Grilled fish and better-for-you chips

By Reece Carter | Nutritionist

Published 2 December 2024

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Two plates of grilled fish and chips sit on a table

There’s nothing quite like fresh fish and chips on a hot Aussie day, but they don’t have to be deep-fried or covered in aioli and tomato sauce to be delicious.

You can keep things super simple here and grab yourself some fresh Australian fish. Choose a nice, firm white fish like snapper, or smaller fillets of something like whiting, and pair it with delicious, chunky chips. The secret to delicious chippies is par boiling the potatoes first and then leaving them to ‘dry out’ before roasting. It gives them good crunch without the need for lots of oil. Just be sure to choose a variety with a waxy, yellow flesh, as they roast best. Leaving the skin on also means a little extra fibre and some B vitamins.

Prep time

10m

Cook time

1h 10m

Serves

Ingredients

4 medium fillets (approx. 660g) snapper or similar fish, skinless
6 large purple, waxy potatoes, cut into thick wedges
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
Extra virgin olive oil spray
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 large lemon, cut into quarters

Method

Step 1:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil and add the potatoes. Allow the water to come back to the boil, then cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until you can pierce the pieces with a fork but they still hold their shape. Remove from heat and strain.

Step 2:

Lay the chips out on a large metal baking tray, cover in cheesecloth or something similar that will allow the steam to escape, and leave for 30 to 60 minutes to ‘dry out’.

Step 3:

Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 220°C.

Step 4:

Combine the paprika, onion powder and cayenne in a bowl, and stir to combine.

Step 5:

Once the potatoes are ready to roast, spray lightly with extra virgin olive oil spray and sprinkle with the spice mix. Season with sea salt and pepper, then transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Step 6:

Meanwhile, lightly spray your fish fillets with extra virgin olive oil. Cook on a hot barbecue for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes on the other side, or until the fillet is cooked through and the flesh is flaky. You can also cook under a hot grill or in a frying pan.

Step 7:

Serve the fish with a side of your homemade chips, a big green salad and a lemon wedge.