Fridays during Lent in many households mean one thing: Fish.
Freshen up your next fish fry with this lemony fish, a spicy tartar sauce, fries and cole slaw
Menu
Lemon Batter Fish
Chipotle Pepper Tarter Sauce
French Fries
Cole Slaw
Lemon Batter Fish
Use freshly squeeze lemon juice for the best results.
- 1 cup flour
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 pound fish filets, fresh or frozen
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Flour
- Vegetable oil
In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour, water, 1/3 cup lemon juice, egg, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well with a wire whisk. Squeeze 1 lemon into a shallow dish. Dip fish first into lemon, then coat with flour, then dip into batter. Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.
Chipotle Pepper Tarter Sauce
This is a little bit spicy. Control the level of heat by adding or subtracting the number of chipotles.
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons relish
- 1 tablespoon grated onion
- Small can chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
Chop 1-2 chipotle peppers and mix with mayonnaise, relish and grated onion. Include whatever adobe sauce is on the peppers (don't rinse it off, but don't add any extra, either). Add a dash of lemon juice, if desired.
French Fries
The best French fries have a crispy outer coating and are soft inside. Here is a tried-and-true method for making the best fries ever.
- 6 large baking potatoes
- Oil
Wash potatoes cut into desired thickness and size. Rinse three times, changing water each time. Soak in very cold water or ice water. Pour about 1 inch of oil into a large cast iron skillet. Test oil temperature by putting in a small piece of potato – if oil bubbles, it’s ready. Drain potatoes and dry very well. Place potatoes into oil, being careful not to overcrowd. Cook until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes, stirring gently and turning as they cook. As each batch of potatoes is done, remove and place on a paper bag. When all batches are done, add enough oil to bring back to 1 inch and fry potatoes a second time, in batches, until brown and crisp.
Easy Cole Slaw
- ½ head of cabbage
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grated onion
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Paprika
In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, onion, sugar, celery seed, salt and pepper. Slice cabbage as thin as you can. Toss cabbage in with the dressing mixture and stir until well blended. For a thinner slaw, add a small amount of milk until it’s the consistency you want. Sprinkle top with paprika. Chill for at least an hour.
Tips:
- The downside to homemade French fries is that you, as the cook, are standing at the stove removing batches from the hot oil while everyone else scarfs up the bounty as fast as it hits the table. Make your fries at your own pace and then spread them out on a cookie sheet and keep them in a warm oven until you're ready to eat. Avoid piling up cooked fries in a deep dish - they'll get soggy.
- For other meatless dishes, perfect for Fridays in Lent, see Suite 101's Vegetarian Cuisine site.
