Ingredients: (serves 1-2)

• 300 ml of vegetable oil

• 1-2 cod or haddock fillets ( for 2 people 2 fillets)

• 1-2 Yukon Gold or Russet Potato ( 1 potato per person)

• Malt vinegar

Fish Batter

I highly recommend mixing all the dry ingredients and placing them into a ziplock bag at home. At camp you will then only need to add the lager and mix to complete the batter

• 1/4 cup self rising flour

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika

• Bring an extra tbsp of flour to dredge the fish before placing it in the batter

• 1 can of a lager or pale ale (you can use seltzer if you’d like instead of beer)

Tartar Sauce

• 4 Tbsp mayo

• 1 Tbsp chopped cornichons

• 1 Tbsp chopped capers

• 1 tsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)

• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley

• Optional: It is sometimes nice to add a Tbsp of chopped shallots but I did not have any on my camping trip

Kit Needed:

One pot or mess tin, gas stove, metal tongs or spoon, 1 plastic sandwich bag and an additional pot or kettle to cook the chips. If you want you can get away with just using one pot but you will need to cook the potatoes first. Whenever I am deep frying anything I like to use a trangia mess tin. On this camp I used the small mess tin. A small wire rack and paper towels are optional but recommended.

Packing Tips:

Bag and freeze the fish and peas the night before you leave. The fish will then thaw throughout your hike. If you plan on making the tartar sauce or plan on bringing any that you have purchased store it in a small water tight container. I like to then place this container between the frozen fish and peas when packing everything into a large ziplock bag. This will help keep it cool during the hike. It is also a good idea to premix all the dry ingredients for the fish batter into a small ziplock bag. At camp you will then only need to add the lager and mix to create your batter.

Method:

1. Start by cleaning and cutting your potato into half inch slices. You can make the chips larger or smaller it’s all personal preference but when having fish and chips I enjoy having a thicker chip. If using Yukon gold potatoes I don’t bother removing the skin.

2. Once the chips have been cut to shape, rinse them in water to remove any excess starch and place in your pot or kettle. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. If you have any malt vinegar with you, add a few dashes to the water. This will create a slightly acidic environment and help to slow the breakdown of pectin in your potatoes. This will help them keep their shape as they cook through. (while the potatoes cook, this is a good time to make your tarter sauce if you did not already make it at home)

3. Once your potatoes are fork tender, drain the water and set them aside.

4. Add your vegetable oil to your pot or mess tin and bring the oil temperature to around 175 C (350 F). At camp you will be able to estimate this temperature by adding a small drop of your batter to the oil. It begin bubbling immediately and float when at temp.

5. Time to make the fish batter. This will be simple if you already premixed all the dry ingredients for the batter and placed them into a ziplock bag 👍. Start by adding only about 2-3 ounces of your lager or seltzer to the bag. Seal and mix the contents of the bag. You are trying to make a slightly thick but smooth batter. If your batter is too thick add another ounce and mix again. (on this camp I had to add a bit extra until I reached that smooth texture I was looking for). Once your batter is ready set aside.

6. Now take the extra tablespoon of flour and place it on a plate or inside the lid of your mess tin (this is why I like to use a mess tin when deep frying at camp). To the flour add a pinch of salt/pepper and mix. This will be used to coat the fish before it goes into the batter.

7. Once the oil is to temperature it’s time to dredge and batter your fish. Before coating the fish with the flour just pat both sides dry with a paper towel. Now toss the fish fillet in the flour to completely coat both sides. Shake off any extra flour.

8. Once dredged add the fish to the bag of batter coating the entire fillet. Bringing small tongs makes this much easier and less messy! Once the fish has been coated lift and allow any excess batter to drip off into the bag.

9. Carefully lower the fish into the hot oil. Optional: at this point I also like to drizzle a bit of the extra batter on top of the fish. This creates an extra crunchy layer on top. Fry the fish until both sides are golden brown in color. Occasionally turn during cooking to make sure both sides are evenly cooked. This can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on the temperature of your oil. Once it’s golden brown on both sides it should be done.

10. Once done, remove the fish from the oil and place on a paper towel or small wire rack. I also like to use the lid of the mess tin for this. At this time sprinkle the fish with a little salt. Set aside.

11. Now it’s time for the chips. Raise the temperature of your gas stove to medium high. You want to bring the oil temperature to around 200 C (400 F). Again this is hard to determine without a thermometer so just make sure you turn up the heat.

12. Make sure your chips of dry of any excess water (pat them dry if you need to) and gently place them in the oil. Usually you have to cook about half the chips. So you will be cooking two batches for one potato. Adding too many at once will drastically lower the temperature of the oil. Cook till golden brown and crispy. This should only take around 5 min.

    Normally I would cook my chips twice in the oil at home but this is camping so shortcuts are taken (if cooking these at home look up a triple-cooked chips recipe if you want perfect chips)

13. Once your chips are golden brown and crispy remove and place on your wire rack or paper towel. Season with salt.

Tarter Sauce:

The tartar sauce is extremely simple. Just combine the mayo, chopped cornichons, capers, parsley, lemon juice and mix.

This is way better than any tartar sauce I can normally find in the store. I like my tartar sauce very acid so you can reduce the amount of chopped cornichons, capers, and lemon juice if you’d like yours to have less of a punch!