Fish and Chips, Bondi Style
Beer-battered fish with crispy chips and lemon. The Australian coastal classic perfected at beachside fish shops since the 1950s.
The Story Behind This Recipe
My grandfather's fish shop recipe from Bondi Beach - Daniel Cooper
Walk along any Australian beach on a summer evening and you'll see families sitting on the sand, paper-wrapped parcels of fish and chips in their laps, seagulls circling hopefully overhead. Fish and chips came to Australia with British immigrants, but we made it our own - replacing the traditional cod with local fish like flake (shark), flathead, and barramundi, serving it in paper with a lemon wedge, and making it the unofficial meal of beach culture.
My grandfather ran a fish and chip shop at Bondi Beach from 1952 to 1987. Not one of the fancy ones - just a small takeaway shop two blocks back from the beach, where locals would queue on Friday nights for fresh fish battered to order. He learned the trade from a British migrant in the late 1940s but adapted it for Australian tastes and ingredients. "Australians want their fish fresh, their batter crispy but light, and their chips chunky," he'd say. "Get those three things right and people will come back for thirty years." They did.
The secret to perfect fish and chips, Pop taught me during my teenage summers working in his shop, is all about temperature and timing. The oil must be exactly the right temperature - too cool and the batter absorbs oil and goes soggy, too hot and it burns before the fish cooks through. The batter must be ice-cold and barely mixed - lumps are good, overmixing develops gluten and makes tough batter. The fish must be perfectly dry before battering, or the coating slides off in the fryer.
Pop's batter was legendary - light, crispy, golden, and stayed crunchy even after sitting in paper for the walk home. His secret was beer and soda water, mixed at the last minute with flour that he kept in the fridge. "Cold flour, cold beer, cold soda water, hot oil," he'd chant like a mantra. "That's the science of good batter." He'd fry the fish in beef tallow (later switching to vegetable oil when health concerns arose), the same oil he used for chips, each batch filtered and changed regularly.
The chips were hand-cut every morning - Sebago or Desiree potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled, cut thick, soaked in water, dried thoroughly, and fried twice. First fry to cook them through, second fry to crisp them up. They came out golden, fluffy inside, crispy outside, salted generously, and served piping hot. People would order "extra chips" just to eat them on their own.
When Pop retired and sold the shop in 1987, regular customers came to say goodbye, some with tears in their eyes. "Best fish and chips in Sydney," they'd say. He'd smile modestly: "Just fresh fish, good batter, and respect for the customer." This recipe represents Australian beach culture - simple food done properly, eaten with your hands, often with sand between your toes and salt spray in the air, watching the sun set over the ocean. That's as Australian as it gets.
"Every recipe tells a story, and every story brings us closer to the heart of home."
Adjust Servings
Scaled Ingredients:
💡 Tip: Cooking times may need adjustment when scaling. Larger batches may take longer, smaller batches may cook faster.
Ingredients
For the Chips
For the Beer Batter
For the Fish
For Serving
Pro Tips
- • Temperature control is everything - use a thermometer, don't guess.
- • Dry your chips and fish thoroughly - water and hot oil don't mix.
- • Make batter just before using and keep it lumpy - smooth batter = tough coating.
- • Don't overcrowd the fryer - it drops the temperature and makes soggy food.
- • Double-fry chips for maximum crispiness - this is the secret.
- • Fresh fish makes all the difference - ask your fishmonger what's freshest.
- • For extra crispy fish, add a bit of cornflour to the batter.
Storage
Fish and chips are best eaten immediately. Leftover fish can be refrigerated overnight and reheated in a 200°C oven for 10 minutes to re-crisp (won't be as good as fresh). Chips don't keep well.
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the chips first: Cut the potatoes into thick chips about 1-1.5cm wide. Pop didn't peel them - the skin adds flavor and texture. Soak the cut chips in cold water for at least 20 minutes to remove excess starch. This makes them crispier.
20 minutes - 2
Drain the chips and dry them THOROUGHLY with clean tea towels. They must be completely dry or they'll spit dangerously when they hit the hot oil. Pop would dry each chip individually if needed.
- 3
Heat oil in a large, deep pot or deep fryer to 160°C. You need at least 10cm of oil. Use a thermometer - guessing temperature is how accidents happen. Working in batches, fry the chips for 6-8 minutes until cooked through but still pale. They should be soft. Drain on paper towels.
8 minutes - 4
Let the chips rest while you make the batter and fry the fish. They can sit for up to 30 minutes - this is the double-fry method that makes them extra crispy.
- 5
Make the batter just before frying - it doesn't keep: In a bowl, whisk together the cold flour (from the fridge), baking powder, and salt. Pour in the cold beer and soda water. Whisk BRIEFLY - the batter should be lumpy and just combined. Overmixing = tough batter. Some lumps are perfect.
- 6
Pat the fish fillets completely dry with paper towels. Wet fish = batter slides off. Season lightly with salt. Dust each fillet lightly in plain flour and shake off excess. This helps the batter stick.
- 7
Heat the oil to 180°C. This is hotter than for chips - proper temperature is crucial. Test with a drop of batter - it should sizzle immediately and float.
- 8
Working one at a time, dip a fish fillet into the batter, coating completely. Let excess drip off briefly. Carefully lower into the hot oil, holding one end for a second before releasing - this prevents it sticking to the bottom. Fry 2 fillets at a time maximum - don't crowd.
5 minutes - 9
Fry for 4-5 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy. The fish should float and the batter should be puffed and golden. Use tongs to turn once halfway through if needed. Remove to a wire rack over paper towels - this keeps the bottom crispy.
5 minutes - 10
Repeat with remaining fish, letting the oil return to temperature between batches. Pop would always let the oil rest for a minute between fish to maintain perfect temperature.
- 11
Second fry for chips: Increase oil temperature to 190°C. Fry the partially-cooked chips in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden and very crispy. Drain on paper towels and salt immediately while hot - hot chips absorb salt better than cool chips.
3 minutes - 12
Serve immediately: Pop's method was to line newspaper (now use clean butcher paper or baking paper) on plates, pile chips generously, place golden battered fish on top, add lemon wedges, and serve with tartare sauce and tomato sauce on the side. Eat with your hands!
Ingredient Substitutions
Nutrition Information
Per serving (approximate)
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