- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 2 free-range eggs, separated
- 150g/5oz plain flour
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 250ml/9fl oz British beer
- 1 monkfish fillet, membrane removed, cut into four strips
- 250g/9oz cod fillet, skin removed, cut into four strips
- 250g/9oz halibut fillet, skin removed, cut into four strips
- 25g/1oz butter
- 2 large shallots, finely chopped
- 450g/1lb frozen peas, defrosted
- 125ml/4½fl oz double cream
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 10g/½oz fresh flatleaf parsley leaves
- 75ml/3fl oz extra virgin olive oil
- handful pea shoots, to serve
- For the fish fingers, place the vegetable oil into a deep, heavy-based saucepan and heat until a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden-brown when dropped into it, or preheat a deep fat fryer to 190C/375F. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
- Place the egg yolks, flour, salt and freshly ground black pepper into a bowl and whisk together.
- Pour in the beer and whisk to make a smooth batter.
- Place the egg whites into a separate bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.
- Beat half the whisked egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining half.
- Dip each piece of fish into the batter to coat thoroughly, shaking off any excess.
- Carefully place the fish into the hot oil in batches and deep fry for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
- Once all the fish is cooked, drop several pieces at a time back into the oil for 30-45 seconds – this helps to make them really crisp. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
- Meanwhile, for the pea purée, heat the butter in a pan and gently fry the shallots for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the peas and warm through gently, then add the cream and mint leaves and cook for a further minute.
- Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend to a purée. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice.
- For the parsley oil, place the parsley and olive oil into a small food processor and blend to a purée. Pour the mixture into a sieve lined with muslin or a clean kitchen cloth and leave to drip into a bowl.
- To serve, spoon the pea purée onto four serving plates and top with some pea shoots. Place three fish fingers onto each plate and drizzle over the parsley oil.