Syrian fish & chips recipe | Good Food

Two portions of Syrian fish & chips

4 fillets haddock
(500g), each cut into 3 pieces
50ml olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground white pepper
plus a pinch
5 garlic cloves
bashed
200g plain flour
1 tbsp cornflour

For the chips

1kg medium potatoes
sliced into 2cm-wide chips
vegetable oil
for deep-frying
1 tsp paprika

For the tahini sauce

50g tahini
1 lemon
juiced, plus extra wedges to serve
2 garlic cloves
crushed or finely grated
small handful of chopped parsley

Method

step 1
Toss the haddock with the olive oil, cumin, white pepper, garlic and 1 tsp salt. Chill for 4 hrs or overnight.
step 2
About 45 mins before cooking the fish, make the chips and tahini sauce. For the sauce, mix the tahini, lemon juice and garlic until well combined. Stir in 3-4 tbsp cold water until smooth and creamy. Mix in the parsley and keep chilled until needed.
step 3
For the chips, rinse the potatoes, then soak in ice-cold water for 15 mins. Drain well, then dry the potatoes thoroughly. Fill a saucepan half-full with vegetable oil and heat to 140C, or use a deep-fat fryer. If you don’t have a temperature probe, test the oil by dropping in a cube of bread – it’s hot enough when it turns brown in around 45 seconds. Fry the chips until cooked through, 6-8 mins.
step 4
Remove the chips to a wire rack lined with kitchen paper and leave to drain. Heat the oil to 180C – it’s hot enough when a cube of bread turns brown within 15 seconds – then cook the chips for 4-5 mins more until crisp and golden. Remove to a wire rack lined with fresh kitchen paper, then tip into a bowl and season with 1½ tsp salt and the paprika.
step 5
Put the flour and cornflour in a bowl and season well with salt and a pinch of white pepper. Turn the fish pieces in the mixture, one by one, until completely coated.
step 6
Fry for 4-6 mins, with the oil still at 180C, until golden and crisp. You may need to do this in batches, keeping the cooked fish warm in a low oven as you go. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.