Sydney chef reveals how to make the ultimate fish and chips this summer
Sydney chef John McFadden really knows seafood.
The award-winning seafood master recently took home the Seafood World Champion gong at the World Food Championships in Texas.
McFadden beat out 26 other chefs from around the world and scored 99.5 out of 100 for his delicious seafood recipes.
His win comes as the annual Great Australian Fish & Chip Awards were announced, with a winner from each state and territory chosen for 2022.
To celebrate the start of summer, McFadden has shared his ultimate recipe for the humble fish and chips with 9Honey Kitchen – plus some of his tips on how to grill the perfect fish.
McFadden says the biggest mistake most amateur chefs make with fish is flipping it too much in the pan.
"Make sure you pat your fish dry before cooking in a pan," he explains. "Don't season too early as it will draw out the moisture."
"If you are pan frying, make sure the pan is not too low, medium to high works well and skin side down first.
And according to the award-winning chef, the worst error you can make with a fresh cut of fish is "flipping multiple times and overcooking it".
Find McFadden's step-by-step recipe for summer fish and chips below.
Fish and chips are a classic Aussie summer staple. Getty
The Sydney chef says most people over-flip their fish while grilling it. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Ingredients
- 4 x 160g x flathead fillets
- 200g x mushy peas
- 600g x sweet potato chips
- 2ea x sweet potato cut into chips
- 250g x tartare
- watercress
- plain flour
- oil
Beer batter
- 2 cups x self raising flour
- 2 x 375 ml beer
- Add beer to flour and mix well. Batter should be nice and thin.
- Let it rest for 20 minutes.
Mushy peas
- 260 g x green peas
- 1/3 cup cream
- 1tblsp x butter
- Salt & pepper
McFadden's fish and chips recipe is simple Getty Images/iStockphoto
Method
- Cook peas in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, drain.
- Add to a blender, add cream, butter and blitz until just combined and lumpy.
- Season to taste and service.
Sweet potato chips
- Wash sweet potato chips in cold water twice and dry.
- Cook in oil until golden and set aside.
Fish
- Dust fish with plain flour and place in batter, allowing the batter to run off before placing into fryer. Cook until golden.
- Place sweet potato chips onto a service plate, top with fish and mushy peas, adding the tartare to the side.
- Add lemon wedges. Enjoy!
