Backfisch mit Kartoffelsalat

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy pot or Dutch oven, 4 litre capacity
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Fish spatula or spider skimmer

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the potatoes

   Put the unpeeled waxy potatoes in cold salted water, bring them up gently, and simmer until a knife slides through without breaking them apart, 18 to 25 minutes depending on size. Starting cold cooks them evenly to the centre; drop potatoes into boiling water and the outside softens before the middle is ready.

2. 2

   Dress while warm

   Drain the potatoes, let them sit until you can handle them, then peel and slice them while still warm. Whisk the vinegar, pickle brine, mustard, oil, salt, and pepper, then fold it through the warm slices with the gherkins, onion, apple, eggs, and herbs. Warm potato drinks the dressing; cold potato lets it slide off and sulk in the bowl.

   Taste the salad after 15 minutes. Potatoes swallow salt as they stand, so the first seasoning is rarely the last one.
3. 3

   Salt the fish

   Pat the cod very dry, salt it lightly, and leave it on a rack for 10 minutes while you set up the fryer. The salt firms the surface and pulls out a little moisture; wiping that away gives the batter something dry to hold on to.

4. 4

   Make cold batter

   Whisk the flour, starch, baking powder, a pinch of salt, the cold beer, and the cold egg just until no dry pockets remain. Stop while it still looks a little lumpy. A beaten-smooth batter builds gluten and turns bready; a cold, lightly mixed one sets fast and fries crisp.

5. 5

   Heat the oil

   Heat the oil in a heavy pot to 180C, with enough depth for the fish to float without touching the bottom. Keep the temperature between 175C and 185C. Below that, the batter drinks oil before it sets; above that, the coat browns before the cod flakes.

6. 6

   Coat and fry

   Dust each piece of fish lightly with flour, shake off the excess, then dip it in the batter and lower it into the oil away from you. Fry in small batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until the coating is deep gold and the fish flakes at the thickest point. Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature, and that is how a good piece of cod becomes greasy.

7. 7

   Drain and serve

   Lift the Backfisch to a rack, not paper towels, and salt it while the surface is still glossy with oil. A rack keeps the underside crisp; paper traps moisture and softens the coat you just worked for. Serve at once with the potato salad and lemon wedges. Würzen, Fett, Salz zum Schluss.

Chef Tips

• •Use cod, haddock, saithe, or pollock, whatever is fresh and firm. A soft fillet breaks in the batter and weeps water into the oil, so let the fishmonger sell you firmness before a fancy name.
• •Keep the batter cold until the second it meets the fish. Put the bowl over ice if the kitchen is warm; cold batter sets before it can drink fat.
• •Don't skip the flour dusting. It is the dry layer between wet fish and wet batter, and it keeps the coat attached.
• •If you want Remoulade, make it from mayonnaise, mustard, chopped pickle, capers, dill, and a little pickle brine. Nicht aus dem Glas.
• •Leftover fried fish is never better reheated. Eat it now, or flake it cold the next day into rye bread with mustard and pickle.

Advance Preparation

• •The Kartoffelsalat can be made up to 6 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it back toward room temperature before serving, because cold fat dulls the vinegar and mustard.
• •Cut and salt the fish up to 30 minutes ahead, then keep it uncovered in the refrigerator so the surface stays dry.
• •Mix the dry batter ingredients ahead, but add the beer and egg only just before frying. The bubbles and cold are part of the structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 580g)