An English Disaster!!

So I'm back from a long hiatus due to just not really cooking. And what else would happen when I finally plan a dinner....Disaster!

I planned on making fish 'n chips. I figured folks might like a review of a lightened up version since it is Lent and all. Well people, either help me figure out how to fix this up or just skip it. It was not delicious and it was indeed a disaster. Well the fish part, the chips are salvageable.

When I was mixing up the batter, it was the consistency of wet sand. I had a bad feeling from the beginning but I figured I'd stick with it. I finished the preparation and threw the food in the oven. Flipped everything halfway and I was impressed that the "batter" actually stayed on the fish.

Of course the batter stuck on the fish, it is the edible equivalent of GLUE! It also didn't taste like anything. Bland and chewy is not good for what is supposed to be a delicious dinner of fish 'n chips.

The chips weren't so bad though. I like the vinegar taste, but I could have used more just because I really like vinegar. Do you think if I soaked the potatoes in the vinegar for longer it would make a difference? Just a thought.

Any suggestions on how to fix this batter? I'm not really keen on trying this again though.

Recipe from Weight Watchers:

Cornmeal-Battered Fish and Chips

POINTS® Value: 8

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 18 min

Cooking Time: 35 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

A crunchy, cornmeal-herb batter (made light with fat-free milk) puts this English specialty back on the menu. Together with fries coated in vinegar, salt and pepper...brilliant!

Ingredients
1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked yellow cornmeal, for coating
1 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/4 pound(s) uncooked cod, or haddock fillets (four 5 oz pieces)
2 tbsp uncooked yellow cornmeal, for dusting fish
2 large potato(es), Idaho, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
2 tbsp white vinegar, or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, combine 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal, milk, zest, basil and oregano; mix well to make a thick batter. Dust fish with additional 2 tablespoons of cornmeal; add fish to batter and turn to coat both sides. Place fish on prepared baking sheet and spoon over any remaining batter, making an even coating.

Place potatoes in a large bowl and add vinegar, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange potatoes next to fish on baking sheet.

Bake, carefully flipping fish once, until potatoes and fish are fork-tender and cornmeal batter just starts to crack, about 30 to 35 minutes. Yields 1 fish fillet and 1/2 potato per serving.