Beer Battered Mahimahi and Chips

My favorite fish to eat is definitely mahimahi (except for the Misoyaki Butterfish at Roy's but that is another story.....).  Mahimahi is also known as dolphin fish - don't panic,  it is not related to an actual dolphin. In the Hawaiian language mahimahi means very strong.  It is a firm, white-fleshed fish that has a mild taste.  One of my favorite ways to enjoy this fish is to coat it in a coconut crust and then pan fry the fillets, but tonight I had other plans.  I was in the mood for fish and chips.

When we visit our relatives in Australia we always look forward to Friday night fish and chips.  I am partial to the grilled fish we can get there, but I also enjoy battered fish, potato scallops, and pineapple fritters.   Not exactly good for you, but oh so good if you know what I mean.

Frying battered fish is not as easy as it looks.  First you need a batter that is not too thick that it over-coats the fish and prevents it from cooking through, and not too thin that it just runs right off the fish into the oil.  It is a definitely a delicate balance.  Then you need to make sure that you have the oil just right  - not too hot that the outside burns and the fish is raw, but not too cool that the fish ends up a soggy mess.  I think we probably had out oil a little too hot but I couldn't find my thermometer to check out how hot it was.  Of course now that I don't need it I am sure I could find it right away.  Such is the law of the kitchen.

We served our fish with oven-roasted potato wedges.  I simply took 2 large russet potatoes, peeled them, and cut them into wedges.  The wedges went into a large roasting pan with a little olive oil to coat, and just a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  They cooked at 400°F for approximately 40 minutes (I turned them over once at about 20 minutes).  A little lemon and some yogurt sauce and we were ready to eat.  We did have a lot of batter left over so next time I would probably make potato scallops rather than fries.

Beer Battered Mahimahi and Chips

(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 12 ounces beer
• 2 large fillets of mahimahi, each cut into 3 pieces
  

Preparation

1. In a large bowl add flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, eggs, and beer, and beat until smooth.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper.
3. Use at least 3 inches of oil to  fry fish.
4. Dip each fillet into the batter and drop into the oil, two at a time.
5. Cook each fillet until golden brown, turning once during cooking. 
6. Drain on paper towels.

My batter was made from this batter recipe.