Iceberg Beer Battered Fish & Chips

With a note on the glory that is Newfoundland.

Hello dear readers. I am writing to you from a rock on the edge of the world – also known as Newfoundland – one of the four corners of this flat earth! I am in a dear friend’s beautiful house that overlooks a graveyard which overlooks the ocean (so I am at one with the spirits and the sea).

Three Servings: A Second Helping by local publishing house Running the Goat notes that the only thing consumed without salt in Newfoundland is a cup of tea, and this appears to be true. While here, I’ve learned that the best way to roast moose is in a slow cooker with onion soup powder and a jar of cranberry sauce and that sometimes, when not cleaned properly, the moose itself can taste of pine. I’ve learned that golden chanterelles are in abundance in September and October, along with bog cranberries and partridgeberries which are both beautiful for jam. I’ve also learned that you can, in fact, eat puffin. This video of Gordon Ramsey marinating puffin breast in crushed juniper berries is honestly gorgeous.

With lobsters and crabs out of season, the only local meat I managed to get my hands on during this trip was some beautiful cod, caught by a fisherwoman who was the cousin of our boat driver. The moratorium on cod fishing off Newfoundland in 1992 lead to the collapse of the fishing industry, but the cod has since sprung back. A friend in St. Johns says if you know the right spot and go in the right season, you can fish off a rock and catch your quota in half an hour.

At home in Vancouver, I try to buy local seafood from fishmongers, but it was shocking to thaw the cod, stick my face right up next to it, and for there to be no scent of fish whatsoever. It smelled of clean water. Truly sea to table.

Now For The Recipe….

Iceberg Beer Battered Fish and Chips

I made a few recipes trying to decide how to best do justice to this beautiful fish and beautiful island. First, an okonomiyaki pancake topped with grilled cod, then soy steamed cod over rice with garlic scallion oil, then a cod cucumber ceviche. But, of course, the answer was right in front of me all along - beer-battered fish and chips.

In spring every year, big chunks of ice arrive in Newfoundland’s harbours after floating down iceberg alley from Greenland, a journey which takes around 3 years. These icebergs tower majestically over picturesque towns, and once smaller chunks break off, are harvested by iceberg cowboys (I highly encourage you to read more here). As we all undoubtedly know from the Titanic’s wee mistake and from the saying “tip of the iceberg,” 90% of an iceberg’s mass is underwater, and icebergs can and do flip suddenly, making the job of iceberg cowboys highly dangerous. The pure water harvested from these lassoed bergs is low in mineral content and used by the quidi vidi brewery to create a lager – which I can only describe as crispy – simply called iceberg.

While I used iceberg beer as the base for the beer batter, you can really use any light beer you want. I made a quick tartar of mayonnaise, dill, lemon, and pickles and a slaw of local green cabbage with mayo, apple cider vinegar, and dijon to go alongside. The fries were McCains - can’t get more east coast than that – which also got a quick dip in the fryer.

INGREDIENTS

1 lbs Cod

Canola or Sunflower Oil for frying. If you’re feeling like there’s too much money in your bank account, use Algae Oil.

2/3 cup flour

1 tsp salt

Crack of Black Pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp mushroom powder (optional)

2/3 cup + 2 tbsp light beer

1 egg yolk

METHOD

Fill a heavy bottomed pot with 2-3 inches of frying oil. Heat on medium until it hits 375F.

In the meantime, cut your cod into smaller chunks to maximize batter exposure or leave the fish in one big piece - whatever fits in your fry pot.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and mushroom powder. Add in the yolk and beer and whisk until no lumps remain and the bubbles subside.

Once the oil is ready, dip the fish in the batter and lay the fish down in the oil so that it splashes away from you. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden and then remove with a slotted spoon and lay on a wire rack to drip.

Serve with selected accoutrements.

As always, thanks for reading,

xx

Charlie