Zoë Fish & Tostones

Brought to you by Chef Sabrina Mancin

This is my Latin take on the very British “fish and chips” which are usually accompanied with malt vinegar, tartar sauce or lemon. In this case, I made a tangy vinegar sauce with lemon infused balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar. For those of you who don’t know, Tostones are fried green plantains, really delicious and super traditional all over Latin America. Check it out!

Prep Time | 25 minutes
Cook Time | 35 minutes

Ingredients

500g = 18oz Fresh cod or halibut
225g + 112g = 1 cup + ½ cup All purpose flour
1 ½ cups Pilsner Beer (or any light beer)
2 tsp salt
Oil for frying (canola or peanut)
2 Green plantains OR 1 package of frozen tostones
Salt
Oil for frying (canola or peanut)
Vinegar Sauce
Zoë’s lemon infused white balsamic vinegar
Zoë’s red wine vinegar
½ tsp. salt

Instructions

FISH

Cut the fish into large chunks or strips.
Pat it dry with paper towels and season it with salt on both sides.
Make sure the fish is ready to go before you make the batter and that the beer is cold from the fridge, the colder the better.
Start to heat the oil in a pan. The oil is ready when it reaches about 365F. If you don’t have a thermometer, insert the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil; the oil is ready when little bubbles begin to come out from the wood.
In a bowl, combine the 2 tsp salt with the flour and then mix in the beer. Immediately coat each piece of fish with some flour and then pass through the batter. Deep them carefully in the oil.
The fish is ready when it is golden on all sides.
Place them on a tray lined with paper towels and sprinkle some salt.

NOTE: If you want to use the same oil, then make the tostones first and then the fish, that way the fish flavor doesn’t permeate the tostones.

TOSTONES

If you can find the frozen tostones in the freezer section of your supermarket, then by all means get them and follow the instructions on the box. I have found they are usually delicious and so much easier to make.
If you don’t, then peel the plantains and cut them into chunks or rounds of about 3cm or 1 ¼”
Heat the oil in a pan until it reaches 360F (same as for the fish).
Fry the chunks for about 3 minutes, make sure they are either submerged or that you flip them half way.
Turn the heat off. Remove them from the oil, and place them on a sheet lined with paper towels.
Using a meat mallet, pan or anything flat and somewhat heavy, smash each chunk until they are flat.
Heat the oil once again and fry until golden on both sides.
Place again over paper towels and sprinkle some salt over them while still hot.

VINEGAR SAUCE: