Mix flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center.
Mix milk with egg slowly. Add the mixture to the center of the flour well and beat until aerated. Set aside.
Heat oil to 375 degrees F.
Run fingers across fish fillets and remove any pin bones. Slice the fillets into 1" by 3" strips.
When oil is up to temperature, add beer to the batter and mix in.
Dip and coat fillets with batter** and place them into oil, a few at a time.
Fry to a light golden brown, turning once.
Remove fish from the oil and place on paper towels to drain. To keep pieces hot, they can be placed in a 300 degree F oven while the balance is frying.
Homemade Chips
Peel and rinse potatoes.
Cut potatoes horizontally into 4 or 5 strips.
Cut potatoes into sticks.
Place potatoes into a bowl of water, and soak for 1 to 2 hours.
Remove potatoes from water, and shake off excess water, and blot with paper towels until mostly dry.
Fry potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes, and place on a wire rack, for a minute or two.
Place the semi-cooked potatoes back into the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp. Remove from oil and place onto a wire rack.
Season potatoes with salt.
Finished Dish
Place fish and chips on plates and sprinkle with a little salt and malt vinegar and enjoy. Please, "NO" ketchup.
Recipe Tips
*There are other types of cod, known as brown or red - do not use! The texture of meat and the amount of natural oil doesn't give you the light flakiness desired.**The batter will appear very thick and heavy, that's ok. As long as you keep your oil temp up, there will be no sponging.Recipe OptionsTry adding dry mustard (Coleman's), hot Hungarian paprika, or a bit of ground cayenne to the flour mix.