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Fish
and chips are a classic British fast food made with
breaded or battered fish, which are deep-fried with
chips (thick-cut French fries). It's believed that the
first fish and chip shop was opened in London by Joseph
Malin in 1860. Since then, fish and chips have not only
become a popular fast food in Britain, but also in Australia,
New Zealand, Canada and parts of the United States.
A
lot of people think that fish and chips aren't as unhealthy
and fattening as other fast foods because fish is low
in calories and healthy. Well, fish is certainly good
for you, but deep-fried breaded or battered fish is
another story. The trouble lies in the fact that most
fast food outlets that sell fish and chips use animal
fat (which is high in saturated fat) or partially hydrogenated
vegetables oil (which is high in trans fat) to fry the
fish and chips in.
So
instead of using these unhealthy cooking fats, our healthier
fish and chip recipe uses heart-healthy canola oil (you
can also use peanut oil if you wish). Canola oil contains
mostly monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that helps
lower bad LDL cholesterol without affecting (and sometimes
improving) good HDL cholesterol levels.
And
instead of deep-frying the fish and chips, we'll bake
the chips and pan-fry the fish, which uses less oil
than deep-frying and substantially reduces the overall
calories.
Let's
have a look at the difference these simple changes have
made to the nutrient profile of a fish and chips meal.
Our fish and chips are far lower in calories than regular
fish and chips, and contain much less fat—and the
fat is healthy fat, not artery clogging saturated or
trans fat.
Here's
how to make these fish and chips at home. This recipe
serves two:
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To
make the chips simply follow the instructions
for making French
fries, but cut the fries thicker. To make
the fish start by mixing together ¼ cup
plain flour, ¼ teaspoon each of salt
and white pepper and spread out on a plate.
Also place ½ cup dried bread crumbs on
a separate plate and lightly beat 1 egg white
in a shallow bowl. Next coat two 6 oz (180g)
firm white fish fillets evenly on both sides
with the seasoned flour.
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After
coating the fish with the flour, dip each fillet
carefully into the egg white to coat.
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Next, place each fish fillet in the bread crumbs
and coat evenly on both sides, pressing lightly
to ensure the bread crumbs stick.
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Heat
2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large frying
pan over a medium-low heat. Add the fish fillets
and pan-fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden
brown.
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Serve
with accompaniments
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Serve
the fish and chips with tomato ketchup for dipping
and sprinkled with a little salt and vinegar
(preferably malt vinegar).
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