Serves 4
You’ll need: 800g hake fillets, preferably boneless; vegetable oil, for frying (like canola); ½ cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper.
For the batter: 340ml beer (lager, Weiss or even stout); 1 cup self-raising flour; 15ml curry powder; 5ml ground turmeric; 5ml ground coriander; 5ml ground fennel or fennel seeds; ½ teaspoon salt.
For the herbed yoghurt sauce: 1 cup double cream plain/Greek yoghurt; ½ cup mayonnaise; a small bunch of fresh herbs, about 20g (mixture of coriander/dill/mint/parsley); fresh lemon wedges, to serve.
How to:
Slice the hake fillets into fingers about 1cm thick and set aside.
Pour about 3cm deep oil into a medium-size pot and place over medium-high heat on the stovetop, while you make the batter (watch it carefully).
Place the seasoned flour in a wide bowl and set aside.
Make the batter: mix all the ingredients together with a hand whisk to a medium-thick, lumpy batter (do not over-mix).
When the oil is hot (not smoking hot, but you’re looking for about 170°C, so test a small drop of batter to see if it bubbles and floats on the surface), dip the hake fingers in the flour, then into the batter to cover all over, and then directly into the hot oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes), then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot with herbed yoghurt sauce and lemon wedges.
For the sauce: mix together the yoghurt, mayo and herbs and serve in small bowls on each plate.
About the wine, Signature Chardonnay:
Grapefruit, lime, yellow apple, banana, pear and hints of vanilla and butterscotch on the nose. The palate is creamy with layered fruit, pleasant acidity and good balance. Also pairs well with pan-fried salmon in a lemon butter sauce.
* Recipe & image by Spier.
