Ingredients
2 lb cod filet
2 C unbleached flour
2 C plain Panko crumbs
2 eggs, whisked
1 lb Maine Gold potatoes, sliced into quarter-inch fingers
2 T olive oil
3 C grape-seed oil
salt + pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 400º. Wash potatoes and slice into .25” sticks. Soak in cool water for about 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel, then coat with olive oil, salt + pepper. Arrange coated potato sticks onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure all sides are browned. Meanwhile …
Sliced Maine Gold potatoes, soaked + drying before being seasoned and baked
Prepare the cod by patting dry overall, then cutting the filet into 8 or 9 pieces of equal size. Dip each piece one-by-one into the flour, then into the egg, then into the Panko, to completely coat in each.
One and a half pound cod filet
Divide cod into 8 or 9 equal-size pieces
Flour, eggs + Panko crumbs ready to be used — in that order
In a medium to small stock pot, heat the grape-seed oil over medium to medium-high heat until shimmering. When you insert a wooden spoon handle and bubbles form on the wood, the oil is ready to fry with.
Working one-by-one or two-by-two (depending on how large your pot is) add each piece of cod to the oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn over and fry for 2 minutes more until golden brown all over. Remove those pieces and work through the remaining fish in the same process, setting each fried piece onto a baking sheet covered with a wire baking rack.
At this point, the potatoes should be turning golden. Reduce oven heat to 325º. Transfer fried fish to a large baking rack fitted onto a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes to finish cooking the fish.
Remove fish and fries from the oven and serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges. You are golden.
Fried cod filets
Maine Gold potato fries