Traditional English Fish and Chips

For the Fish:

• 18 oz cod (the1 original recipe called for haddock, but cod is what they serve at Lambros)
• 1 1/8 cup plain flour
• 1 cup lager beer
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp old bay seasoning

For the tartar sauce:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp English mustard (I used Coleman's)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 tbsp capers, minced
• 1 tbsp chives, minced
• 1 tsp fresh tarragon, minced
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• Zest of 1 lemon

For the chips:

• 6 red-skinned potatoes
• 4 1/2 cups oil for frying
• pinch salt

Directions:

1. To make the tartar sauce, mix the mayonnaise with the lemon juice and English mustard, then add the salt and pepper. Gently stir in the garlic, shallots, capers, chives and tarragon. Grate the hardboiled egg over the mixture and fold in gently. Finish with the lemon zest.
2. Peel the potatoes (I just left my peels on) and cut them into thick, evenly sized wedges.
3. Heat the oil until bubbles rise around the non-stirring end of a wooden spoon. Fry the chips until golden on all sides (7 to 8 minutes if you are a Great British Chef, 12 to 15 minutes if you are me). Drain the chips on paper towels and keep in a warm oven while you cook the fish.
4. To make the batter, mix the flour with the beer, salt, pepper and curry powder. Whisk until smooth. The batter should be pretty thin, so add a little more beer or a little less flour as necessary.
5. Cut the fish up into strips. Mix the 3/4 cup flour with the Old Bay Seasoning and then coat each piece of fish lightly in the flour, then dip in the batter. Let most of the batter run off (you don't want too much).
6. Using tongs or some other tool that will keep your hand away from that hot oil, hold half of each fish piece in the oil for about 30 seconds. This should stop the fish from sinking and sticking to the bottom of the fryer. Then gently drop the fish in the oil and keep cooking for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the batter is golden all over. Drain on paper towels and place in a warm oven until all the fish is done cooking.