Fish-and-Chips Salad

A shower of homemade potato chips adds crisp, salty contrast to this smoked-fish salad tossed with a sweet honey mustard dressing.

Active Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Servings: 6

• Crisp homemade potato chips add salty crunch and texture to this fresh, vegetable-packed salad.
• Smoked trout gives the dish rich, savory depth that balances the brightness of the mustardy vinaigrette.
• With peppery arugula, shaved fennel, and plenty of fresh herbs, this salad delivers layers of flavor and freshness and is perfect for a lunch or light dinner.

This salad borrows all the best parts of the British classic. Inspired by a visit to his favorite “chippy” in London, Andrew Zimmern created this vibrant salad as an ode to fish-and-chips in the form of a fresh salad. Here, crispy “chips” are paper-thin russet slices, fried until golden and salted, then tossed into a mound of greens and vegetables to stay snappy. Smoked trout stands in for the usual fried fish, bringing rich, savory notes without any batter. Everything comes together with a bright dressing that balances aged sherry vinegar, sharp mustard, and a touch of honey with fragrant orange zest and fresh orange juice.

For the salad base, line a platter with buttery lettuce leaves for scooping, then pile on the dressed mix of peppery arugula, cool cucumber half-moons, juicy cherry tomatoes, and shaved fennel for crisp anise notes. Thinly sliced scallions add a fresh allium lift, while a generous shower of dill keeps things herbaceous.

If you’re new to deep-frying at home, this is the perfect place to start. It’s all about heat control and regulation, and that starts with frying the potatoes in batches so they don’t bring down the oil temperature too much, which would leave them greasy. It also prevents them from clumping together while frying. 

From there, regulate the heat using an instant-read thermometer so they don’t scorch. When putting together the salad, it’s important to toss the greens and vegetables in the dressing first, then add the warm chips and toss again so they pick up just enough sheen without wilting the greens.

Best substitutes for smoked trout

Smoked trout has a gentle, smoky flavor and a delicate, flaky texture. Smoked salmon is the closest substitute for smoked trout, matching its savory depth, smokiness, and buttery finish. It is richer and oilier than smoked trout, so it’s best to start with a smaller amount so as not to overwhelm the other flavors in the dish. Hot-smoked whitefish — such as smoked haddock or Arctic char — offers a comparable delicate texture with a milder smoke profile. For a bolder swap, try smoked mackerel or sardines, and flake them into the salad. If you prefer unsmoked fish, poached salmon or seared trout also work.

What to serve with fish-and-chips salad

This fun main shines with sides: Offer warm, crusty sourdough or herbed focaccia, plus buttered peas, minted mushy peas, or a tangy slaw. Add pickled onions, dill-caper aioli, and lemon wedges. A platter of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes keeps things crisp; roasted asparagus or blistered shishitos add warmth. For drinks, pour chilled Sauvignon Blanc, crisp pilsner, cider, or sparkling lemonade. Finish with citrus sorbet or granita.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

• Use a mandoline to efficiently and evenly slice potatoes.
• Frying the potato slices in batches keeps them from sticking together, and adjusting the heat as needed helps maintain the temperature so the potatoes don’t burn. 
• Instead of making your own chips, you can use store-bought kettle chips.

This recipe was developed by Andrew Zimmern; the text was written by Andee Gosnell.

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Ingredients

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This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings

Honey-Dijon Dressing

• 3 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest plus up to 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, divided

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt, to taste

Fish-and-Chips

• Vegetable oil, for frying

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

• 1 russet potato, shaved crosswise into 1/16-inch-thick slices, patted dry

• Kosher salt, to taste

• 1 (4-ounce) head butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce

• 2 cups baby arugula

• 1 large English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 small fennel bulb, shaved lengthwise (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (about 1 1/4 cups)

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill, divided

• Black pepper, to taste

• 12 ounces smoked trout fillets, flaked

Directions

1. Make the honey-Dijon dressing: Whisk together vinegar, mustard, honey, and orange zest in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well combined. Whisk in orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time and tasting after each addition, until dressing has a balanced sweet-tart flavor. Season with salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Make the fish-and-chips: Pour vegetable oil into a large Dutch oven (at least 6 quarts) to a depth of 2 inches; heat over medium to 375°F. Meanwhile, soak onion slices in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes to soften their flavor; drain and set aside.

3. Working in batches, fry potato slices, adding a few at a time to the oil to prevent them from sticking together and adjusting heat as needed, until lightly browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer chips to a paper towel–lined baking sheet using a slotted spoon or spider. Season with salt to taste; set aside.

4. Separate the leaves from the head of lettuce, and arrange them on a platter. Slice the lettuce core, and sprinkle over the middle of the platter. Toss arugula, cucumber, tomatoes, fennel, scallions, reserved onion, and 1/4 cup dill in a large bowl with about 1/2 cup dressing. Add potato chips, and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Pile the arugula mixture in the middle of the platter, and scatter flaked trout over top; garnish with black pepper and remaining 1/4 cup dill. Drizzle with remaining dressing.

Make ahead

Dressing may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Excerpted from THE BLUE FOOD COOKBOOK by Andrew Zimmern and Barton Seaver in collaboration with Fed By Blue. Excerpt provided by Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.