I spent two full years in London while I attended grad school, and ever since returning to my hometown of Bend, I have immensely missed a few staples from my life over there, including fish and chips. Of course, we in Central Oregon have some pretty fantastic places to find fish and chips, but they’re still not quite the same. Here, we like to serve the fish in chunks; there, it’s the whole fillet that’s been fried. In the States, you’ll find plates packed with a side of tangy tartar sauce, while over in Blighty you’ll be asked if you’d prefer mushy or garden peas to accompany your “savoury” fish. And while the “chippies” have retired the newspaper wrapping in favor of styrofoam containers (or at least they had between 2013 and 2015), traditional fish and chips are still a staple in pubs and corner shops across the country. Here’s how to make your own, or at least as close as we can come around here.

British-style fish and chips

First the chips!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 large roasting potatoes
• Oil for frying (vegetable, peanut, avocado, etc., something with a high smoke point)

Directions

Wash then cut your potatoes into long pieces (steak cut).

In large cast-iron skillet, fill between half and two-thirds of the way full of oil and heat to 325 degrees. If you have a deep fat fryer, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for how much oil to use.

While it’s heating, use a paper towel to dab dry the potatoes completely.

Once heated, carefully cook your potatoes for about 5 minutes, do not allow them to brown yet.

When tender, remove from the oil and allow to dry on a cooling rack with paper towels to absorb some of the oil.

Heat the oil to 375 degrees and fry the potatoes again until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from oil and allow them to cool and dry on a fresh paper towel.

Toss with salt or other preferred season and serve hot.

Now the fish!

Ingredients

• 4 fillets of fish. Cod, haddock and pollock are typical in British fish and chips, but rockfish is a good cheaper and local option (haddock and pollock are not found in the Pacific)
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 12 ounces of beer (lager recommended)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Oil for frying
• Lemon wedges

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and Old Bay seasoning then whisk together the egg and beer. Let it sit for ten minutes.

Clean and remove all skin from the fish filets and dry completely with a paper towel. Season the fillets with salt and pepper.

In your fryer or cast iron skillet, heat your oil to 375 degrees.

Coat the fillets with the batter completely and gently place them each in the oil.

Fry for 5-6 minutes each, flipping halfway through with tongs until each side is golden brown.

Remove the fish and place on a paper towel-lined cooling rack and season to taste with salt.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Mushy peas

They’re not as bad as you may think, though some recipes severely do a disservice to the glorious green veggie. This one keeps everything looking, smelling and tasting fresh — if not entirely healthy, given the amount of butter that goes into them.

Ingredients

1 stick (½ cup) of butter

7.5 ounces of frozen peas

40 fluid ounces of water

Salt

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat salted water with butter until it begins to boil. Add the peas and allow them to come to a boil.

Remove from heat and separate the peas and the buttery water. Do not discard the water.

In a food processor or blender, mix the peas and add small amounts of the butter water until the peas reach the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm.