Japanese Style Fish & Chips Recipe

A few weeks ago I had traditional fish and chips in the Waterloo Restaurant and Bar on Baggot Street in Dublin. I just happened to be in the area around lunchtime and was looking for somewhere nice to have a quick lunch. The restaurant looked modern and clean and the menu choice was excellent so I thought I'd give it a try. I ordered fish and chips and I have to say it's one of the best fish and chips I've ever eaten! The dish was beautifully presented with the chips in a mini metal bucket, the fish on a wooden chopping board and a lemon wedge cleverly wrapped in cheesecloth.

After eating this lunch I got thinking about how popular fish and chips is in Ireland and around the world. In Ireland we even have a National Fish and Chips Day! The funny thing about fish and chips is that you can order this dish in the local chipper or in a Michelin star restaurant and sometimes the chipper is just as good!

I've added a Japanese twist to the traditional fish and chips to create this recipe. It's a healthier option compared to traditional fish and chips, just as tasty and nice to try for a change.

 

Serves 2

Prep time 15 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS: 

Sweet potato chips 
2 medium sized sweet potatoes (cut into chips)

2 tbsp rapeseed oil and 1 tsp sesame oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper for seasoning 

Fish

300g white fish (including cod, pollock, haddock etc)
2 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine) 
Freshly ground salt and pepper for seasoning 

Plain white flour (for coating the fish pieces)

2 eggs, beaten
Panko (Japanese flaky breadcrumbs)
Vegetable or rapeseed oil for frying

Wasabi mayonnaise 
Wasabi is made from the root of the wasabi plant. It has a similar taste to hot mustard and is regularly used in Japan. It is best known for being served on the side with sushi. If you can't find wasabi for this recipe (big supermarkets like Tesco and Superquinn stock wasabi) then Hellman's recently launched Hellmann's wasabi mayonnaise.  

1 tsp wasabi
3 tsp mayonnaise

Japanese seaweed seasoning 
Half a sheet of nori (type of seaweed used to make sushi)
1 tsp sesame seeds (ground using pestle and mortar)
Freshly ground salt and pepper for seasoning

   
INSTRUCTIONS:

Sweet potato chips 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place the roasting tin in the preheated oven for 5 or 10 minutes until it's red hot. Put the sweet potato chips in a bowl and add the oil and freshly ground salt and pepper. Take the hot roasting tin out of the oven and put the seasoned sweet potato chips on the roasting tin. Cook for 30 minutes or less in the oven until the chips are golden and cooked through.

Fish

1. Quickly wash the fish under a cold tap and then dry with kitchen towel (you can leave the skin on the fish or remove it. I prefer to leave the skin on the fish). 
2. Cut the fish into a little larger than bite-size strips. 
3. Place the fish in a bowl and season with sake (Japanese rice wine), freshly ground salt and pepper and mix together. 
4. Coat the fish pieces in flour (shaking off any excess flour).
5. Dip the fish pieces in the beaten egg. 
6. Finally coat in panko (rub the panko gently onto the fish pieces).
7. Heat the oil in a heavy base saucepan or wok to 170 degrees Celsius.  
8. Place a bit of panko into the oil to check if the oil is hot enough. 
9. Gently place the fish pieces into the oil. Fry for a few minutes until the panko turns a nice golden brown colour and then turn and fry for a few more minutes.
10. Remove the fish pieces from the oil and place on kitchen towel

Wasabi mayo

Mix the mayonnaise and wasabi together until you get a nice green mayonnaise. Add more or less wasabi depending on your liking. Serve on the side with the fish and chips. 

Japanese seasoning

Crush the nori seaweed sheet into small pieces and mix with the freshly ground roasted sesame seeds and freshly ground salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the fish and chips and serve the rest on the side with the fish and chips. 

Tips:

1. To save time prepare the sweet potato chips first and while they're cooking in the oven prepare the fish, wasabi mayo and Japanese seasoning. 
2. To get nice crispy chips do not overcrowd the roasting tin. Place the chips on the roasting tin in a single layer. 

Why not:
Try Japanese style chicken goujons and sweet potato chips instead of fish!