The Online Fish and Chip Shop

How to Make a Hamburger Supper at Home

2010-03-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

A hamburger supper is essentially what a hamburger and chips purchased from a Scottish fish and chip shop would be called. Similarly, fish and chips would be a fish supper, chicken and chips would be a chicken supper, and so on. Not every Scottish fish and chip shop, "Supper," sees the principal component part aside from the chips deep fried in batter but probably most of them do and the hamburger supper is one such instance. I am not going to go back over how to make the chips and the batter again as both have already been featured on this blog and the preparation instructions for both can be found via the links below.

How to Make Chips
How to Make Batter

I am constantly striving on this blog to strike a balance between the traditional fast food that so many enjoy and the healthier eating options that more and more governments, health professionals and food experts are attempting to promote. With these hamburgers therefore, I have used nothing other than minced (ground) organic pork and a little seasoning in the form of LoSalt (reduced sodium salt) and freshly ground black pepper. For two burgers, you will require 1/2lb pork.

Simply put the pork in to a bowl and season it. It is then very important to mix the pork well by hand, almost kneading it as you would bread dough. This is to compress the pork as much as possible and prevent it from coming apart during cooking. It should then be split in to two equal amounts and rolled in to balls, before being flattened in to burger pates as shown, each about three-quarters of an inch thick.

The pates should then be dusted in flour and dipped in to the batter to be thoroughly but not excessively coated. They should then be fried in medium hot sunflower oil for about twelve to fifteen minutes, until the batter is beautifully golden. The pork should be fully cooked by this stage but if by any chance the burgers have been too thick and the pork is raw when they are cut open, they will need to be cooked further. It is imperative that raw pork never be eaten.

When the burgers have been removed from the frier, they should be kept warm in some aluminium foil or even in the oven, while the chips are given their final few minutes of frying and the hamburger supper(s) may then be served.

How to Make Batter

2010-03-14T05:20:00.001-07:00

There are a great many fish and chip shop products which are sold deep fried in batter. Equally, there are a great many different types of batter and ways in which to make batter. The batter which I am preparing here is very basic and can be used in most instances. I will look at more specialised batters - particularly those batters most appropriate for fish - at a later time.

Ingredients

5oz plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tsp baking powder
8fl oz cold milk

Method

The first step is to sieve the flour and the baking powder in to a large bowl. The milk should then be added in four or five stages, whisking constantly as you do so. This should lead to the production of a smooth, lump-free batter.

The batter is now ready to be used but may be refrigerated until required.

What Do You Put on Your Chips?

2010-03-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

Whenever you visit a fish snd chip shop and your purchase is about to be wrapped, it is common for the server to ask whether you would like such as salt and vinegar or salt and sauce on your chips. Although these days there are all sorts of fanciful sauces which are likely to be available in fish and chip shops, traditionally there were salt, vinegar, tomato sauce or brown sauce. In most instances, however, it would not or will not be brand names such as Heinz Tomato Ketchup or HP (Houses of Parliament) Sauce. It is far more likely that a much cheaper brand of sauce will be what is in the sauce bottle!

A Look at How to Make Your Favourite Restaurant Recipes at Home

2010-03-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

This blog is of course entitled The Online Fish and Chip Shop and is therefore only concerned with endeavouring to reproduce those foodstuffs which are traditionally or presently sold in British fish and chip shops. I am of course aware, however, that there are millions of people - both in the UK and elsewhere - who are not overly interested in determining how to reproduce at home food from fish and chip shops. They have their own favourite restaurants which they like to visit and may very well have a hankering for producing the meals served them in those restaurants at home, precisely the way in which they eat them at the restaurant but at what is likely to represent a mere fraction of the price.

That is precisely why I am pointing you in the direction of a very special product which is available to download in mere minutes, straight on to your PC. No waiting for it to come through the post nor risk that it will get lost in same. This e-book essentially tells you the secrets of precisely how some of your favourite restaurant recipes are produced and allows you to copy them accurately and effectively at home.

Interested? Who wouldn't be? Think of how much money you could save, just in the short term, alone! Click on the link below for further details and see precisely what you could be making in your kitchen today...

Secret Restaurant Recipes

Pie, Chips and Beans

2010-03-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Many fish and chip shops the length and breadth of the UK will have for sale some form of meat pie along with fish, chips and a whole host of other tempting options. Here in Scotland, one such option would be what is known as a Scotch Pie. The Scotch Pie is an absolutely delicious eating experience, of that there can be no doubt, but I would suggest that even the vast majority of native Scots have no idea how the pastry - not the meat filling! - is made. Although all sorts of offal and even ground bone can be included by unscrupulous manufacturers of Scotch Pies in the filling, this is of course by no means always the case; the pastry, however, is of a type known as Hot Water Pastry. It is made with flour, hot water - and copious amounts of lard...

What I have done for this post on the online fish and chip shop, therefore, is prepare my own type of Scotch Pie to serve with chips and a couple of spoonfuls of baked beans in tomato sauce. The ingredients quoted below are in the quantities required to make one pie.

Ingredients

3oz minced/ground Aberdeen Angus beef
3oz puff pastry
1/2 small onion (finely chopped or sliced)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter for greasing pie dish
Milk for glazing pie

Method

The first step is to brown the seasoned minced beef in a pot before adding the onion to sweat off for a minute or two. Enough boiling water should then be added to the pot to cover the beef and onion and simmered for around fifteen minutes. The heat should then be switched off, the pot covered and the beef and onion allowed to cool.

The oven should be put on to preheat to 200C or equivalent. A small pie dish of around four to five inches in diameter should then be lightly greased with butter. Three-quarters of the pastry should be rolled out in to an approximate circle, large enough to line the pie dish with around half an inch overhanging the lip of the dish all the way around. The meat and onion should then be removed from the pot with a slotted spoon to leave as much of the water in the pot as possible and used to fill the pie. The fat will have congealed by this stage and will be sufficient to moisten the pie during cooking.

The remainder of the pastry should then be rolled out in to a disc, big enough to top the pie. It should be placed on top and a little milk used to glaze it. The overhanging pastry should then be folded over on to the lid of the pie and pinched to seal all the way around. This pastry should also be glazed with milk. A small slit should be made in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape during cooking.

The pie should then be baked in the oven for around forty minutes, until the pastry it beautifully golden. The pie should then be served with chips and beans, if required.

Hot Chip Tip!

2010-03-08T05:16:00.000-08:00

When I am par boiling chips prior to frying them, I used to have an occasional problem in that some of the chips would break as I drained them through a colander, irrespective of how careful I attempted to be. It was when I found an old deep fryer basket in a cluttered kitchen cupboard that I hit upon the idea of employing this as a means of eliminating the risks of the chips breaking during draining.

All I do is place the basket in to the pot and the chips inside before I add the water. When the chips have been par boiled for the fifteen minute period which I require, it is simply a matter of lifting the basket out of the pot and the chips are effectively drained.

Breaded Haddock, Real Chips and Peas

2010-03-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

Fish and chips are of course what brought fish and chip shops in to being and remain the most popular combination sold in them to this day. More often than not, the fish will be deep fried in batter but it is often possible to have the fish prepared in breadcrumbs as opposed to batter, for what is usually an additional fee. The problem in this latter instance is two-fold, however, in that the, "Breadcrumbs," will be anything but and the fish will still be deep fried.

Although I will look at cooking fish in batter at a later time, I thought that I would first of all share with you this way of cooking fish in real breadcrumbs, shallow fried as opposed to deep fried. The chips are made in precisely the same fashion as is detailed elsewhere on this blog, or for in-depth instructions in both text and photographs, click here.

The fish which I am using in this instance is haddock, although a great many other types of white fish will often be used in fish and chip shops the length and breadth of the UK. The principal reason why I am using haddock is that the haddock from which this fillet comes was caught on a rod and line in the inshore waters of Loch Etive, on the West Coast of Scotland, only yesterday and given to me as a present.

I began here by preparing some fresh breadcrumbs. In order to get the best out of this recipe, it is absolutely essential to use fresh breadcrumbs and not any form of bought variety. For tips on how to very easily make fresh breadcrumbs from either stale or fresh bread, click here and I am sure you will find something to suit what you have available. In this instance, I used one thick, outside slice of bread, which gave me around four tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs.

I placed the breadcrumbs in one flat bowl and in another I beat one egg, seasoning it with salt and pepper. The haddock fillet, I halved in this instance, simply due to its size and to make for greater ease of handling and cooking.

The next step is to dip each piece of haddock firstly in to the egg, then the breadcrumbs to coat it and then - importantly - back in to the egg and the breadcrumbs again. This double coating makes not only for far greater presentation but for a much thicker, crunchier finish to the breadcrumb, "Batter."

A little sunflower oil should then be brought up to a moderate heat in a non-stick frying pan and the fish fried for around three to four minutes each side, depending upon the thickness of the fillet. The peas which I used in this recipe are frozen, which means they are much healthier and more nutritious, as the goodness is frozen in to them within a couple of hours after they are picked. They should be boiled for the length of time stipulated on the packet, generally two and a half, to three minutes.

I will point out here that the peas very often served up in fish and chip shops are, "Mushy," peas. While I was attracted by the concept as a child, however, I am afraid that the thought of eating, "Mushy," peas today holds no appeal whatsoever. I am sure that I will get around to featuring them at some stage on this blog, however, in the interests of fair representation, if nothing else.

As a guideline, the chips should be added to the deep fat frier for their final fry after the haddock fillets have been turned in the frying pan. The various components of the meal may then be drained, arranged on a plate as shown below and served.

The Online Fish and Chip Shop - Cheese and Chips

2010-03-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

I am not very often in fish and chip shops these days but the last time I happened to pop in to one to purchase a hasty lunch, I had unfortunately timed my visit very poorly, as it coincided with the local school's lunch hour. As I waited, "Patiently," in line for service, I could not help but notice that a very high percentage of these teenagers were buying chips with cheese. This was essentially a styrofoam carton, filled with chips and grated cheese piled on top. I have since discovered that this is not only popular in fish and chip shops but in several types of takeaway in the modern day.

I decided to develop this concept a little, however, to give it a bit more interest and therefore have come up with, "Chips with Cheese, Sage and Onion."

I naturally began by making the chips precisely as featured elsewhere on this blog. I then grated two ounces of cheddar cheese, finely chopped half a small onion and combined them with half a teaspoonful of dried sage in a large bowl. At this stage, I added the hot chips and very carefully (so as not to break the chips) stirred everything together. It was simply a matter thereafter of transferring the combination to a serving plate, as pictured below, and topping it with half a tomato, simply to add a splash of colour.

The Online Fish and Chip Shop - Potato Skins

2010-03-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

OK, so you're going to make some chips. You've got your potatoes (like the ones to the right) and the next stage clearly is to peel them. What are you going to do with these peelings? Bin them? Put them in the compost or recycling? Why?

I am personally not aware of any fish and chip shop which actually does anything with its potato skins other than discards them or gives them to a local farmer for his pigs. However, most of us will have been in restaurants where potato skins are on the menu as a starter/appetizer, usually with some form of dip. Why, then, do we continue to discard them at home? Why go to all the bother of preparing another starter when you're throwing the basics of an excellent one in to the bin?

The deep frying of potato skins takes only a few minutes but the secret is to keep them in a bowl or basin of cold water, in the fridge, until you are going to cook them. Otherwise, they will oxidise and turn black. Immediately prior to cooking them - when you have the oil in your deep fat fryer up to around 170C or equivalent - you should drain them well and dry them off as much as possible between sheets of kitchen paper, before placing them in to the hot oil.

The potato skins will take around three or four minutes to cook. They are done when they have turned a beautiful, burnished gold in colour. They are delicious simply salted and served with a great many different types of dip, or even a green salad. In the photograph below, I have merely grated one clove of garlic in to some low fat mayonnaise and the effect is perfect.

The Online Fish and Chip Shop - The Chip Butty

2010-02-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

A great many of the meals which are served in fish and chip shops in Great Britain do require considerably more preparation than simply making the chips. One delicious exception is the traditional and much revered, "Chip butty." This is, quite simply, chips on a slice of bread, smeared thickly with full cream butter. The pleasures - particularly as a small child - of the melting butter running down your chin as you munch your bread and chips have to be experienced to be believed. But - I promise - the Hovis advert is not about to start playing...

I actually received an e-mail via one of my websites about a year or two ago from a young lady in the United States, telling me that she had recently been studying in the UK. She did not state where, precisely. She e-mailed me simply to tell me that she loved our country, in general terms - but more than anything else, she loved our chip butties! Although I would love to think that Great Britain can offer more to her overseas visitors than a decent chip butty, the sentiment was understandable.

Just today, however, when doing a little background research on chip butties, I came across a wonderful piece of information. Even although I have worked full-time on the Internet for a number of years, it seems that every day I come across new and stunning revelations in the simple course of my work.

Sheffield United are a British football (soccer) team who play at Planet Earth's oldest football ground, Bramall Lane. I have learned today that the club's anthem is known as, "A Greasy Chip Butty," and is sung to the tune of, "Annie's Song," by the late John Denver.

I am afraid that this was the best videographic representation which I could track down of the song, but I hope that you enjoy it!

(Click on the arrow in the centre of the screen to begin.)

The Online Fish and Chip Shop - How to Make Chips

2010-02-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

There could be no question with what I had to start when delivering, "How to," recipes on this blog in relation to fish and chip shops. It absolutely had to be the chips. Although as mentioned in previous posts, there are a great many different foodstuffs prepared and sold in fish and chip shops today, the chips remain their bread and butter in most instances.

I have experimented for many years with different ways of cooking chips. These experiments have included everything from changing the oil I use, to varying the temperatures at which I have cooked the chips, to even cooking them in the oven instead of a deep fryer. I remember as a child how my Gran used to cook the chips for so long and then allow them to cool before frying them for a second time and I have often used this technique. I have also experimented with par boiling the chips in water to cook them almost fully prior to cooling and drying them and deep frying them merely to crisp them up.

It was only very recently, however, that I came upon purely by chance an article by the English chef, Heston Blumenthal. In this article, Blumenthal actually uses a method for making chips which involves three stages of cooking. He firstly boils the chipped potatoes as I have often done but then he proceeds to also employ the twice frying method to ensure maximum crispness on the outside and fluffiness on the inside.

NB Please do not confuse real British chips with French fries - they are an entirely different proposition.

Preparing to Make Chips

The first step to making good chips, however, is in choosing the right type of potato with which to make them. I personally like to use Maris Pipers but the variety of potato available will vary dependant upon geographical location. I am therefore including a link here to help you out in this respect.

Heston Blumenthal advocates groundnut oil for making the best chips - my own personal preference is sunflower oil.

Making the Chips

The potatoes used for making chips should of course be fairly large. They should then be peeled, sliced and chopped in to chip sizes approximately the size and thickness of the average man's middle finger. They should then be placed in to a large pot, salted and enough boiling water should be added to comfortably cover the chips. The water should be brought back to the boil and the chips simmered for fifteen minutes.

The chips should be carefully drained in a colander, covered and allowed to cool. They should then be placed in to a tupperware container and refrigerated for at least half an hour. After this time, they should be fried in oil heated to around 130C or equivalent for five minutes before again being allowed to cool and refrigerated for a further half hour. Note that the chips should still be pale in colour at this stage.

The final stage of making the chips is about frying them for a second time in oil heated to circa 170C for about three to four minutes until they are a beautiful golden colour.

Serving the Chips

Chips can of course be served with a great many different accompaniments, as we will see on this blog in the fulness of time. Sometimes, however, there is no better way to eat fresh, homemade chips than on their own, sprinkled with a little salt and malt vinegar.

There will no doubt be some who think this process is a lot of work and bother to go to simply to make some chips. Although I agree that such people will have a point, I would urge anyone thinking along these lines to try chips made in this way before passing judgement. You may just revise your opinion when you taste chips like the ones I made last night, photographed below...

One further point I should make here is that when I am peeling potatoes and cutting them up for any purpose, I always do so simply with a knife. If, however, you are more of a gadget person than I, below are some bargains on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk which you may be interested in acquiring to help you in this respect.

The Online Fish and Chip Shop - Essential Equipment

2010-02-28T06:44:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, the food sold in fish and chip shops is deep fried in hot fat. Although it is possible to replace this saturated animal fat with unsaturated fat in the form of vegetable oil - and we should always ensure that we do so - it is not really possible to cook many of the food items in any different fashion and at the same time retain their authenticity. It is possible to deep fry such as chips in an ordinary frying pan as shown right but there are certain items which we will proceed to cook in this way which will require, or at least be best served, by cooking them in a modern day, dedicated deep fat fryer.

It is of course possible to go to a conventional retail outlet in the local High Street or mall and buy a deep fat fryer but there are two reasons why this may not necessarily be the best course of action. These reasons are quite simply that it is very likely that time and money can be saved by purchasing a deep fat fryer from the online retailer, Amazon. I have therefore browsed the deep fat fryer deals currently available on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and have included a couple of suggestions from each for your consideration.

Happy frying!

Welcome to the Online Fish and Chip Shop

2010-02-28T03:21:00.000-08:00

As an island race, we British have had to depend on the seas and oceans for much over the centuries. We have had to depend on them for transport, for trade - and, to a large extent, for food. Although fish and chips in its present and recognisable form did not come in to being until the mid-nineteenth century, fish has long been an integral part of the British diet and way of life.

I well remember as a child the magical nature of being given a bag of chips, wrapped in newspaper, smothered in salt and vinegar, to eat with my hands. I remember the delicious aromas of the traditional fish and chip shops - largely still around today - and even one particularly joyous occasion as a child of about eight or nine when I learned that there was actually a fish and chip shop to be opening within walking distance of my house! Aaaahh...memories!

Fish and chip shops traditionally of course sold fish and chips and very little else. As time went on, fish and chip shops - like so many other businesses - were forced to diversify in order to survive. Sausages, chicken, black pudding and a whole host of other items began being offered for sale in fish and chip shops, along with of course the traditional fish and chips.

In the last couple of decades, fish and chip shops have been forced to diversify in this way like never before. The arrival of the big American fast food chains in the UK, the growing popularity of European and Asian cuisines and the increased competition which these factors have introduced have put incredible strain on many fish and chip shop owners. This means that in modern times, as well as the traditional fish and chips, one is likely to find fish and chip shops selling anything and everything from Big Mac style burgers, to Doner kebabs, to pizza, as well as lots more.

Although fish and chips were never considered a particularly healthy combination, given simply the fact that they were fried in saturated animal fat, the increased product range in the fish and chip shops of today means that there are far less healthy concoctions just waiting to be served up to the hungry consumer. There is even a conception that no one in the UK truly knows what a Doner kebab tastes like, as they are only purchased on the way home from the pub after a long drinking session! One of the things I am hoping to achieve on this blog therefore on an ongoing basis is to examine what is sold in fish and chip shops, traditionally and in the present time, and look at how to prepare the dishes at home, for a fraction of the price, in a healthy fashion, without sacrificing any of the taste or enjoyment.

I very much hope that you will join me on this journey of discovery in to the foods sold in the British fish and chip shops...