TEMPURA FISH & CHIPS WITH BATCH NO.5 TARTARE
Golden, crispy tempura whiting paired with crunchy triple-cooked chips and a generous dollop of batch No.5 Tartare Sauce. It’s the classic fish and chips you know and love—just dialled up with extra crunch, extra flavour and zero fuss.
Notes from the Kitchen
The key to light, crispy tempura is a cold batter and a gentle hand—mix just until combined and avoid overworking it. Triple-cooking the chips takes a little extra time, but it’s the secret to that fluffy centre and golden crunch that’s worth every minute. And don’t forget the tartare—it ties the whole plate together.
Meet the Chef
Michael Gawlik
With over a decade of experience across foodservice, manufacturing and culinary innovation, Michael Gawlik knows what it takes to create food that delivers every single time. Passionate about bold flavours, practical techniques and products that work hard in professional kitchens, Michael combines chef-led creativity with real-world experience to develop recipes that are simple to execute but big on impact. His philosophy is straightforward: great food doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to taste incredible.
Ingredients
Tempura Summer Whiting:
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4 x 175g whiting fillets
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120g plain flour
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100g rice flour
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1 tsp baking powder
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130ml soda water
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170ml beer
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1 tsp sugar
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10g black sesame
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Salt, to taste
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1kg russet potatoes, washed
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batch No.5 Tartare Sauce
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Lemon cheek, to serve
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Side salad, to serve
Method
01
To make the tempura summer whiting: Preheat the deep fryer to 180°C. In a large bowl, mix both flours, baking powder, black sesame, and sugar. Add soda water, beer, and salt. Mix together until the batter binds and becomes smooth (be careful not to overmix).
02
Dust the whiting fillets with plain flour, then dip them into the batter, ensuring they are completely coated. Gently place the coated whiting fillets into the deep fryer and cook until golden brown. Remove from the fryer and drain excess oil.
03
To make the triple cooked chips: Slice the potatoes into chunky-sized chips. Place the chunky chips into a bowl of running water for 5 minutes to wash off the starch.
04
In a large saucepan, bring cold water to a medium heat. Add the potatoes and simmer until the chips are almost falling apart (approximately 20-30 minutes, depending on their size). Carefully remove the cooked chips and place them on a cooling rack to dry out. Refrigerate the chips for at least 1 hour to remove more moisture.
05
Preheat the deep fryer to 150°C. Deep fry the chips in small batches until a light crust forms (approximately 5 minutes). Remove the chips from the oil and drain on paper towels. Place the cooked chips on a cooling rack to dry out. Refrigerate the chips again for at least 1 hour to remove more moisture.
06
Increase the deep fryer temperature to 180°C and deep fry the chips again until golden brown. Drain the chips and season with sea salt.
07
To assemble: Serve tempura battered summer whiting with lemon cheeks, triple cooked chips, fresh side salad and
batch No. 5 Tartare Sauce.
