Gluten Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas: A Taste of England

That iconic British classic in a tasty gluten free version; a tender slab of fish, a tangle of crispy fries, and a side of mushy peas satisfy your comfort food cravings. The coating on the fish is so crunchy you won't even care that it's baked and not deep-fried, the fries are easy care pop-em-in-the-oven-and-leave-em, and the mushy peas are fresh and green and taste like spring. (Skip to recipes.)

This month on our Eat the World recipe challenge, we visit jolly old England: land of Shakespeare and double-decker buses, the Beatles, shaggy hatted bobbies, royal weddings, and cricket. Land of tea drinkers and popping to the pub for a pint. Land of world class new cuisine and beloved old comfort food classics.

What could be more classic than a moist and tender hunk of crispy battered fish, crunchy fluffy potato fries, and comforting mushy peas? How about a lightened up modern take? I've played with the original recipe and adapted it by making a gluten free fish and chips version that's got a meaty slab of cod battered in crispy crushed potato chips and quickly pan fried, easy oven baked wedges of tender-on-the-inside-and-crunchy-on-the-outside potatoes, and a savoury mound of seasoned fresh green peas mashed to a chunky mass. Simple deliciousness.

When I spent a month in the British Isles eight years ago, one of my favourite food memories was sitting on the curb on a side street in London with my daughter, unwrapping a big parcel of newspaper-wrapped fish and chips we'd just purchased from a hole-in-the-wall fish and chip shop. The grease-stained paper revealed a huge piping hot slab of crisply deep-fried fish atop a mound of golden fries. Nestled in the fries was a little plastic container of greyish green mashed marrowfat peas, and tucked alongside were a couple packets of malt vinegar. We sat on that curb, our legs stretched out in front of us, and silently munched, murmered, and smacked our lips through that whole heaping pile of unforgettably wonderful food, only coming back to reality to notice the comings and goings of the busy folk on that street as we swallowed our last mouthfuls and crumpled up the greasy newspaper. We licked our fingers and smiled. The fish had been white and tender and moist like butter inside its crunchy battered coating, the chips were piping hot, soft and mealy, with crunchy ridges and bits and ends, and the peas had been warm and brownish-grey and definitely mushy; oddly comforting.

Well, I can't hop on a plane and head back to London whenever I want to recreate that little bite of food heaven, but I can make a wonderfully tasty homage to England's classic dish by wrapping a big chunk of fresh cod in a crispy coating of crushed potato chips and quickly pan frying it. The result is as deliciously crunchy as my memory remembers, without the trouble of deep frying my fish in a pan of messy oil. And I can slice up fresh potatoes and roast them in the oven until they are a tangle of golden batons as tasty as any oil-laden fried ones. And yes, I can try to find the traditional marrowfat peas in a can in a British import shop and mash them up to a stodge of greenish-grey porridge, but I prefer to quickly cook a bag of frozen peas, lightly season them, and give them a rough mash to make a fresh, garden-green offering that brightens up the whole dish like a verdant beacon of summer goodness.

Making up a Batch of Gluten Free Fish and Chips

So instead of dipping the fish in batter and deep frying it in a ton of oil, you just dredge some nice meaty chunks of fresh cod in flour, egg, and (yummy!) a layer of crushed potato chips, for a fantastic coating that stays crispy and crunchy, even after a quick sauté in a stove-top skillet.

Then you cut up a few pounds of potatoes, rinse 'em and drain 'em and toss 'em in a bit of oil. Then just stick 'em in the oven and let them roast to golden perfection. Doesn't that sound easy?

As for the peas? Yes, traditional English mushy peas are made with dried marrowfat peas you either soak and cook for hours, or buy in cans, then mash to a porridge-like consistency (the traditional Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot, nine days old.) For the version here, I use frozen green peas with a bit of seasoning to make a bright and sprightly vegetable side that makes the whole dish come alive. I can't decide which element of the plate I like the best.

Serve this gluten free fish and chips bomb with a couple lemon wedges to squeeze over the fish, and a cruet of vinegar to drizzle over the chips just before you eat them.

Blimey, that's ace!

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: Crushed potato chips mixed with a bit of rice flour (or plain flour for non-gluten-free) make a fantastic breading for fish (or even pork chops). The crumbs stay really crunchy, even after pan-frying. Try it next time you need to bread something. You can smush up the chips by rolling them with a rolling pin, but a food processor or mini chopper works the best to get them nice and fine. Salt and vinegar chips work well here, too.

English fish and chips are usually served with malt vinegar, which has gluten in it. A good substitute is plain white vinegar or red wine vinegar. If you'd like tartar sauce to go with your fish, try this quick and easy version.

Gluten Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas

for the Oven-Baked Chips:

• 2 to 3 pounds of russet potatoes or other dry baking potatoes (about 5 to 6 large potatoes, depending on appetite)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt, plus more to sprinkle when finished
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons oil

for the Pan-Fried Fish:

• 4 thick pieces of cod or other firm white fish (like haddock), about 4 oz/120gms each
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup  + 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (or regular flour for non gluten-free)
• 1 large egg
• 130 grams (4.6 oz) plain salted potato chips or salt & vinegar flavoured chips (about 6 cups chips, lightly shaken to settle them)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon oil

for the Green Mushy Peas:

• 3 cups (350gms/12 oz) frozen peas
• 2 green onions or ¼ of a small onion
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• a sprinkle of garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

to serve:

• red wine vinegar or white vinegar
• lemon wedges
• tartar sauce for the fish, if desired (easy recipe here)

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a large baking sheet with about ½ tablespoon of the oil.

Prepare the potatoes: Peel the potatoes if desired, or just scrub them. Cut them into thick chunky fries. Drop them into a bowl of cold water and swish them around to rinse off the excess starch. This prevents them from absorbing excess oil and helps make crispier fries. Drain the water and spread the potato batons onto one half of a clean tea towel. Use the other half  of the towel to dab them as dry as you can. Spread the potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt and white pepper, then drizzle them with the remaining 1½ tablespoons of oil and toss to coat all the potato surfaces with oil. Slide the pan into the preheated oven and bake the fries for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown, flipping them over with a spatula halfway through the cooking time.

While the potatoes are cooking,

Prepare the Green Mushy Peas: Finely chop the onion. Place the frozen peas, chopped onion, and water into a small saucepan. Cover with a lid, then bring to a boil. Stir the peas, then reduce the heat to medium and cook the peas for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are just cooked and still bright green.

Remove from the heat and add the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and butter. Mash the peas with a potato masher until they are rough, chunky mash or use an immersion blender for a slightly smoother mash. Put the lid on the saucepan and set the peas aside.

Prepare the Fish: About 10 or 15 minutes before the chips are finished baking, salt and pepper the fish filets lightly.

In a food processor or mini chopper, whiz the potato chips with 2 tablespoons of the sweet rice flour until they are the size of fine bread crumbs.

Set out three shallow bowls. In one, put the remaining ¼ cup of sweet rice flour (or regular flour). In the second one, crack the egg and beat it well with a fork or whisk. In the third one, pour the potato chip crumbs from the food processor.

Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and oil and heat until it is starting to just sizzle.

Dip the fish pieces first in the flour, making sure to coat all sides and shaking off the excess flour. Then dip them in the beaten egg, then finally into the potato chip crumbs, pressing the crumbs into the fish to coat all surfaces.

Place the crumbed fish filets into the skillet and cook them over medium heat until they are golden on both sides and just cooked through - about 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish and the heat of the pan.

To Serve: Reheat the mushy peas if necessary.

Serve the nicely crusted fish filets with the oven fried chips and mushy peas. Add a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the fish if desired, or some tartar sauce for dipping, plus red wine vinegar and salt to sprinkle over the chips.

Serves 4.

Guten Appetit!

 

Check out all the wonderful English dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Camilla: Britain's Favorite Game Bird: Roasted Pheasant
Juli: Lancashire Hotpot with Lamb
Lynda: Cottage Pie with Mashed Cauliflower Topping
Loreto and Nicoletta: Toad in the Hole, a Taste of Great Britain
Simply Inspired Meals: Wizarding World Beef and Guinness Stew
Wendy: Venison Shepherd’s Pie
Amy: Leaky Cauldron Mini Cottage Pie
Sue: English Crumpets

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Check out my past 'Eat the World' Recipe Challenge posts:

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• A Taste of Sweden: Swedish Meatballs with Cream Gravy
• A Taste of New Zealand: Classic Pavlova
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• A Taste of Argentina: Red Chimichurri Sauce
• A Taste of India: Kerala Upma (Fluffy, Kerala Style Breakfast Upma Recipe)
• A Taste of Poland: Polish Honey Cake
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