Take-out fish and chips are a Kiwi institution on Friday evenings, especially where there are young children as it's often Mum's night off cooking. If you feel like trying them at home, get creative with this delicious beer batter and tasty oven-baked chips.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1 cup beer
• 1 cup chilled water
• 4 150-gram fillets firm white fish
• ¼ cup chopped fresh dill or chervil, optional
• extra flour for dusting
• Potato, parsnip and carrot chips
• 2 large floury potatoes, peeled
• 2 parsnips, peeled
• 2 carrots, peeled
• ¼ cup oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Method

1. Sift the flours into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in the beer and sufficient chilled water to make a smooth batter about the consistency of thick pouring cream. Set the batter aside to rest for 10 minutes while preparing the fish.
2. Rub the fish fillets with the fresh dill or chervil, then sprinkle each with a light coating of flour.
3. Heat oil a deep fryer to 180ºC. Use sufficient oil so that the fish float freely.
4. Dip the herb-coated fish fillets in the batter and pop carefully into the deep fryer. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until golden. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with the oven baked chips.
5. Potato, parsnip and carrot chips
6. Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Cut the potatoes, parsnips and carrots into 1cm to 1.5cm wide sticks. Precook the vegetables in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Tip into a colander to drain well. Pat the vegetables dry on abosrbent paper.
7. Toss the vegetables in the oil, paprika and garlic salt and place in a single layer on a baking tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until sizzling hot and golden. Keep warm at 120ºC while cooking the fish.

Cooks Tips

Fish should always be bought on the day it is going to be eaten. If you have to keep it overnight, refresh the fish in chilled salted water for 5 minutes, then drain well on absorbent paper before cooking. Variation: Sea Sticks - skewer succulent pieces of fish for a gourmet take on this Kiwi classic. Toss chunkily cut pieces of fish in a cornmeal and thread on to well-soaked bamboo skewers. Barbecue or pan-fry on a greased plate for 5-7 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. You need abut 500 grams firm or medium-textured fish to feed 4 people.