Dani Goes South

I’m a fan of nostalgia. I love a show re-watch, getting back into an old album I forgot was a favorite, and making a dish that automatically transports me to a place or moment is, shock to no one, my favorite way to experience nostalgia. This food nostalgia, I’ve found, is broken up into different categories in my brain… One is simply, just pastas, because, obvious reasons. However, other categories include (but are absolutely in no way limited to): things my dad made, things my mom makes, things I made that my grandparents loved…Then, we’ve got vacation foods, that dish at that restaurant that no longer exists (RIP) that we love, and fried seafood…Much like pasta, a category all its own. Also, let it be known I really want to circle back and expand on these categories but I definitely won’t because I recognize that is purely for my entertainment. Any. Who.

Fried seafood…

When done well, it’s really, truly, madly, deeply, a-la Savage Garden, one of my very favorite things. A perfectly crispy calamari- come. ON. A shrimp situation? TBH, it’s the fried clams for me. Hot take. But close behind (and maybe tied with calamari, I don’t know, don’t put me in a fried seafood box), is undoubtedly a classic, perfectly crispy fish and chips. It is just one of those dishes that I can’t eat and not immediately be mentally transported beachside. So, a therapeutic food, is what we’ve got here, people.

While I’m singing its praises, I will say…There are some not great fish and chips out there. That being said, I’ve got feelings about what makes a delicious fish and chip sitch, if you will.

A beer batter. Is it the only way? No. But something about those hoppy notes contributes to that beachy vibe (You can take the girl out of CA, amiright?). The carbonation also lends itself to an airy batter. You can, however, absolutely achieve this with some sparkling water, if the aforementioned “hoppy notes” are not your cuppa whatever your preferred warm beverage is. Consequently, I’ve been on a real tea kick as of late.
Tartar sauce that doesn’t suck. I’m not lookin’ for mayo with some pickles dumped in its midst. Could I make that sound grosser? Don’t challenge me.
What I’m looking for, nay, requiring alongside my fish and chips are sauces that say hey, I’m here to cut through all the crispy goodness happening, and provide some zip. Some zest- IF. YOU. WILL. Tartar sauce is what brings joie de vivre to the fish and chip basket. And really, what is an F&C-B without a lil JDV? We look to aromatics like shallots and garlic, lemon zest, fresh dill, and briny things like capers and pickles (Sorry, pickles, didn’t mean to sully your name at the beginning of this paragraph) to check these boxes, and they do not disappoint. I also wouldn’t kick a cocktail sauce feat. fresh horseradish out of this situation.
Crispy yet tender, perfectly salted fries. That is all.

While we’re talking about fries…Fish and chips obviously involves the frying of fish, which, if you asked me how much I love the act of frying, I’d say not much. So, for this recipe, I decided to cut down what we are actively frying by doing the chips in the oven.

First, we par-cook the fries in boiling salted water for just about 5 minutes, before transferring them to an oiled sheet tray that we’ve preheated in a 450F oven. This technique promotes a tender/fluffy inside and a crisp exterior.

If you ask me to pick between steak and shoestring fry, I’m shoestring all day long, but no shade to the steak fry. I know people have feelings about this, so I split the difference and cut these slightly larger than shoestring fries- about 3/8”. Still thin and crispy, but with a little bite.

This recipe is from the Easy Weeknight Dinner section of my new cookbook. While, no, you’re probably not going to fry up fish and chips weekly, this is fantastic shortcut for when you want a little treat, or maybe chasing a nostalgic craving. Also, this batter is such a great catch-all beer batter for SO. MUCH. Hello, fish tacos. Hello, zucchini fries. Hello, calamari. On that same note, these oven fries make many an appearance beyond the ‘ol fish and chips. Dress them up with a little garlic and rosemary and get a little aioli happening. You will not be upset.

Some extra recipe notes, because I like you, and because I can’t leave well enough alone, and well, books have some serious word-count at play, and if I included EVERYTHING I wanted to tell you, this book would be un-shippable, haha:

This beer batter calls for a combination of regular all-purpose flour, and rice flour. While, yes, you can use all-all-purpose flour, the rice flour does contribute to a slightly lighter, crispier texture.
In step 9, when we are battering the fish, and I say allow the excess to drip off, please do! This ensures a light, crispy texture. Trust me, less is more!
You can totally, absolutely make the tartar sauce in advance, and it would probably be more delicious for it, since the flavors will have had a chance to meld and intensify.
A candy thermometer is your friend! Cradle that oil temperature, and keep the flame on the lower side. It takes way longer for oil to come down in temperature than it does to heat up.

I’m so curious what dishes evoke nostalgia for everyone else. Nostalgia plays such a big role in the way I think about food in general, from day-to-day cravings, to recipe developing, even styling! All this, in turn, colors the way I want to eat.

I like to think that when I’m recreating a dish based off of nostalgia, it’s kind of like honoring that memory. Will it ever be that same childhood, beachside bite? Probably not. In fact, I know, definitely not. But when my adult self nods to those past moments, it’s also a nod to my truest self, that was, in fact, built bite by bite, by these nostalgic moments.