# Marinating fish and chips for service.



## jake borg (Jun 27, 2014)

I would like to marinade some cod for a deep fried fish and chip plate. The problem is if i marinade the cod for the service after a few hours i think the cod will begin to break up due the marination. Is there a way I could add the flavour of the marinade to the fish and chips before I am about to deep fry it without marinating it in advance ?


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

What kind of flavors are you using in your marinade, and what kind of batter?


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

I don't think you should marinate cod for fish and chips. And don't use cod! Very irresponsible.


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## jake borg (Jun 27, 2014)

I will be using perch and hake as well, its not really.fish and chips how you know it I just want to be able.to add flavors to the fish and deep fry it without it loosing the flavors. For example sesame oil and ginger


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

Marinades in general don't tend to impart a large amount of flavor. Marinades don't penetrate meat very well. 

My advice would be to slightly cure the cod before marination. You could sprinkle a small amount of salt on the fish, let it sit for an hour or two, then rinse and pat dry. 

This will firm up the flesh, season the fish, and help with the sturdiness of the fish so it is less likely to flake and fall apart. Since you will be salting it, try to avoid marinades with soy. Or use low sodium versions. 

A dry marinade or rub might help...garlic, ginger, lemongrass, etc. You could add this to the cure and impart a lot of flavor that way.

Dipping sauces are a great way to add flavor too.


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## alaminute (Aug 22, 2013)

If you really want to marinade and are concerned about longevity you can always cryovac like three or four orders of fish with your goodies and marinade per bag, and then freeze what all the bags you don't think you'll need. It'll only take like twenty minutes to thaw. This works well for tempura batters.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Ever think about incorporating the flavors into your batter? I remember reading a thing about ginger ale in a beer batter variant? Toasted sesame seeds... could that get worked into flour or batter? Just a thought


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## jake borg (Jun 27, 2014)

I like the idea of curing the cod. When i add the flavor to the batter it tends to escape and no flavor is left after cooking I might just dress the fish after cooking it.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

For my own curiousity, what have you done with the batter?


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Marinate Why?   On batter fried fish it is best to incorporate good flavor into the batter.  I soak my cod in milk for a short period then batter and fry.. If you must you can season fries with all kinds of things but again why? Fried in good clean oil and a speckle of salt will do fine let patron add catsup, hot sauce or whatever not you


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## jake borg (Jun 27, 2014)

Grande said:


> For my own curiousity, what have you done with the batter?


I tried adding lemon juice to a batter did not really add any lemony flavour. I also tried adding sesame oil to the batter did not work either.

I want to try incorporate these flavours with the fish.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Well, lemon is better at the finish. What kind of batter are you using?


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## sirchefalot (Apr 10, 2014)

I've used beer batters in the past use a citrus hoppy ale to get the flavour


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## jake borg (Jun 27, 2014)

Lemon was only one of them, i tried creating a batter with just lemon juice and it came quite nice, but other things like sesame oil, chilli oil, etc do not come out quite well.


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## grande (May 14, 2014)

Yeah, i don't use oil in my batters, thats ehy i was asking. Seems like it would be worthwhile to experiment with the dry ingredients of the batter as well. Ground sesame seeds or dried chilis... you can dredge in flour and could flavor that, or sub a spice dredge. My thought was that a marinade would get lost in the batter, and since it doesnt usually incorporate oil its seemed odd to me to add it. Thats all i was thinking.


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## ljcooks (Jun 15, 2014)

Just a thought..What about lemon zest and Tahini sauce...make your own.  I lightly toast my sesame seeds.  If you make your own you  control the amount of oil in sauce and can incorporate whatever flavors you like.


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## jake borg (Jun 27, 2014)

Sesame oil has a distinctive taste nothing like ground sesame seeds, i tried creating a rub with some spices today rubbed some fish with some sweet paprika and cajun seasoning and breaded it in corn flakes. Came amazing. I think ground spices are the most ideal in this experiment maybe I could dress the fish after with some sesame oil.


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