Homemade Fish and Chips Recipe

Is there anything better than fish and chips! I don't think so, I absolutely love my homemade version of this classic sea side take-away. Nothing beats being able to make a supper that everyone will love.

Oven Baked Fish Goujons with Tartare Sauce

  

I regularly buy bags of frozen Basa fish in my local Aldi, cause I just love it! However I got tired of only using it in my fish pies , I needed to find another recipe, something that wasn't too fussy. Now I just love fish goujons, but I have no deep fat fryer (by choice) and I didn't think that I could make them without it. A little research on the old tinter net, told me otherwise. So here it is, oven baked goujons with homemade tartare sauce. I think they are finger lickin' good and the paprika gives it that little something special.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients
Goujons:
300g Skinless Basa fish
90g Fresh breadcrumbs
70g Butter, melted
Seasoning
Pinch of paprika (optional)

Tartare Sauce
100g Mayonnaise (I use light mayonnaise or sometimes greek yoghurt)
25g Gerkins, roughly chopped
½ Clove garlic, crushed
Lemon, grated zest
Juice ½ lemon
10g Capers, drained (I use Tesco Nonapareille Capers)
Pepper


Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F Gas Mark 7. Line a large baking tray with tin foil and spray/brush with oil. Dry the fish in kitchen roll, cut into 2cm cubes.

Place the breadcrumbs into a wide bottomed dish, season with salt, pepper and the paprika (if using). Mix in the seasoning. Pour the melted butter into a bowl.





Dip each piece of fish into the butter and then the breadcrumbs. Lay on a the prepared baking tray.





Bake the fish for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.

While the fish is baking, prepare the tartare sauce: combine all of the ingredients and season to taste with pepper. You shouldn't need any salt as the capers are quite salty.





Serve with the fish goujons and a wedge of lemon.

Related Reading
 Wikipedia: All you need to know about Basa Fish
Wikipedia: Useless facts about Tartar or Tartare Sauce





Pisst...I have a little secret, but only if you promise not to tell...my son and daughter eat these thinking that they are chicken nuggets!!

Neven Maguire's Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Salad

This healthy vegetable mix just jumped out of the television at me the other evening, I watched Nevin make it again on the RTE player because it looked so tasty. Now I will make this again in the summer but this time I served it with grilled fish and a poached egg on top, mainly because it's pretty cold out there at the moment and it went down a treat. In the summer I'm looking forward to having it as a warm salad.

Nevin says: The trick to roasting vegetables is not to overcrowd the roasting tin - it should be large enough so that the vegetables can be spread out in a thin layer. Ensure that you turn them every now and then during roasting so that they brown evenly.

Recipe complements of RTE Neven Maguire: Home Chef

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 small butternut squash, peeled, halved and seeds scooped out
1 red pepper, core and seeds removed
1 courgette, topped and tailed
1 fennel bulb, first outer layer removed
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges through the root
3 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
400g (14oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
175g (6oz) feta cheese
25g (1oz) wild rocket

For the Cumin and Lemon Dressing:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method

Preheat the oven to 220C (425F), Gas mark 7.

Cut the butternut squash, red pepper, courgette and fennel into small chunky pieces and put into a large roasting tin with the red onion, oil and season to taste.

Toss together until evenly combined and then spread out in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus stalks in half cross ways and make the cumin and lemon dressing.

For the Cumin and Lemon Dressing:
Heat a dry frying pan over a high heat, add the cumin seeds and shake them around for a few seconds until lightly toasted. Tip into a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder. Tip into a bowl, add the lemon juice and gradually whisk in the oil. Season to taste, stir in the coriander and set aside.

Add the asparagus to the roasting tin, turn everything over a few times and roast for another 20 minutes until all of the vegetables are just tender and slightly caramelised around the edges.

Shortly before the roasted vegetables are ready, drop the chickpeas into a small pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 3 minutes until heated through. Drain well.

Remove the vegetables from the oven. Quickly whisk the dressing again briefly, then mix into the roasted vegetables with the chickpeas. Season to taste.

Leave to cool a little, then arrange on plates and crumble over the feta cheese. Scatter the rocket leaves on top and serve with some red onion and rosemary focaccia.

 (I served the this with some grilled fresh salmon with a poached egg on top...delicious)

Koulibiac - Moscow Fish Pie

This hearty fish pie is a Russian speciality (spelt Koulibiac, Coulibiac, Koubiliac and Coubiliac) and it's combination of different flavours makes it well worth the effort to prepare. This dish is probably a creation of Swedish cookies working in Moscow 150 years ago. It was originally served only in exclusive restaurants, but has since inspired dishes, such as Piroggen - small pastry parcels with fillings of Sauerkraut, meat or mushrooms. If you want this lavish dish for a dinner party then the pie, uncooked, freezes well for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and bake at 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3 for 75 minutes and to prevent the pastry from over-browning, cover loosely with kitchen foil when it's golden. This is a show stopper of a centerpiece.

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 Eggs, hard boiled
250g Salmon
250g Cod
375ml Vegetable stock
1tbsp Butter
1 Onion, finely diced
125g Mushrooms, diced
150g Cooked long grain rice
1 tbsp Parsley
4tbsp Fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Lemon juice
Seasoning
350g Ready rolled Puff pastry
2 Egg, beaten
1tbsp Plain flour

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Shell the eggs and set aside. Place the stock in a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil, add the fish and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile melt the butter in a small frying pan and cook the onion and mushrooms for 3 minutes, add to a large bowl, along with the cooked rice, parsley and breadcrumbs. Drain the cooked fish and allow to cool before handling, then add to the bowl with the seasoning, lemon juice and an half of the egg.

Using a fork or your hands combine all the ingredients in the bowl together until it is well combined.

Sprinkle the flour onto a clean surface and unrolled the puff pastry, trim into a 25cm x 25cm square. Lay half of the fish mixture about two thirds of the way up on the pastry and 2cm from the edge.

Lay the hard boiled eggs onto the fish mixture, top with the remaining fish and mould the mixture around the eggs.

Pat the fish mixture firmly into place, smoothing the top and edges; brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg. Roll the pastry towards you, moving slowly and confidently until the seam is underneath the pie, seal the ends and tuck underneath.

Cut a hole into the top of the pie to let the steam out. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and place onto the prepared baking tray.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve either hot or cold.

Healthy and Quick Cod Curry

Now I am by no means a healthy eating guru but this is one of my favourite meals, I have no problem using my favourite curry from a jar to achieve it and into the bargain a really quick and healthy meal. My healthy eating advice for what it's worth is, I bought smaller dinner plates! That simple, the logic being that I can eat what I want but I am eating less of it. You'd be surprised the difference it makes, I still eat a full plate of food, my eyes know no difference but my weighing scales certainly do. If you are thinking of making the change, the diameter of my dinner plate now is 23cm, whereas my old plates were 26cms. So loose a couple of centimetres off your plate and you'll loose a couple of inches off your waist!!

Serves 4

Ingredients

200g Long grain rice, uncooked

1 tsp Salt

450-500g Cod, cut into bite sized chunks

150g Green beans, washed, trimmed and halved

454g Jar curry sauce

1 tbsp Fat free natural yogurt (optional)

Method

Cook the rice according to the packet instruction adding the salt to the boiling water. In a medium sized saucepan, gently heat the curry sauce, bring to the boil, add the fish and green beans, return to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily. Try not to stir the sauce too much as it will break up the fish. Remove the curry from the heat and if using stir in the yogurt.

Drain the rice, set aside. Fill a ramekin or a small cup with the cooked rice and tip onto a warm plate (this helps with portion control) spoon the curry around the rice and serve immediately.  

Fish and Mushroom Gratin

I made this today for lunch and it's perfect for Saturday simplicity. I used Basa fillets and Crimini mushrooms only because I had them in the fridge. Use whatever white fish you have but I've found smoked fish is too strong. Mashed potatoes will soak up all the lovely leftover sauce and it saves you licking the plate!

Serves 4

Ingredients

575g White fish, skinned
2 tbsp Lemon juice
Seasoning
25g Butter
1 Onion, finely chopped
25g Plain flour
150ml Milk
150ml fFsh stock
125ml Double cream
200g Mushrooms, finely sliced
Dash of Worcestershires sauce
Seasoning
125g Cheddar or Gruyere cheese, grated

Method
Wash the fish and pat dry with kitchen roll. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and season. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F/ Gas 6. To make the sauce, melt the butter over a low heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, cook gently for 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the flour and cook gently for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk and fish stock, stirring all the time so the sauce is smooth. Add the mushrooms then simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir as the sauce will thicken and you don't want it to burn. Stir in the cream and the fish, season to taste, add the Worcestershires sauce.

Spoon the mixture into a large gratin dish or any ovenproof dish and sprinkle the grated cheese over.

Bake for 30 minutes or until crisp and golden.

A Tale of Two Chowders!

Both of these Chowders are basically the same, however, the first is more the dinner party type and the second is a weekday fix. I keep the first for special occasions and it is worth all the effort, including the corn, tinned is no substitute!

Corn and Haddock Chowder

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Sweetcorn cobs
2 Medium potatoes
2tbsp Olive oil
25g Butter
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Stalk celery, finely chopped
300ml Fish stock
100ml White wine
300g Undyed smoked haddock, cut into 2.5cm chunks
100ml Double cream
Black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped

Method

Hold the cobs upright and slice off the corn. Peel and quarter the potatoes, then chop each quarter into five. Keep the slices in cold water to remove excess starch (stops them sticking to the bottom of the pan) Add the celery and onion to the pan and cook lid on for 5 minutes. Add the corn and potatoes and cook, lid on for 10 minutes. Pour the fish stock and the wine, put the lid on and bring up to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add the fish, bring to the boil, then simmer for a further 3 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Season to taste.


Hearty Chowder

This is a favourite around our house, best served with crunchy french bread on a cold day. I like it because I don't have to buy in any special ingredients, most are store cupboard staples.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1tbsp Veg oil
2 Rashers, finely chopped
2 Sticks celery, finely chopped
1 Carrot, finely chopped
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Large potato, peeled and cubed
500ml Water
1 Bay leaf
Seasoning
2tbsp Plain flour
500ml Milk
300g Can sweetcorn, drained
250g Smoked coley, skinned and chopped
250g Small frozen prawns, defrosted
1tbsp Parsley, chopped

Method
Heat the oil in a large pan over a high heat.

Fry the rashers, celery, carrot and onion for 1-2 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the potato and cook, stirring, for 1 min.

Add the bay leaf and the water. Season and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 min.

Remove the bay leaf. In a small jug, mix the flour and a little of the milk to form a smooth paste.

Stir into the soup along with the remaining milk, stirring constantly, until the liquid boils and thickens.

Add the Sweetcorn, coley and prawns. Season to taste. Simmer for 4-5 mins. Top with the parsley and serve.