Scottish Battered Fish is a traditional Scottish recipe for a classic dish of fish coated in a light Italian style yeasted batter that are fried in hot oil and hearken back to the origins of fish and chips in Scotland. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Scottish version of: Scottish Battered Fish.
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It was Jewish cooks who brought battered and fried fish as the basis of fish and chips in London. In Scotland, however, it was Italian immigrants (particularly in Edinburgh) who introduced the dish. The batter traditionally used for frying calamari was adapted for fish instead and the local fish were then deep fried and served with fired potatoes.
This recipe goes back to those original versions, using a light Italian-style batter for coating the fish before frying.
Ingredients:
4 fish fillets (cod, haddock, plaice are traditional)
vegetable oil for frying
For the Batter:
1 tsp active, dried, yeast
250ml lukewarm water
2 large eggs
150g plain flour
1 tsp salt
Method:
Pour the water into a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle over the yeast. Leave to stand for 1 minute then stir to dissolve.
Crack in the eggs and beat thoroughly then sift over the flour and salt and stir to combine. Beat with a whisk until you have a smooth batter.
In a deep pan pour in enough vegetable oil to give a 5m depth. Heat the oil to 180°C (when a drop of the batter added to the oil sizzles and brown in 1 minute).
Take the first fish fillet and dip twice into the batter to ensure an even coating. Gently add to the oil then batter the next piece. Fry, turning over once, for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until the batter is golden brown and the fish inside is piping hot.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper as you cook the next two pieces of fish. Serve immediately.
