Fish and Chips in the woods... yes... really!

Fish, Chips, Curry Sauce... In the woods..?

 

I like cooking, I like camping and being outside, of course, the two don't go together..... say whaaaaaaaat..! Of course they do, the two things go together perfectly. I have always tried to make good meals whilst in the outdoors, whether I am doing a lightweight backpacking type trip, a definitely not 'one bag' camp in the woods or even just an afternoon on the beach. I see that the cooking makes the experience, or at least my experience of the outdoors that little bit more enjoyable. Many years ago when I did my first Yorkshire pudding in a titanium cooking pot in the middle of a field, I knew that this sort of pushing the boundaries was for me, so, ever since, I have tried, not always successfully may I add, to make some great meals in some fantastic places. I saw someone doing some fried food in a mess tin on the tinterweb some time ago and knew that this was for me.. I just had to give it a go. I had planned to video the process for YouTube, but, as we were on our recent winter group camp when I did this, I was away from the group long enough just cooking, if I had have videoed it, I would have been far more antisocial than I already was, so, maybe next time.

 

History

 

The British tradition of eating fish battered and fried in oil may have been introduced to the country by the Chuts, Portuguese Jewish people who had lived in the Netherlands before settling in the UK. These immigrants arrived as early as the 16th century, the main immigration to London being during the 1850s. They prepared fried fish in a manner similar to pescado frito which is coated in flour then fried in oil.

 

Fish and chip shops first appeared in the UK in the 1860s, and by 1910 there were over 25,000 of them across the UK. This increased to over 35,000 by the 1930s, but eventually decreased to approximately 10,000 by 2009.  The British government safeguarded the supply of fish and chips during the First World War again in the Second World War. It was one of the few foods in the UK not subject to rationing during the wars, which further contributed to its popularity.

 

The location of the first fish and chip shop is unclear. The earliest known shops were opened in London during the 1860s by Eastern European Jewish immigrant Joseph Malin and by John Lees in Mossley which is close to where I live, it’s where my first house was and I have eaten fish and chips from there on occasion, albeit a few years ago, but it is still frying to this day. Fried fish and chips had existed separately for at least 50 years prior to this, so the possibility that they had been combined at an earlier time cannot be ruled out. Fish and chips became a stock meal among the working class in England as a consequence of the rapid development of fishing in the North Sea and the development of railways which connected the ports to major industrial cities during the second half of the 19th century, so that fresh fish could be rapidly transported to the cities.

 

John Lees Chip Potato Restaurant, then... 

 

Mans Wok Takeaway, Now.

 

Fish and chips is often seen as the national dish of the UK, it’s what a lot of people I know from other countries, when visiting the UK want to try from a local ‘chippy’. I also know people that visit their local ‘pub’ type place in their town in the US where they can get proper fish and chips when they go out for a meal. 

Variations on the name include fish bar, fishery, mainly in Yorkshire, fish shop and chip shop. In most of the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland, they are colloquially known as a chippy or fishy, while in the Republic of Ireland and the Aberdeen area of Scotland, they are more commonly known as chippers. 

 

Chips

500-750ml vegetable oil

3 Maris Piper, King Edward or russet potatoes 

salt

 

Fish & batter 

Fish

125g Self Raising Flour (Plus extra to dust the fish)

3 Tbsp Cornflour

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Salt (Plus extra to season the fish)

175ml-200ml (+ 2 Tbsp) Cold Water (beer/sparkling water)

 

Extras

Curry sauce sachet

Water

Tarter sauce/aioli 

Lemon

Ketchup

Salt

Vinegar

 

Equipment

Trangia mess tin, Trangia fry basket or metal slotted spoon, gas stove, chopping board, knife, mixing bowl, whisk, metal tongues, kitchen roll. 

Metal oil receptacle (sigg bottle) & funnel. Fire blanket. 

 

 

Cook the Chips

 

You’ll need a large variety potato with a floury, starchy texture for the best results. The main one that I’d recommend is of course the Maris Piper, however, King Edward, or russet are also a good shout, all of these are widely available.

 

Peel potatoes, Slice the potatoes lengthways into around 1-1.5cm thick strips to make chips, you can slice them in half to make them like fries if you wanted to.

 

 

 

Once sliced, soak for as long as you can in water. There is a lot of starch in the potatoes and soaking them helps to get a lot out which makes for crispier chips.

Making chips the correct (and most delicious) way is an intense 4hr+ endeavor. If people had to make chips every time they wanted them, no one would ever eat them. Half an hour bath should suffice for us in this case… let’s not forget that we’re doing this whilst camping. After you have washed/soaked the chips, dry them on a paper towel and dispose of the starchy water. 

 

Add oil to the mess tin and begin to heat it on the stove, bear in mind that you need enough oil to be able to cover your chips, but remember that the old Archimedes principle… you don’t want to use too mush where it becomes dangerous and bubbles over when your chips are lowered in.

 

 

Heat the oil to around 180° - 185° You can check this with a food probe for a more accurate reading or by seeing if a piece of potato sizzles and starts to crisp and brown when it hits the oil… obviously, do not stick your finger in the oil. 

 

Add your chips to the hot oil, slowly and fry for 4-6 minutes, or until they’re brown. Scoop out and rest on paper towel to catch excess oil. 

 

 

Double dip..? Well, this is something that you could do if you wanted to have a play with. I’d do the chips for about 8 minutes at 140° take out and dry off the oil, turn the heat up so you get up to 180° and then recook…. But, whilst camping, and the size of the frying basket plus my potatoes, I ended up doing it in a couple of rounds, once they were pretty much cooked, I took them out and sat them on the kitchen roll whilst doing the next batch, once that was done, they all went back in together for a few minutes together. 

 

 

Cook the Fish

 

If you are heading to your fishmonger, then they are the best people to ask as to what fish would be suitable for you. They will know what is fresh and they are always really helpful, just tell them that you are after some fillet of fish for frying. The best fish for frying is white, mild, lean, and has a sturdy texture that stands up well to the hot oil. If you have a choice then you could use everything from cod to haddock and coley or pollock to plaice and flounder. I used cod from my local, mobile fishmonger, it wasn’t expensive, was fresh and rated amazing when done. 

 

Use very cold water for the batter to ensure the crispiest results. 

 

It is really easy to get going, simply mix the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.

 

 

The spare bit of flour you have, put that on a plate, you’ll need that to coat the fish pieces in. 

 

Dab the fish to pull whatever moisture is on them out of them, some people also grind a bit of salt over the fillets at this point… if you wanted to. Once you’ve done that, dip your fillet on the flour you have laid out, coating all sides of it well, then, you need to dredge your batter mimic with your fillet, ensuring a good solid, even coating. Carefully lower your battered fillets, one at a time, into the hot oil. You can fry several fillets at a time of course, turning/shaking once, ensuring a good even cook, until they are cooked through and golden brown, this is hopefully about 2 minutes per side at around 185°-190° When the fillets hit the hot oil they should start bubbling aggressively. When the bubbling starts to ease and the fillets float to the top, the fish is cooked and ready to serve.

 

 

I kept my chips as warm as I could whilst cooking the fish, if you wanted, this may be a good opportunity to double dip your chips, but, this could also over cook them if you’d not initially cook them on a slightly lower heat.   

 

Of course when the chips and fish are done, season to taste with salt and vinegar, possibly your tartar sauce or aioli if you’re feeling a little adventurous.

 

I had some ‘chip shop curry’ with me that was really easy to make, just add water and boil. Whilst it boils up, it thickens up, it tasted great. I probably wouldn’t have done this at home, but it was definitely a welcomed addition, pulling out al the stops and doing it properly. I was the envy of my fellow campers. 

 

 

 

Summary 

 

Not all cooking oils are ideal for frying fish. The best options are vegetable oils that have an exceptionally high flash point, or what some cooks call a "smoke point". The smoke point of cooking oil is the temperature at which the grease starts to vaporize and is in jeopardy of bursting into flames. This temperature varies from 180°to about 265° depending on the oil in question.

Safflower, peanut and corn oil are among the best options for frying fish because these oils all have a very high flash point. The best oil for deep-frying chips is apparently palm kernel oil because it has a high smoke point, is very well refined, and has a neutral taste. It is also reusable providing you strain and clean the oil after use. I have a small funnel and a one litre aluminium sigh bottle that I can pour the oil into once cool and it should be good for a couple more uses in the future. 

 

Oils to be avoided for frying include butter, margarine, olive oil and believe it or not lard or animal fat. 

 

The ideal frying temperature for fish is about 190° and the best way to maintain this temperature is with the help of a grease thermometer, available anywhere cooking supplies are sold. 

 

Fried fish is often served with vinegar or lemon juice, which is a hangover from the days gone by when the fish may not have been the freshest. Some people think that this is too intense, but a cool contrast like tartare sauce or aioli is a great, modern alternative, with tartare sauce being a firm favourite in most places. 

 

There are slight alternatives for the batter, feel free to replace the water with beer, a lighter one, lager is the best really, or even cold sparkling water. You can also add spices in with the batter mix, paprika being a popular one, but people use garlic powder and dill as well… separately of course. These are certainly not traditional in chip shop batter but it works wonderfully.

 

The end result... The envy of the campsite..?

 

 

WARNING! Hot oil takes time to cool down and can cause serious injury. Be sure to transfer the oil to a metal container once it has fully cooled and dispose of it properly. BE SURE TO USE A METAL SPOON (OR EVEN TONGS) WHEN WORKING WITH HOT OIL. A LOT OF CAMPING UTENSILS CAN BE PLASTIC, AND PLASTIC AND HOT OIL DON'T MIX WELL! Similarly, titanium conducts heat really quickly! I had a silicone funnel with me, a pop out one, it was only cheap along with an old aluminium Sigg bottle which I used to decant the used oil into for disposal or even reuse after that camp.