Best Battered Basa Fish and Salad

Battered fish and chips with a simple but delicious garden salad.

You can have the fish and chips or the salad alone, but they are a great pairing together. Or, substitute the chips for a salad for a lighter meal. I use a simple batter for the fish that creates a beautifully puffy and crispy crust.

Have a salad with battered fish instead of chips

I like to use Basa fish as it’s a lighter tasting fish and tastes great, battered and fried. Flat head is also a great option for battered fish and I use it when I have it.

Ingredients

Makes 2 servings

1 Basa or 2 Flathead fillets

Flour for coating

Chips (french fries)

Batter

200 grams flour

300 milliliters water

Salad

30 grams iceberg lettuce

1 quarter of a tomato

10 grams baby spinach

20 grams mushrooms

10 grams capsicum (bell peppers)

10 grams onions

1 gram (½ of a pepper) ghost pepper (optional)

15 grams radish

A handful of basil

Salad Dressing

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoon olive oil

Start preparing the salad with the lettuce. I used baby spinach and iceberg lettuce.

Cut the mushrooms into bite size pieces.

Slice the cucumber to your desired thickness.

Slice the onions into round slices.

Slice the capsicum (bell peppers) into long strips.

Slice the ghost peppers (optional).

Pluck the basil leaves.

Slice the tomato quarter.

Thinly slice the radish.

Combine all salad ingredients except the radish and set aside.

In a large bowl, add enough flour to coat the fish. You can also try using a plate to coat the fish.

In a separate bowl, add flour and then water and whisk until combined.

Prepare your basa fillet on a cutting board.

Cut the fillet in half lengthwise.

Cut the fillet in half again across the width. If you are using flathead fillets you may only want to cut each in half.

Coat the fillet in flour.

Pinching the small end of the fillet, dunk it in the flour and water batter, making sure to coat the entire fillet. Allow the excess batter to drip off

When frying the fish, place most of it in the oil without touching the bottom and move it back and forth to make sure that it does not stick to the basket. Repeat for the rest of the fish, making sure that there is enough room that the fillets do not stick together. If you don’t own a deep fryer you can use a deep pan or a wok.

After the fish has cooked for a few minutes, add the chips and cook until the chips and fish are both golden brown and crispy. You can cut a small slit into the fish to check that it is cooked through. Drain the excess oil.

Plate the salad.

Plate the fish and chips and pair with your favorite sauce. I like aioli or a splash of brown vinegar. Enjoy!