Pescado Rebosado con Camote Frito

Fried Fish with Sweet Potato Chips & Malt Vinegar Aioli

In Peru, the batter for fried fish doesn’t usually have beer, but after thirteen years in London, I get it. The carbonation in beer lightens the batter and helps it puff up when fried, and it adds a subtle yeastiness that I really like with the briny flavors in seafood. British pub food can sometimes be a little on the tímido side, so I serve the fish with a malt vinegar aioli spiced with ají amarillo peppers. I also like to cut the fish into much smaller pieces so they cook evenly, so they make really good appetizers.

Some of the white-fleshed fish typically used for frying can be pretty bland, but paiche has a bright, clean flavor with a firm, meaty texture that tastes like it was made for frying. If you can’t find paiche, substitute another firm white fish like black cod. The cornstarch and egg white give these fish sticks a light texture like Japanese tempura, and, thanks to the paiche’s firm texture, these stay piping hot longer than most fried fish. Gather your crew, open a few beers, and have a Peruvian-style fish fry served straight from the fryer.

1 Cut the fish fillet into pieces about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide and put them on a paper towel–lined plate. You should have about 16 pieces. Depending on the cut of the fillet, some of the pieces may be thicker than others. That’s fine—the thinner pieces will just cook a little faster.

2 Line a baking sheet with two or three paper towels. In a medium, deep saucepan, heat 2½ to 3 inches of oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer, or fill a deep fryer with the recommended amount of oil and set the temperature to 350°F.

3 In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the flour, the potato starch, and baking powder. Whisk in the beer until the mixture has the consistency of lumpy pancake batter, and set the batter aside, uncovered, to lightly ferment for about 30 minutes. Place the remaining ⅓ cup flour in a small bowl.

4 Whip the egg white to stiff peaks. If using a stand mixer, you may need to release the mixer bowl and raise it with your hands for the the whisk to reach the bottom (place your hands on the outside of the bowl and lift it up slightly). Fold the egg white into the beer batter until just incorporated; do not overmix.

5 Test the oil temperature: Drop a small nub of batter into the oil. The oil should bubble fairly vigorously and the nub should rise to the top. (If the oil smokes, reduce the heat.) Sprinkle the fish lightly on both sides with salt. Roll 3 or 4 pieces at a time very lightly in the flour (dust off any excess) then submerge the fish in the batter. Working one at a time, remove the fillets with your fingers or tongs, and immediately transfer to the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining fillets and fry the fish until the batter is very light golden brown (it will not be dark) and the fish is cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces. The bubbles in the hot oil will noticeably decrease in size when the fish is almost ready. Flip the fish with tongs once during the frying process so it browns evenly on both sides.

6 Use tongs, a spider, or the fry basket to transfer the fillets to the paper towel–lined plate and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Transfer the fried fish to a serving plate, sprinkle it with the parsley, and pile some sweet potato chips and a bowl of the spicy malt vinegar aioli nearby. Keep battering and frying the remaining fish fillets, and eating and sharing them as you go.

Camote Frito (Fried Sweet Potatoes)

Boiled sweet potatoes are a traditional accompaniment to many classic Peruvian dishes, including ceviches. Fried sweet potatoes are loved as much as, maybe more than, regular fried potatoes in Peru. They’re served more as snacks, but I also like them as sides. You get that nice contrast of the super-crispy, golden brown outside with the tender, sweet middle. And unlike regular potatoes, which require double-frying to get a crispy crust, with sweet potatoes, the extra sugar helps the outside crisp up after one trip to the deep-fryer. Fry up thin, crispy potato chips to go with sandwiches or fish and chips, or thin matchstick-size pieces as more elegante garnishes for things like Paiche Lettuce Wraps (page 120).

1 To make Fried Sweet Potatoes: Slice both ends off 1 large, unpeeled sweet potato. For potato chips, cut the potato into very thin slices about the thickness of kettle-fried chips, around ⅛ inch thick (a mandoline works well). If you’re making matchstick fries, stack a few of the potato chip slices, trim the edges to make a square, and cut them into thin matchsticks.

2 Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with two or three paper towels. In a medium, deep saucepan, heat 2½ to 3 inches of oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer, or fill a deep fryer with the recommended amount of oil and set the temperature to 350°F. Test the oil temperature: Drop a piece of potato into the oil. It should bubble fairly vigorously and rise to the top (if the oil smokes, reduce the heat).

3 Working in batches, fry the sweet potatoes without crowding the oil (one or two batches, depending on the size of your frying pot). For chips, fry the potatoes until they are crispy and golden brown and the oil bubbles begin to slow, 5 to 8 minutes. (The time varies depending on how thick they are cut; remove one with tongs to taste how crispy it is.) For the matchsticks, the fry time is usually 2 to 4 minutes, but let your eyes and mouth be the judge. Use tongs to turn the potatoes once or twice as they fry so they brown evenly on all sides.

4 Transfer the potatoes with tongs, a spider, or the fry basket to the paper towel–lined baking sheet in a single layer (so they do not steam). Immediately sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt to taste before you start the next batch. Makes about 30 potato chips or 3 handfuls of matchsticks per potato.