Shrimp & Scallops and Chips

My Partner Unit requested deep fried food for her birthday. This is a toss back to our vacations to Canada during which we'd chow down at roadside-seaside seafood shacks on the East Coast.

For this I used a beer batter that I learned in cooking school. I made scallops, shrimp and onion rings. You can either season the food items with salt and white pepper or season the dusting flour; if you season the flour make sure to over season it.

For the shrimp I removed all shell, tail, legs and intestinal track; it runs through the length of the body on the top side. Sea scallops sometimes come with a little hard piece of connective tissue on the outer side which is peel off. Dry the seafood well on a towel and season if desired.

Slice onions thinly, about 5mm; I only used the larger rings and saved the smaller center rings for other uses. For French Fries use russets; cut them fry shape however thick you like but make sure they're consistent. Soak the cut fries for 30 minutes in cold water. Par-cook them at around 250°F for 6 minutes without browning; if they start browning take them out immediately. Let then cool completely before cooking the final time; this step allows starches to come to the surface and will help give a crispy exterior.

I actually par-cooked the battered food aswell, until the batter was just set and ideally before developing the golden hue. I did this so I could toss it all back right before we were ready to eat, so that every thing's hot and crispy when sitting down.

Ingredients:

5 oz Flour
1t Baking Powder
1t Salt
1t White Pepper
½ Egg
1 C Beer, very cold
Flour for dusting

1. Heat oil to 350°F-375°F
2. Sift your dry ingredients.
3. Set up a plate or bowl with flour for dusting.
4. Set up a cooling rack over a jellyroll pan or some device to place the fried food.
5. Make sure you have tongs and/or a spider to manage the food in the oil.
   
6. Beat Egg and mix with beer. Add dry ingredients, mixing until just combined; there should be some small lumps. Set the bowl in an ice water bath.
   
7. Arrange your items in a logical, easy to maneuver, fashion (food->dusting->batter->fry oil->cooling rack).
8. Work in small batches, whatever you're comfortable with.
9. Cool or hold in the oven until ready to finish cooking; or just cook all the way until nice and brown.
10. Once finished cooking season immediately with salt.