on the fish, for which hake or cod is suggested, by combining Maldon Sea Salt flakes with vegetable oil.
The recipe includes delicious mushy peas and tartar sauce, and unlike in a chip shop, you don’t have to pay extra. Plus, you can make extras.
How to make fish and chips
Ingredients
For the chips
- 500g floury potatoes
- One or two tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- Maldon Sea Salt flakes
For the fish
- Two fillets of firm white fish such as cod or hake
- 50g plain flour
- One egg, lightly beaten
- 100g panko breadcrumbs
- One or two tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- Maldon Sea Salt flakes
For the mushy peas
- 200g frozen peas
- 50g butter
- Maldon Sea Salt flakes
For the tartar sauce
- Four tbsp mayonnaise
- One tbsp capers, roughly chopped
- Small handful of cornichons, finely chopped
- Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- Zest and juice of half a lemon
- Black pepper
For quick cooking, preheat the air fryer to 180C while you prepare the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin batons.
Toss with oil to coat and season with Maldon Sea Salt. Spread out evenly in the air fryer basket, ensuring not to overcrowd. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until “golden and crisp”, instructs the cooking experts.
For the fish, pat the fillets dry and season with Maldon Sea Salt. Put the flour in one shallow bowl, the beaten egg in another, and the panko breadcrumbs in another.
Coat the first fillet in flour, tap off any excess, then turn in the egg, let any excess drip off, and finally coat in the breadcrumbs. Use your hands to press the breadcrumbs onto the fillet to ensure even coverage. Repeat with the second fillet.
Drizzle the breaded fillets with a little oil, then bake in the air fryer for 15 minutes until crisp on the outside and cooked through.
For the mushy peas, briefly cook the peas in salted boiling water until tender. Drain, then return to the pan with the butter. Use a potato masher to crush the peas thoroughly. Season to taste with Maldon Sea Salt.
For the tartar sauce, simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl and season with plenty of black pepper.
As soon as the fish comes out of the air fryer, sprinkle it with Maldon Sea Salt.
Serve the fish and chips with the mushy peas and tartar sauce, or try making your own curry sauce from scratch.