Fried Food Extravaganza!

My goal is to clean out the OLD small freezer and get rid of it.  It's an energy hog and we really don't need the extra freezer.  Of course, if you looked at what we have frozen, you'd say we do.  An entire shelf of stock.  Chicken, turkey, shrimp, lobster and corn.  An entire shelf of soups.  And, the list goes on...  I've been reaching my hand into the freezer and grabbing different proteins.  Then, I design the week's menus around them.  Some time ago I grabbed the bag of cod.  Fish and chips went on the menu.  And, got moved from week to week.  Finally I'd had enough of the moving it and declared it was time to have fish and chips for dinner.  Except that Connie didn't want potatoes.  And, he's not fond of corn meal.  Really, he's not terribly picky.  Except of course when it comes to soup, fruit and potatoes.  LOL.  He eats them because I fix them and that's what's for dinner.  He does like a lot of the weird stuff I like.  Anchovies, escargot, oysters, smoked oysters, capers...

I headed to the computer to look at recipes for beer batter.  That'd make him happy.  No corn meal.  Now, when it comes to catfish he's not going to have a choice.  That's a corn meal kinda fish!  But, cod we could beer batter.  As I looked at Epicurious I saw an onion ring recipe.  It was a beer tempura batter.  Sounded fabulous.  Then and there I decided to do onion rings and beer battered fish.  And, a raw cauliflower salad with anchovies, capers, parsley, red wine vinegar and EVOO.  Gotta have something healthy with the fried food!

We loved this meal so much that the next evening I did it again - more or less.  This time I cut the fish into pieces and tucked them into toasted hot dog buns.  The sandwiches were topped with shredded lettuce that'd been drizzled with some malt vinegar.  We used Stonewall Kitchen Down East Tartar Sauce because I'd bought a jar on sale and wanted to use it up.  It was very good but not very economical. 

I've got to say these were about the best onion rings I've ever had.  They were crispy and crunchy.  They shattered as a good tempura batter should.  I sliced the sweet onions about a quarter of an inch thick.

With thanks to Epicurious, here's the recipe I adapted from their site:

Tempura Batter for Onion Rings and Fish

Ingredients:

2 c all purpose flour
1 c cornstarch
1 1/2 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t onion powder
1 t cayenne
1 1/2 t sugar
1 T kosher salt
12 oz beer (I used Heineken)
5 oz club soda

Directions:

Mix the batter ingredients.  Heat your oil in a wide skillet to 350.  Dredge the onion rings in the batter and put them in the hot oil.  Do not crowd them or they will stick together.  Fry on both sides until golden brown.  Remove them from the skillet to a half sheet covered with paper towels. Dust with salt.  Add the fish to the hot oil.  Again, cook until it's golden brown.  Remove to the half sheet.  Serve with tartar sauce.  Either plain or in a sandwich...