Battered fish what did I do wrong?

[lilacben]

I decided to cook fish and chips tonight . When I opened the deep fat fryer the fish was stuck to the basket and some of the batter had gone through to the other side. I made a batter,like for pancakes as it said in the recipe. but it was stuck fast to the bottom of the basket and I lost half of it trying to get it out. what did i do wrong.?

[Buenchico]

It sounds like the fat wasn't hot enough when you put the fish into it.

If the fat's really hot (as it should be), the batter will start to go crispy as soon as the fish is put into the fat. Otherwise, the fish will settle into the basket and some of the batter will come away from the fish and settle around the mesh of the basket. By the time the batter starts to go crisp, it's 'glued' to both the fish and the basket, making it difficult to separate the two of them.

Chris

[lilacben]

thankyou for your answer I had a feeling my deep fat fryer wasnt as hot as it should have been. I will try it once more and if no good get a new one.

[Gef]

This is just one of many recipes that can be found on the web.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/dee pfriedfishinbeerb_67776.shtml

[annierak]

take the basket out.

and when its cooked, transfer the fish into the basket to drain off any excess fat.