Fish batter

I had a great time down the Natal South coast over Easter where we went deep sea fishing. We hauled out a few yellow fin Tuna but with 3, 12 year old boys with us, seared tuna was off the menu so I tried out a simple batter and it turned out great. (Of course we had a fair amount a sashimi as well) You can use this simple batter for any fried fish. It could not be easier. (5 people)

What you need

500g fresh tuna
1/2 cup self raising flour
1 teaspoon salt
about 2 cups ice cold water (beer or soda water will add to the flavor and crispness)

The process

Mix you batter by adding the self raising flour and salt to a bowl and then adding 3/4 of the water. Whisk until the batter is smooth. It should resemble pancake batter. Then add more water until you get the right consistency.

Heat a pot of oil to medium hot, (5 on a mximum 6 plate)

Cut your tuna into nuggets about 3cm square or into smaller slices as if you were cutting for sashimi. Drop 4 or 5 nuggets into the oil and move them around a bit until golden and crisp. If you want irregular shaped nuggets that very crisp, grab a few slices of tuna(sashimi slices) in you finger tips, dip them in the batter and then into the oil.

With very cold batter the oil foams up instantly so be careful!

Drain the nuggets on paper or in a sieve, squeeze over a little lemon and dip into soy, mayo or whatever you prefer. A side salad is a good idea, but on our boys weekend… not a chance.

The result was fantastic, light crisp batter that we could all not get enough of.

Here is another great fish batter with a touch of paprika and the Tuna with mango salsa is a real winner, I am doing it tonight.