Top Chef: Recipe

Hello chums*! Last week, as you recall the winners were: Tilapia, Artichokes, Lemon sauce, Asparagus...I perused the local grocery and found that they were out of Asparagus. Therefore, I chose green beans. I hope you don't mind.

Another twist was that this is not a healthy meal. Being that I was craving something crispy and warm and also because I've always wanted to try, I decided to make fish and chips. The twist is in the chips-and also in the sauces that accompany them.

If you would like me to provide a recipe for a non-fried fish dish, email me and I'll find one for you. But I can tell you that the batter I used for the Fish was fantastic, and I really, really enojoyed eating it.

Fish & String Bean Chips with Lemon Oregano Vinegar and Artichoke Aioli

For the batter:
2 C. Flour
1 T. Baking powder
1 t. Kosher salt
1/4 t. Cayenne pepper
2 Generous Dashes Old Bay Seasoning
1 Bottle brown beer, cold
1 1/2 pounds firm-fleshed whitefish (tilapia, pollock, cod), cut into 1-ounce strips Cornstarch, for dredging

Method:
1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Whisk in the beer until the batter is completely smooth and free of any lumps. 2. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. You can make this up to 1 hour in advance, but no earlier than that.

To Fry:
1. Allow oil to reach 350 degrees. Lightly dredge fish strips in cornstarch.
2. Working in small batches, dip the fish into batter and immerse into hot oil. When the batter is set, turn the pieces of fish over and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
3. Drain the fish on the roasting rack. If you are not ready to serve it immediately, hold in a 200 degree oven-be careful not to do this for too long however-you don't want to overcook it! Serve with Lemon Oregano Vinegar. >
For the Green Bean Fries I simply washed and stemmed fresh green beans, rolled them in cornstarch and dipped them in the same batter as the fish (do the green beans first to avoid cross contamination). Slip them into the hot oil until golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and season. Serve with Artichoke Aioli.

Sauces:
Lemon Oregano:
Juice from 1 large lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4-5 Dashes of Malt Vinegar
Salt & Black Pepper TT

*Mix all ingredients together at least 1/2 hour prior to serving to allow flavors to love each other. Serve cold, or room temperature.

Artichoke Aioli:
1 Clove of garlic, peeled
1 t. Kosher salt
1 Egg yolk
1 t. Dijon mustard
About 2 C. Olive Oil
Lemon juice TT
1 Can Artichoke Hearts, drained & Chopped
Salt and Pepper TT

1. Make a paste with the garlic and the salt.
2. Place the egg yolk and mustard in a bowl and whisk
3. Add your olive oil bit by bit. Once you've blended in a half cup of the olive oil you can start to add the rest in larger amounts.
4. Add the garlic and lemon juice and artichokes. Season to taste with s&p.

Note: I loved the Lemon Oregano Vinegar and think I will use it from now on when I make fish and chips instead of just plain malt vinegar. I think I could also use it as a vinaigrette too, which is nice, if I just add some olive oil and emulsify it. I have to be honest when I say that I don't care for Aioli's or most Mayo type dips/dressings, so I didn't like this Aioli, but the flavor was there and I know I would have liked it had it not been...well, aioli! If you try it, let me know your thoughts.

**To serve the aioli, as you can see, I used the left over lemon half that was hollowed out from my juicer. It adds color to the plate and is kind of fun!

*I know this is English because Claire always says it!