Fish and Chips (Copycat)

Name: Fish and Chips (Copycat)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 large potatoes (peeled and cut into thick strips); 1 cup plain flour (for the batter); 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1 cup milk (for the batter); 1 egg (for the batter); 1 litre vegetable oil (for frying); 680 g cod fillets (about 1.5 lb, cut into 4 pieces); malt vinegar and lemon wedges (to serve)

Independent copycat-style recreation, not JD Wetherspoon’s official recipe (theirs is a trade secret) and not affiliated with JD Wetherspoon. This is a home version inspired by the menu item, worked out for a normal home kitchen.

A home version of the pub fish and chips plate: crisp battered cod with thick-cut chips, fried in two passes so the chips stay fluffy inside and crisp outside. The restaurant price includes a drink, so the saving below compares the food plate only against the home food cost. It has not been kitchen-tested for this site yet, so treat quantities as a starting point. The home cost below is an estimate for the ingredients listed, per serving.

Servings

25 min

Prep

20 min

Cook

45 min

Total

Medium

Difficulty

700

Est. calories / serving

What it costs: restaurant vs home

Option	Cost
Non-VegFreshly Battered Fish and Chips at JD Wetherspoon (typical price, from the menu page)	£11.99
This home version, per serving	£3.50
You save	£8.49 (71%)

Restaurant price is the typical figure from our JD Wetherspoon menu data (prices vary by location). Home cost is an estimate for the ingredients listed, per serving.

Ingredients

Amount	Ingredient	Note
4	large potatoes	peeled and cut into thick strips
1 cup	plain flour	for the batter
1 tsp	baking powder	n/a
1 tsp	salt	n/a
1 tsp	ground black pepper	n/a
1 cup	milk	for the batter
1	egg	for the batter
1 litre	vegetable oil	for frying
680 g	cod fillets	about 1.5 lb, cut into 4 pieces
n/a	malt vinegar and lemon wedges	to serve

Method

Put the cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water and leave them to soak while you make the batter; this washes off surface starch so the chips fry crisper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper together, then stir in the milk and egg until the batter is smooth. Rest it for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan to about 175 degrees C. Drain the potatoes and pat them dry, then fry them for about 5 minutes until tender but still pale. Lift them out and set aside.
Pat the cod pieces dry, dip each one fully in the batter, let the excess drip off, and fry in batches for 4 to 5 minutes until deep golden all over.
Return the chips to the hot oil for 1 to 2 minutes until crisp and golden, then drain on kitchen paper and salt while hot.
Serve the fish and chips together with malt vinegar and lemon wedges.

Tips

Dry the fish well before battering; wet fish makes the batter slide off.
Do not crowd the pan when frying the fish, or the oil temperature drops and the batter turns soggy.
The second fry is what makes the chips crisp, so do not skip it even if the first fry looks done.

Allergen caution: whether the home version contains allergens depends entirely on the ingredients and brands you use. Check every label, and take extra care with shared surfaces and frying oil if anyone eating has an allergy.

Recipe credit: adapted in our own words from the tested recipe by Allrecipes. Their Classic Fish and Chips recipe (milk and egg batter, serves 4) was the reference point for the batter, the two-pass chip fry and the serving size here. Our wording, quantities and method above are our own. The recipe above is complete as published here; the original is credited only as a reference for readers who want to compare: original tested recipe at Allrecipes.

See the full JD Wetherspoon menu & prices The original item: Non-VegFreshly Battered Fish and Chips