Khara’s Fish (and Chips) on Friday!

Thanks to Twitter I have a constant stream of motivation and encouragement.  And new friends.  I must admit I was a bit skeptical about this whole “online community / meet like minded people” thing.  But thanks to Twitter, I have linked up with some really super inspiring people.  One of them is Khara.  Khara lives in Leeds in the UK and is training for her first Ironman (Austria, this summer), and thanks to Twitter I have been “following” her training ins and outs for about a year.  I had the opportunity to meet her in Leeds about a month ago, and it was like meeting an old friend whom you have never met in real life.  Strangest thing.  But in a good way.Last year at about this time we started exchanging about food (in addition to triathlon).  Khara is a “no meat but fish is ok” eater, which suits me fine as I love fish.  My father is a fisherman (we gave him the nickname Fish a few years ago), so I love finding great fish recipes.  Of course, I prefer it when my dad makes fish for me, but this is a pretty rare thing these days since we live on opposite sides of the Atlantic!Last week Khara said she was making Chish and Fips for dinner on Friday.  Yum – Fish and Chips Friday!  I instantly asked if she would like to contribute as a guest blog post.  Yep, I’m an online bully and solicit people for contributions for my blog.  I admit it.  I haven’t had a chance to make this yet, as we are going away on Sunday and emptying our fridge.  But I cannot wait to try this and may have to make it for my sister when I am in Florida.  I am sure she and my niece would LOVE IT.  After all, Fish runs in our blood. Khara’s Fish and Chips(original recipe from Matt Dawson/Channel4, found here.)Serves 4.IngredientsFor the chips:4 medium baking potatoessprigs of fresh thyme2 teaspoons oil (recipe suggests groundnut)For the tartare sauce:100g Greek yoghurt (Khara subs low fat yoghurt)25g gerkhins (pickled cucumbers), roughly chopped1/2 clove garlice, finely choppedFinely grated zest of a lemonJuice from 1/2 a lemon10g capers, drained and roughly choppedSmall bunch of flat leaf parsely, roughly choppedBlack pepperFor the fish:4 x 180g fillets of skinless haddock (although any good chunky white fish would work)1 egg lightly beaten2 tablespoons flour100g breadcrumbs (note: I always make breadcrumbs with stale bread and freeze them for stuff like this – pulsed in the food processor)Zest of 1/2 a lemon2 teaspoons oil (again, recipe suggests groundnut, although any high heat oil will do fine)Lemon wedges for servingInstructions1.  Preheat oven to 200C2.  Wash potatoes but do not peel, cut into 2cm thick wedges (about an inch), blanch in water for 2-3 minutes, then tip into bag with oil and shake well to coat in oil.  Tip onto a baking tray, season with rock salt (such as Maldon’s) and ground black pepper and add the fresh thyme sprigs.  Cook in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.3.  While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the tartare sauce: combine all of the ingredients and season to taste with black pepper.  No salt should be needed as capers are usually pretty salty.4.  Place the flour and egg into two shallow bowls, mix together the breadcrumbs, lemon, a pinch of salt and some fresh ground black pepper, and tip the seasoned breadcrumbs into a third shallow bowl.5.  Dip the fish one by one into first flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.  Heat the 2 teaspoons of oil in a large frying pan (Khara also adds some butter) and fry over a medium to high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.6.  Serve the “skinny” fish and chips with tartare sauce and a lemon wedge (and of course some yummy vegetables!).Special thanks to Khara for this recipe!

One response to “Khara’s Fish (and Chips) on Friday!”

  1. Thanks! I’m making it again tonight (but just realised I do not have pickles at home…)!  Nothing a quick trip to the store can’t fix – it is so yummy!

Leave a Reply to Donna D Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *