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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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