Deep fry · Intermediate
Pub-style fish and chips
Bubbly beer batter, thick chips, and the sort of crunch you can hear.
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Let's make it.
- Cut potatoes into thick chips. Rinse, simmer in salted water until just tender, drain carefully, and let them steam dry completely.
- Set up a heavy pot with plenty of headroom, a thermometer, and a wire rack. Add oil only to the safe fill level recommended for the pot; keep water and wet food away.
- Bring the oil to about 355°F (180°C). Fry dry chips in small batches until pale golden and just crisp. Lift to a rack and let the oil recover between batches.
- Whisk flour and baking powder together. Stir in cold lager just until a loose batter forms; a few small lumps are fine.
- Bring the oil to about 365°F (185°C). Pat fish completely dry, dust lightly with flour, dip in batter, and lower gently away from you. Fry one or two pieces at a time, turning once, until deeply golden. Lift out a fillet and check that its thickest part reaches 145°F (63°C).
- Return the chips for a brief second fry until deeply golden. Drain everything on a rack, salt while hot, and serve with lemon and tartar sauce.
The little thing that matters
The chips need to be genuinely dry before frying. Steam-dry them well and lower them gently; ice or water on food can make hot oil spit.
For meat and seafood, use a food thermometer and the current safe minimum temperature chart to verify doneness. Keep water away from hot oil.
Oil temperature reference: Good Food fish and chips method.
Compare pan, shallow and deep frying
On the fry chart: beer-battered fish at 375°F (190°C), french fries at 325°F (165°C), then 375°F (190°C), thick-cut chips at 275°F (135°C), then 375°F (190°C). See every food.
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