Healthy fish and chips

Give an unhealthy takeaway favourite a makeover with this lower-fat recipe for fish and chips.

A 280g portion of fish and chips contains:

Calories: 849

Fat: 34g

Carbs: 93.4g

Protein: 39.6g
Source: www.caloriecount.com

Fish and chips often comes top of the list when people are asked to name their favourite takeaway food.Tasty as it is, that piece of battered fish and portion of deep-fried, salt and vinegar-soused chips comes with a price tag - the dish is rife with calories and fat. For those who wish to indulge on a regular basis, it's worth thinking about forgoing the takeaway option and cooking a healthier version at home.

Leaving the skin on the potatoes ensures that none of the valuable nutrients are wasted and cutting the potato into chunky chips, rather than skinny fries, reduces the surface area meaning that less fat is absorbed. Baking the chips in a hot oven, coated in a small amount of groundnut oil, also adds a further nutritional tick.

As for the fish, covering it in brown breadcrumbs rather than batter will help keep fat levels low, as will sautéeing the fillets in a touch of oil, rather than cooking them in a deep-fat fryer.

A serving of peas on the side adds a splash of colour and valuable vitamins and minerals.

Healthy fish and chips with puréed peas

Serves 2

For the chips:

2 medium baking potatoes

2 tsp groundnut oil

For the fish:

2 x 180g fillets sustainably sourced, skinless white fish (eg pollack, hake, Pacific halibut)

75g brown breadcrumbs

zest of a lemon 1 tbsp plain flour 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tsp groundnut oil

For the peas:

150g frozen peas

handful fresh mint, leaves picked

lemon juice, to taste

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Place a baking tray in the oven. Scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt, then cut into 2cm-thick strips, leaving the skin on.

Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for three minutes. Drain well and tip into a large bowl.

Drizzle over the groundnut oil, season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Arrange the chips in a single layer on the preheated baking tray. Cook for 25-30 minutes until golden, turning halfway through the cooking time. Blanch the peas briefly in boiling salted water (2-3 minutes) before draining. Pour into a blender, add the mint leaves and blitz to a rough purée. Stir in lemon juice to taste and add a splash of water if the purée seems too dry. Reheat just before serving.

While the chips are cooking, prepare the fish. Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add the breadcrumbs and toast lightly. Stir in the lemon zest and season. Remove from the heat.

Place the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow bowls. Dip the fish fillets first into the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, coating well.

Pour the groundnut oil into a large non-stick frying pan and place over a medium to high heat. When hot, add the fish and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Serve immediately with the oven-cooked chips, pea purée and a wedge of lemon.