The gin in this batter is more about crisping up the batter, than its gin flavour. The alcohol in gin or vodka, when added to a batter, seems to create wonderful crispness as it burns off in the cooking process.
Ingredients:
- 500g boneless thick white fillets
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ cup, heaped, self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup gin
- Approx. ½ cup tonic water
- Extra rice flour for dusting fish
- Rice bran or vegetable oil for frying
Method:
- Slice fillets into strips, about 2 fingers thick
- Whisk flours and baking powder together in a bowl
- Combine gin and tonic (resist having a sip!) and whisk into flours. You may need to add slightly more or less tonic water. Aim for the batter to be the consistency of thickened cream
- Meanwhile heat a wok or a deep pan with approx. 5 cm oil
- Oil will be hot enough when the tip of a wooden spoon or chopstick bubbles vigorously
- Dust fillets in rice flour, then dip into batter
- Work with only a few fish pieces each time, so as not to overcrowd the pan
- Drain fillets on paper towels and keep warm in a low oven, while cooking remaining fillets
- Serve fish sprinkled with sea salt and lime wedges
