Fish and Chips Bits

Molly53's Note:

A traditional pub treat as an appetizer! Sprinkle with malt vinegar and salt for an authentic touch. When deep frying, the most important thing to monitor is the oil temperature. If you don't have a fryer with a thermostat, go to your local kitchen shop and purchase a good quality deep fry thermometer. From an old newspaper clipping.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 24

• 18 ounces frozen french fries
• 1 cup Italian salad dressing (store bought or your own recipe)
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup water
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 lb fish fillet , cut into 1-inch pieces
• oil , for deep-fat frying

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F and lightly spritz a baking pan with baking spray (Pam).
2. Toss potatoes with 1/4 cup salad dressing; place in baking pan and bake for 25 minutes.
3. Preheat oil to 365°F.
4. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 3/4 cup salad dressing and 1/4 cup water.
5. Dip fish into batter and fry a few pieces at a time in hot oil until golden, about 2 minutes.
6. Drain well on absorbent paper or paper towels.
7. Serve fish bits and french fries in miniature newspaper cones lined with waxed paper, for an authentic touch.

Reviews

[Chef Sarita in Austin Texas]

My family liked this dish. The use of italian dressing is unique. The only thing is that I would probably decrease the amount of baking soda used becuase the taste is still present in the end result. I will preobably make again but with less baking soda. Thanks for posting!

[TasteTester]

These fish and chips were absolutely fantastic. I'd never have thought of using Italian dressing when frying potatoes or using in a fish batter, but the taste was out of this world. I had to add a little bit of milk to make the batter thinner, and the fish fried up with a really crispy and tasty crunch. Yum! I tried making fish "bits" and also using halves of entire fillets; we preferred the bits as called for in this recipe. You didn't need to cut them, and my son called them "Fish McNuggets." I used thick-cut haddock fillets and the fish turned out wonderfully moist and seasoned. Also, putting the fish and chips in the little wax-lined newspaper cups made a fun and authentic presentation. This is a keeper, Molly. Thanks for sharing!