Baked fish and chips with broad beans

Fish and chips needn't be greasy or bought from the local ‘chippy’. When cooked at home, and baked rather than fried, the classic Aussie treat can be transformed into a healthy crowd-pleaser. Try to buy thick-ish fish fillets as this will give the breadcrumbs time to crisp up. To make best use of your time, get all your ingredients ready, pop the potatoes in the oven, and then prepare the rest of the meal.

Credit: China Squirrel

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 300 g kipfler potatoes, halved lengthways
• olive oil spray
• ½ tsp paprika, plus extra 1 tsp for batter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 60 g (1 cup) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 250 g frozen broad beans
• 1 tbsp parsley, choped, plus extra 2 tbsp for batter
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 30 g pecorino cheese, shaved
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 380 g skinless and boneless white fish fillets such as flake or hake, cut into 4 even-sized serving pieces
• lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220ºC. Place the potato slices on an oven tray lined with baking paper and spray both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle over paprika and season to taste. Transfer the tray to the bottom shelf of the oven and roast for 30 minutes, turning the slices over half way through, until golden and crisp. Scatter the breadcrumbs on a second tray and bake in the oven for 8–10 minutes until dry and lightly golden. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the broad beans in a saucepan of boiling water for 1½ minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water and peel. Combine the broad beans with parsley and the olive oil. Add the pecorino and lemon juice, season to taste and mix to combine. 

Place the breadcrumbs and extra parsley in one bowl and the egg in another. Dust the fish fillets with extra paprika and season to taste with salt and pepper. Dip the fish in egg then toss in breadcrumbs to coat. Spray with olive oil and place directly on the oven rack above the potatoes. Cook for 8-10 minutes until golden and the fish is just cooked through. 

Serve fish and chips with broad beans and lemon wedges.

Photography, styling and food preparation by china squirrel. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.