23 Jun 2017

The best homemade fish and chips ever

From Afternoons, 3:10 pm on 23 June 2017

"When they're fresh out of the pan and they're really golden crunchy, a good amount of salt on them… ah, there's nothing like them" – Julie Biuso

Julie Biuso reckons she has the best recipe for fish and chips... ever.

Yvonne Lorkin of WineFriend joins in with wine matches.

The frying-pan chip recipe Biuso learned from her Italian sister-in-law.

Agria potatoes are the best to use, she says.

"They've got a good floury texture and that starch will help them brown."

Keep in mind you can only make enough for four servings at once. More potatoes and the steam won't work, leaving you with soggy chips.

When you take the pan lid off there'll be moisture on it – dry this off before you put it back on otherwise you'll get spitting.

This fish recipe is good for after a party when you have some flat beer left over, Biuso says.

Make sure you use fresh yeast shelf life is only 6 to 9 months. Biuso suggests keeping it in the fridge.

To test your batter is the right consistency, put a piece of fish in.

It should cover the fish and excess should drip off. But if you end up with no batter on it, it's too thin. If it sticks and doesn't move, it's too thick – thin it down with more beer.

When you're frying, the oil should be no higher than one-third of the way up the pot.

When it comes to a wine with fish and chips, it's sauvignon blanc all the way for Yvonne Lorkin.

"That works beautifully alongside your oily texture and battery saltiness" she says.

Yvonne's recommendations:

Caythorpe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016, which sells for about $19
Coopers Creek 'Single Barrel' SV Gisborne Fiano 2015, which sells for about $25