It’s April and I always found this month a very hopeful one. Nature starts to wake up from its long, Nordic hibernation, and this year I am also. After a very fruitful and productive year in 2021, life demanded me to take a break and concentrate on other things, which took so much of my mental powers that there was no space left for creativity. I needed some time off. My creative streak needed a break.
So I start again from where I know best, from local and seasonal food. I absolutely cannot wait for the snow to melt and for yet another rich, foraging season to begin! What are the things you enjoy doing in the spring? For me it has to be gardening, foraging, spending all the time I can outside and being spontaneous. By the way, is it just me or do you also feel that winter and cold weather forces us to be more organized that maybe we would like to be and leave little to no room for spontaneity?
I spoke previously on fish seasonality and its importance, so, as April has just started, I would like to bring to this blog’s readers’ attention that the perch season is officially open. This particular fish is one of my favorite fish available in the Nordic countries due to its taste, tenderness and versatility.
So, when we were given some wild perch fillets, Klaus thought to try and make fish and chips out of them, and boy, was he right to suggest that! For the batter, we used my granny’s foolproof beer batter recipe, which is simple, flavorful and a guarantee of crispiness. To enhance the crunchiness of the batter, we decided to add some cornflakes, which I highly recommend to do as they improve the texture of the batter.
If you would like to make your own fries, we suggest soaking them in cold water, parboil, and then deep fry them. You’ll thank us later for the extra crispiness!
We hope you enjoy this recipe!
Fish and Chips, Nordic Style
Ingredients
- 400 g perch fillets
- Vegetable Oil for frying
For the Batter
- 200 g all purpose flour
- 200 ml beer
- 150 ml carbonated water
- 1 handful of cornflakes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Serve with
- Cornichons
- French Fries
- Aioli or Tartar sauce
Instructions
- Place in a bowl the flour and season it with salt and pepper. Stir well.
- Add the beer and the carbonated water a little at a time and mix well with the help of a whisk to avoid forming any lumps.
- Place enough vegetable oil in a saucepan so as to be able to deep fry the perch fillets.
- Crumble the cornflakes with your hands and add them to the beer batter.*
- When the oil is hot, dip the fillets in the batter and fry them from both sides until they reach a golden color.
- Serve hot with cornichons, hot, crispy chips and aioli or tartar sauce.
