Fish & Chips Our Way: Yes, Baked.

Too good to be true. But fortunately, it is as real as any KFC, fish ‘n’ chips, or fried/ broasted food lover would wish for it to be. We certainly enjoy a good fish and chips meal at some good pubs during our stay here in the UK, but the guilt/ heartburn/ indigestion that follows almost immediately after the last bite is almost unbearable.

Hence the alternative.

Baked, not ried.

And I must say, it is a far better alternative. Actually, I personally think that there’s no room for comparison here. Yes, we all really love this–Mama, Papa, and baby.

And both our fish goujons and our chunky chips are as crispy and crunchy as they would’ve been if we ever got the chance to dream them into life.

First of all, I use salmon–you can use any other kind of fish, but I find this to be the most succulent, not to mention being the healthiest with its high omega 3 content. And what’s best about the high fat content of salmon is that it gets to bake in its own fat, without the need for additional baking oil.

And for the batter, I use a wide range of spices to get that particular taste. I make this mix and keep it on hand though, with equal amounts of each spice: garlic powder, cardamom, white pepper, ginger, and coriander. You will need to add this “broast mix” along with some other spices into the recipe.

As for the chunky chips, I parboil the chunks of around 4 large potatoes for about 5 minutes and let them cool before I add 1 tbsp of oil and bake them for about 25 minutes. The result I get is a sublime batch of crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside chips.

And now for the preparation of the Fish goujons. What you need is the following:

500 grams fresh fish fillet (preferably salmon)

For the marinade mix: juice of 2 lemons, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp parsley, 1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup “broast mix”

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs or cornmeal (the best for us were Japanese panko breadcrumbs)

1 tbsp paprika

1tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1. First, cut the salmon into goujon strips, put them in a plastic zipper bag, and pour the marinade mixture over them. Seal and refrigerate overnight or for a few hours.

2. Preheat the oven (around 180 degrees). Remove the salmon from the fridge, and coat the goujons well with the flour and the “broast mix”. Dip thoroughly into the beaten egg before finally coating with the breadcrumbs, paprika, pepper, and garlic.

3. Place the goujons onto a lightly greased baking tray, and allow to bake until golden brown.

Enjoy! 🙂