Healthy Fish & Chips

 

Sometimes you fancy fish and chips but without all the grease and calories that come from deep frying.

Here is my version of a low fat fish and chips, baked in the oven. Light and healthy yet still tasty & satisfying.

Healthy Fish & Chips

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 x fillets of fresh haddock or cod

4 x medium sized potatoes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vegetable stock or half a vegetable stock cube

1 egg, beaten

Approx 2 inches of stale or day old baguette, french stick or crusty white bread cut into chunks

2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan

sprig of parsley

To serve:

Steamed green beans

Tomato chutney

Lemon wedge

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400F / Gas Mark 6

Wash and dry the potatoes, no need to peel as the skins are kept on for flavour and extra nutrition. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into wedges (I usually cut them into 8ths depending on the size of the potatoes).

Pat the wedges dry in a clean tea towel.

 In a largish bowl, mix the oil and vegetable stock, adding some freshly ground pepper if desired. 

 Add the potatoes and toss in the oil as you would a salad. I just use two spoons.

Spread the potatoes on a baking tray and place in the oven. They will take about 35 minutes to cook.

The fish will only take 15 minutes to cook so you can begin to prepare the fish while the chips are baking.

Put a timer on for 20 minute so that you know when to put the fish in the oven.

 Now make the bread crumbs for the fish by whizzing the bread in  food processor until it is nice and fine.

Add the parsley and whizz again until it is also chopped up. Stir in the Parmesan.

Your bread crumbs are ready!

I skin the fish because my boyfriend doesn't like eating the skin, but it's not necessary if you are impartial.

Pour the beaten egg onto a plate and coat both sides of the fish.

Place the fish back on the chopping board and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, making sure you cover as much of the fish as possible. It doesn't need to look perfect - this is rustic style cooking :-)

Now place the fish, breaded side down, on a baking tray. Coat the top of the fish with breadcrumbs.

When your timer goes off, or your potato wedges have 15 minutes cooking time remaining, place the fish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs start to turn golden and the flesh turns opaque and flaky.

While the fish and chips are baking, steam your chosen veg...in this instance, green beans.

 If all goes to plan, everything should be ready at the same time!

If you have skinned your fish, take care removing it from the baking tray as it will break up easily.

Serve your fish and chips with a wedge of lemon and some tomato chutney as an alternative to ketchup...if you have home made chutney, all the better.

Bon appetite!