Pollack & Chips with Tartare That Won't Disappoint
Summer's best catch, fried golden, sharp as a slap round the face.
Pollack's the unsung hero of the Cornish boats—cheaper than cod, sweeter than hake, and honestly just as good when you're not a snob about it. Caught from Falmouth to Penzance all summer, it's what the local fishermen eat at home. Tartare because fish this clean deserves something sharp to cut through the fat.
How to Cook It
- 01
Get your chips on
Peel and cut potatoes into fat batons—about the thickness of your thumb. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes to get the starch out; this is non-negotiable if you want crisp. Pat dry hard with a clean cloth.
~35 min - 02
Start the tartare
Finely chop capers, cornichons, and one shallot. Chop fresh parsley (only the leaves). Fold everything into good mayo. Taste it. It should make you wince a bit, then smile. Chill.
~10 min - 03
Mushy peas that don't taste like school
Melt butter in a heavy pan, add peas with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Cook gently for 5 minutes until warmed through and starting to break down. Add a splash of water if they look dry. Smash them rough with the back of a fork—you want texture, not baby food. Keep warm.
~8 min - 04
Batter and fry—temperature is everything
Heat oil to 180°C in a heavy pan or fryer. Whisk flour with a pinch of salt, crack eggs into it, whisk in cold beer until you have a batter like thick cream. Pat fish fillets dry, dust lightly with flour, then dip into batter. Fry for 6–7 minutes until deep golden and the fish flakes when you press it. Don't crowd the pan.
~12 min - 05
Chips finish hot
If you've got hot oil left, or a clean pan of oil at 190°C, fry chips in batches for 4–5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper. Season with fleur de sel or good sea salt while hot.
~10 min - 06
Plate it, eat it
Fish on the plate, chips alongside in a neat pile, spoon of mushy peas, tartare to the side. Squeeze of lemon if you've got it. Serve hot, with vinegar on the table because someone always wants it.
~2 min
“Keep it simple: white plate if you've got one, everything hot. Fish skin-side up so it catches the light. Chips in a little heap—they cool faster on a spread. Peas in a small spoon-dollop. Tartare in a ramekin on the side so people can use as much or as little as they want. A lemon wedge, nothing else. You're not dressing it up; you're just making sure it tastes right.”
First bite: the batter cracks under your teeth, hot and salty. Then the fish—delicate, sweet, not a whisper of fishy funk. The tartare hits next, sharp and briny, cutting through the fat like a knife. Chips are crisp outside, fluffy inside. The mushy peas are earthy, buttery, the kind of thing that tastes like home. By the end you're mopping it all up with bread and thinking about another pint.
Swap the pollack for thick-cut sheets of smoked tofu or oyster mushrooms (marinated in a splash of tamari and lemon, 10 minutes). Use aquafaba (the liquid from a tin of chickpeas) whisked to stiff peaks instead of eggs in the batter—it froths just the same and fries golden. For tartare: blend silken tofu with mayo substitute (cashew cream works beautifully), add the capers, cornichons, shallot, and parsley as before. The peas need only butter swapped for olive oil. Chips, lemon, salt—all the same. You lose nothing here except the fish, and honestly, the texture is meaty enough that you won't miss it.
Cornish, local, and bittered just enough to stand up to fried fish without being showy about it.
Crisp, mineral, cuts the richness. Won't fight the beer drinkers in the room.
Proper refreshment—no sugar, just fizz and citrus to cleanse the palate between bites.
- ·Oil temperature is life or death—too cool and you get soggy batter, too hot and it's burned outside, raw inside. A thermometer costs a fiver.
- ·Soak your chips. It sounds daft. Don't skip it.
- ·Ask the fishmonger what came in. Pollack is great, but if line-caught mackerel just landed, take that instead. It's summer—work with what's swimming.
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