🐟🍟 Weston Price–Friendly Crunchy Fish & Chips (with Freezer-Ready Chips)

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🐟🍟 Weston Price–Friendly Crunchy Fish & Chips (with Freezer-Ready Chips)

Serves: 4
Active time: ~45–60 min (plus optional chip make-ahead)
Why it’s WAP-friendly: Traditional beef tallow (dripping) for frying, kefir “buttermilk” brine for the fish, and a fermented sourdough batter. Optional lacto-fermented tartar ties it together.

Ingredients

Chips

  • 1 kg floury potatoes (e.g., Agria), cut into 1.5–2 cm batons

  • 10 g fine sea salt (for blanching water)

  • 15 ml white vinegar (for blanching water)

  • 1–1.5 L beef tallow/dripping (for frying)

  • Extra fine sea salt, to finish

Fish

  • 600–800 g firm white fish (hoki, gurnard, tarakihi, snapper), cut into 120–150 g pieces

  • 250 ml plain kefir (or cultured buttermilk)

  • 5 g (1 tsp) sea salt

  • 60 g rice flour or potato starch (for dusting)

Sourdough Batter

  • 150 g active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
    No starter? Mix 75 g flour + 75 g water, add 1 tbsp yogurt, ferment 8–12 h at room temp.

  • 120 g sprouted/spelt/einkorn flour (or standard flour)

  • 40 g rice flour (extra crispness)

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • 250–300 ml very cold sparkling water (or a cold lager/ale)

  • ½ tsp baking soda (add right before frying)

  • 1 tsp honey (optional, for colour)

Lacto-Tartar (optional but great)

  • 150 g crème fraîche or thick whole-milk Greek yogurt

  • 30 g finely chopped lacto-fermented gherkins or sauerkraut

  • 1 tbsp capers, chopped

  • 1–2 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 1 tbsp chopped dill or parsley

  • Sea salt & pepper, to taste

Equipment

  • Heavy Dutch oven/deep saucepan (20–22 cm ø), thermometer, wire rack + tray, slotted spoon/spider.

Method

A) Chips – parboil & first fry

  1. Rinse & soak: Rinse cut chips, then soak in cold water 15–30 min. Drain.

  2. Parboil: Bring a large pot to a simmer with 10 g salt + 15 ml vinegar per ~2 L water. Add chips; cook 8–10 min until just tender and edges “fuzzy.”

  3. Dry & chill: Drain well; let steam-dry. Spread on a tray and chill (fridge 1 h or freezer 20–30 min) to drive off moisture.

  4. First fry (blanch): Heat tallow to 140 °C. Fry in small batches 6–7 min until pale and just set (no colour). Drain on a rack and cool 15+ min.

Stop here if you’re prepping to freeze (see “Freezer Method” below). If cooking same day, continue to Section C after doing the fish.

B) Fish – kefir brine & batter

  1. Kefir brine: Whisk 250 ml kefir + 5 g salt. Add fish; brine 20–30 min. Drain and pat very dry.

  2. Batter: In a cold bowl, mix starter, flours, salt, and most of the ice-cold sparkling water to a thick, pourable batter (heavy-cream consistency). Rest 10 min in the fridge. Add honey if using. Just before frying, whisk in ½ tsp baking soda. Keep batter cold (sit bowl over ice if warm in the kitchen).

C) Fry the fish, finish the chips

  1. Fish fry: Heat tallow to 185–190 °C. Lightly dust fish with rice flour/potato starch (key for adhesion), dip in batter, let excess drip, and slide into the oil. Fry 4–6 min, turning once, until deep golden and crisp. Internal temp ~60 °C. Drain on a rack; keep warm in a 90 °C oven.

  2. Second fry (chips): Raise oil to 190–200 °C. Fry chips 2–3 min until blistered and deep golden. Drain on a rack and salt immediately.

D) Lacto-Tartar

  1. Mix ingredients; season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon if needed.

Freezer Method: Make-Ahead Chips (best weeknight hack)

Prep & freeze

  1. Follow steps A1–A4 (parboil → chill → first fry).

  2. Cool completely, then freeze in a single layer on a lined tray until firm (1–2 h).

  3. Pack into bags, press out air, label/date. Keeps 2–3 months.

Cook from frozen – three options

  • Deep-fry (crispiest): Tallow 190–200 °C, fry from frozen 3–5 min until deep golden.

  • Oven: Toss frozen chips with 3–4 tbsp melted tallow, bake on a preheated tray at 220 °C (fan) 25–35 min, turning once.

  • Air fryer: Lightly coat with melted tallow; 200 °C for 12–18 min, shake halfway.

Do not thaw—thawing makes them steamy and soggy.

Tips for Maximum Crunch (and WAP cred)

  • Tallow + temperature: Keep oil near 190 °C for fish, 140 °C for first-fry chips, 190–200 °C to finish. Crowding = temperature crash = soggy.

  • Dry surfaces: Pat fish dry, dust lightly, then batter.

  • Cold batter, hot fat: Keep batter cold (even over ice).

  • Rack, not paper: Drain on a wire rack for shatter-crisp results.

  • Sequence: Fry chips first, fish second so stored tallow doesn’t pick up fish aroma.

Caring for Your Tallow (Reuse & Storage)

  • Reuse: Chips-only tallow: 5–8 uses; fish tallow: 3–5 uses.

  • Strain while warm (fine sieve + coffee filter/cheesecloth), store in a clean jar in the fridge (weeks) or freezer (months).

  • Refresh with 10–20% fresh tallow each session.

  • Bin it if it smells off when cold, smokes at lower temps than usual, is very dark, or foams excessively.

Variations (still WAP-friendly)

  • Gluten-free batter: 160 g rice flour + 20 g masa harina (nixtamalised corn) + 1 tsp salt + 260–320 ml cold sparkling water; whisk in ½ tsp baking soda just before frying.

  • Fermented gram batter: 150 g chickpea (besan) flour + ~220 ml water + 1 tbsp yogurt; ferment 8–12 h. Season, thin with sparkling water, add ½ tsp baking soda before frying.

Serve With

  • Fermented slaw (sauerkraut + grated carrot + dill), lemon wedges, malt vinegar or ACV, and buttered minted peas.

Make-ahead plan: Do the chip parboil + first fry on the weekend; freeze. On the night: heat tallow, fry fish, and finish chips straight from frozen. Dinner in ~15 minutes.

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