Geoff Jansz marinated fish fillets before battering and frying, for fish and chips with a delicious twist. In our segment Geoff used a Thai marinade, but we've also included ingredients for those who prefer Mediterranean flavours.

Ingredients

400g ling (or other firm, white-fleshed fish)

Thai marinade:

• 2 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 red chilli, chopped
• 1 coriander root , cleaned and chopped
• 1 stem end of lemongrass, chopped
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 100ml peanut oil 

Mediterranean marinade:

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 x 3cm wide pieces lemon rind
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil

Deep fried wedges:

• Par boiled or cooked potatoes, cut into wedges
• vegetable oil

Beer batter:

• 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1/2 cup cornflour
• 500ml beer (approx)
• 1 whole egg, separated

Method

1. Pound the kaffir lime leaves, chilli, coriander root, lemongrass and brown sugar in a mortar and pestle. Slowly add the oil and pound again to release the flavours. (Tip: if you don’t have a mortar and pestle use a blender, adding the oil in a steady stream and blending until roughly chopped.) Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours or until needed. The Mediterranean marinade is made in exactly the same way.
2. Mix together the self raising flour, cornflour and egg yolk, slowly adding beer until the batter has the consistency of pouring cream. Make sure the batter is beaten thoroughly and there are no lumps. (Tip: for extra crispy batter, beat the egg white in separate bowl until fluffy. Fold into the beer batter mixture.)
3. Half fill a heavy-based pot with oil. Heat the oil to 190°, then place the wedges into the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. (Tip: to test whether the oil is hot enough, pour a small amount of batter into the oil, if it rises to the surface and sizzles, you know the oil is ready.)
4. Wipe excess oil and the solid bits of the marinade off the fish with paper towel. Dip each fillet of fish into a little bit of plain flour to help the batter stick to the fish. Dip each fish fillet into the batter and drop carefully into the hot oil when at 190°.
5. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until crisp and brown. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
6. Serve immediately with salt, lemon or limes wedges to taste.

Copyright CTC Productions 2003