Gordon Ramsay\'s Great British Pub Food

Hake in beer batter

with mushy peas

Along with savoury pies, fish 'n' chips with mushy peas

represents true British pub food. Fry the chips first and

keep warm in a low oven - uncovered to keep them crisp.

Check the hake fillets for pin-bones, removing any that you come

across with kitchen tweezers. Chill until ready to cook.

To make the batter, sift the flour, rice flour, baking powder and a

generous pinch each of salt and pepper into a large bowl and make a

well in the ce nt re. In a smaller bowl, stir together the ale, vodka and

honey, then pou r int o the well and whisk until the mixture is well

combined. Cove r and let the batter stand for an hour before using.

For the mush' "eas, d rop the mint leaves into a pan one-third filled

with salted wat and bring to the boil. Add the peas and blanch for

2-3 minutes until tender. Drain, reserving the water. Tip the peas into

a food processor and add the wine vinegar and some seasoning. Pulse

to a rough puree, adding a little ofthe reserved liquid as necessary to

get the desired texture. Check the seasoning and keep warm.

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or other suitable heavy pan to 200°C, or
until a little of t he batter dropped in bubbles vigorously and browns
in 30 seconds. Deep-fry the fish fillets two at a time. Coat with a little
flour, then dip into the batter, letting any excess drip off, and gently
lower into the hot oil. Deep-fry for 4-6 minutes until golden all over,
turning the fillets over halfway. Remove with a slotted spoon and
drain on kitchen paper. Make sure that the oil returns to 200°C before
you deep-fry the other fillets. Keep the fried fish warm in a low oven
while you fry the other batch and reheat the mushy peas if necessary.

Serve the fish as soon as they are all cooked, with the mushy peas,

chips and tartare sauce.

SERVES 4

4 hake fillets, or other

chunky firm-textured

white fish fillets,

about 140g each

50g plain flour, plus

extra to coat

50g rice flour

2 tsp baking powder

sea salt and black pepper

150mllight ale

40ml vodka

1/2 tsp runny honey

groundnut or vegetable

oil, for deep-frying

MUSHY PEAS

few mint sprigs, leaves

only

350g frozen peas

1 tbsp white wine

vinegar

rOSERVE

chips (see page 184)

tart are sauce (see page

119)

CATCH OF THE DAY 99