Recipe of the week: ‘Haute’ makeovers for fish and chips

Two of the 100 best new things to appear on the American restaurant scene are “haute” makeovers for traditional pub fare, said the editors of Food & Wine. Irish chef Cathal Armstrong, whom we named a Best New Chef of 2006, opened his restaurant Eamonn’s A Dublin Chipper in Alexandria, Va., where he serves his variation on fried fish using a Marie Rose sauce. At Japonais restaurant in Chicago, chef Gene Kato has created “irresistible”

fries made with sweet potatoes and then seasoned with nori flakes “and the tingly spice mix shichimi togarashi.”

Recipes of the week

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Battered Cod With Marie Rose Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp Tabasco

1-3/4 cups water

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 quart vegetable oil, for frying

2 lbs skinless cod fillets, cut into 4-inch pieces

In bowl, whisk mayonnaise with ketchup, lemon juice, Tabasco. Pour water into large bowl. Using hand-held electric mixer at low speed, beat in 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, baking soda. Strain batter into another bowl.

In large saucepan, heat oil to 360 degrees. Line a rack with paper towels. Dust 5 pieces of cod with flour, tap off excess. Dip cod in batter, scraping pieces slightly against side of bowl to remove excess batter; add to hot

oil. Fry over moderate heat until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fish to rack. Repeat with remaining fish and batter. Sprinkle with salt, serve at once with sauce. Serves 6.

Japanese Frites

Vegetable oil for frying

1 tbsp nori flakes

2 tsp shichimi togarashi

2 tsp kosher salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

1 cup mayonnaise

1 to 2 tbsp sambal oelek or other Asian

red chili sauce

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp fresh lime juice

4 sweet potatoes unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick sticks (3 lbs)

In large pot, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix nori flakes with shichimi togarashi, salt and pepper. In another small bowl, mix mayonnaise with sambal oelek and lime juice.

Working in batches, fry sweet-potato sticks until tender and golden, about

7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sweet potato fries to paper-towel-lined plates to drain. Generously sprinkle hot fries with nori-togarashi mixture. Serve immediately with spicy mayonnaise on side. Serves 6.