This recipe gives you baked fish and chips that are golden crispy and delicious. Not to mention easier and healthier! Just a few simple steps to follow ensures that you get all the crunch you want without any frying involved.
Is there anyone among us who hasn’t indulged in the occasional plate of fish and chips? Typically fried, the crispy batter that gives way to tender white fish is a true pleasure enjoyed by both kids and adults.
Why bake fish and chips?
It’s a lot healthier than frying, and easier and less mess too. When you make them this way, you still get all the delicious crispiness while baking in the oven. This method, adapted from New York Times Cooking, allows you to cook both fish and fries at the same time, which means your meal is ready before you know it
What kind of fish can you use? Any firm white fish. Locally, hammour is a great choice and what I used. You can also use cod or haddock. Don’t use overly flaky fish like tilapia which will fall apart in this preparation.
Dredging:
Dredging is a method to coat any item of food in flour or breadcrumbs before baking/frying it. The flour gets the egg wash to stick, and the egg wash gets the breadcrumbs to stick. You’ll need:
Flour: Just basic all purpose flour, or you can try using whole wheat flour.
Mustard/Egg Mix: This recipe is the first time I’ve seen that combination, but I really liked it. I feel that the mustard was a great way to counter any fishy flavor, and mixing it with the eggs made a great sticky base to the fish.
Coating: Panko breadcrumbs are ideal for this because they are processed into large flakes which get very crispy when heated, and they absorb less oil than normal crumbs. I love the idea of toasting the breadcrumbs even before going in the oven, which infuses them from so much flavor from the garlic and herbs. This also gets them golden brown before even going in the oven, so you don’t need to overcook the fish inside the oven to get that ideal color.
How to get your oven baked fries to be crispy?
This is the first time I’ve succeeded at making good, crispy, addictive oven baked fries. The key was in parboiling them for just 5 minutes before they go in the oven. The fries are added to COLD not hot water, with a tiny bit of vinegar and salt, then brought to a boil. After boiling, you need to get all that water and moisture off so that they crisp up, so drain then, then thoroughly pat all over with paper towels.
In this recipe, I simply tossed with salt, pepper, and olive oil before baking in a very hot oven but feel free to add anything like paprika, chili powder, flavored salt. Make sure the fries are in a single layer in the baking sheet- use two if you need to- so that they don’t overcrowd onto each other which will result in steaming and limp soggy fries.
Once in the oven, halfway through their cook time (around 10-15 minutes in) you’ll toss them around so that they cook through evenly without burning in any spots.
What to serve with your baked fish and chips:
I sauteed some frozen peas in a pan with butter and minced garlic. That and some corn on the cob made for great side dishes. You could always go simple and just serve as is with some ketchup and homemade tartar sauce for dipping (recipe included)
Homemade tartar sauce:
This was so insanely easy to make, and so much better than the store bought stuff! Thank you Natasha’s kitchen for the inspiration. I just changed the ratios around on her recipe a little for preference. I also used pickle juice instead of going through the process of juicing a lemon for that little amount of liquid needed.
Preparing in advance and storing leftovers:
Fish can be breaded for up to 4 hours before baking, store in the fridge after breading.
This is best fresh out of the oven, but I’ve had leftovers up to 2 days after making. Store tightly wrapped in the fridge, and reheat in a 180 C oven (350 F). Hint- the leftovers made for some GREAT fish tacos!
What are you waiting for? These baked fish and chips are going to be a real hit!
Baked Fish and Chips
Ingredients
For the fish:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 600 g white fish like hammour or cod, cut into 1 inch thick slices (1 1/4 lb)
For the fries:
- 3 or 4 large potatoes, cut into thin strips 1/4 inch thick
- big pinch of salt
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For the tartar sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles
- 1 tsp pickle juice from the jar
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped finely
- small pinch sugar
- small pinch pepper
Instructions
For the fish:
- Preheat the oven to 220 C (425 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add the panko breadcrumbs, the dried oregano, paprika, garlic, and black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until crumbs have turned golden brown, around 5 minutes. When this happens, immediately transfer them to a bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard and eggs until well combined. Place flour in a third bowl.
- Sprinkle the fish fillets evenly all over with salt and pepper. Dredge them by coating them first in the flour mixture, then the mustard mixture, then coating them in the panko breadcrumbs. Make sure they are all evenly coated. Transfer fish pieces to your parchment lined baking sheet. You can bake immediately or store in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
For the fries:
- Add the sliced potatoes to a large pot and fill with cold water. Add the salt and vinegar. Heat water over medium high heat, and when it comes to a boil let the potatoes boil for 5 minutes before draining them. Dry very thoroughly, patting dry with paper towels. Let them cool just a couple minutes for easier handling.
- In a large bowl, toss together the olive oil, salt, pepper, and par-boiled potato strips until evenly coated. Spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Bake on the upper rack of the oven for 10-15 minutes, then use a metal spatula and toss them around. Transfer the baking pan to the lower rack in the oven.
- At this point, put your fish into the oven onto the upper rack of the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes or until fish is flakey and golden and potatoes crispy and browned.
- Serve hot with ketchup or tartar sauce for dipping
For the homemade tartar sauce:
- Mix together the mayonnaise, chopped pickles, pickle juice, chopped dill, sugar and pepper until well combined. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Pesto
Did you make this? Tag @everylittlecrumb or hashtag #everylittlecrumb and I’ll share your images!
Love the idea of baking fish and chips. I definitely need to try this. Great tips for getting crispy fries.
Thanks Danielle! Hope you enjoy it
I love fish and chips and a lighter option looks perfect for me!
It’s a great one!
Loving this healthy take on the classic. And anytime you can make meal prep easier by cooking two dishes at once I’m all in favor!
Makes it very convenient! Thanks Pam :))
My kid is obsessed with fish and chips since we moved to UK. I bet he’s gonna love this recipe. It’s super easy to make and so healthy. Better than restaurant bought. I’m definitely making this.
Thanks Natalie! I can guarantee it’s a hit with the kids. Hope you enjoy it!
The whole family loved this recipe – thank you!!
Aw! So so glad to hear it ❤️
Thanks for this recipe will definitely try it for my kids
But may I know how long do we bake the fish fro?
Thanks Hiba I’m sure they’ll love it! The dish needs about 15 min depending on the size, when you want to check just cut into one and make sure it’s cooked!!
My kids are obsessed with these. Love how easy it is and your tips. Definitely adding this recipe to my kids menu 🙂
I’m so glad that you liked it! That makes me very happy thank you Olga!
Very comparable taste to my fried but much healthier. Thank you Farah.
An alternative condiment to try is chipotle mayo made with mayo and a bit of chipotle in adobe sauce and a dash of lemon juice.
My pleasure! Anything with chipotle I’m just fine with. Sounds great!