Cheaper Than Flying - Beer Battered Cod

There is something about fish and chips that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I take a bite and suddenly I'm on a quiet street in north-east England with my dad, picking off tiny bits of grease soaked, day old newspaper from piping hot fresh from the fryer pieces of fish. But, seeing as that scene is a 9 hour flight away (not to mention thousands of dollars) I have settled for the local version. And being creative and slightly adventurous, I wanted to give it a go myself.

This is a good dinner meal, served with homemade fries and salad. It's cheaper then flying to England. (I'm working on trying it with Gluten Free flour - updates to come.)

Check fillets for bones before battering, running your finger against the grain of the flesh usually works to find them. I keep a pair of tweezers in the kitchen for pulling out fishbones, but fingers work just as well.

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Lemon Pepper (or black pepper)
1 egg
1/4 cup of full flavoured beer (such as Newcastle Brown)
2 cod fillets  (or 1 large cut in half - mad math at work eh?)
Oil for frying
Half a lemon
Sprigs of parsley, to garnish

Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, egg and beer in a large bowl.

In a deep frying pan or a wok, heat 2 inches of oil to 375degrees F.

(Or do what I do, after you have heated the oil, to see if it's ready, stick the handle of a wooden spoon - bamboo doesn't work - into the oil and press it to the bottom of the pan. If little bubbles run up the spoon to the surface, then the oil is ready.)

Add fish to the batter, turn to coat well. Cook fish in hot oil, turning and holding down as needed until deep golden brown (about 8 - 10 mins).

Serve topped with lemon slices, a spring of parsley and a sprinkle of salt.