If you discovered that you actually enjoy the taste of Long John Silver’s food, only to discover immediately afterward that it wasn’t good for you and you shouldn’t like it (or the other way around), then you probably live in America. haha…

We can pretty much find a way to fry anything in America. And why do we do it? Because it tastes great. That’s why. What if I told you that you could have one serving of battered cod fish and french fries for just 6 WW FreeStyle Smart Points? Would you believe me? It’s true, and I am going to show you how in today’s Battered Fish and Chips recipe!

Let’s talk about points for a second.

This is really a 2-for-1 recipe. The fish recipe and the chips (french fries) recipe can be stand-alone recipes or combined for a dinner. If you follow this recipe as described below, you will be making both battered fish and french fries. So one serving would actually be 1 fillet of battered fish and 1 serving of fries for just 6 WW FreeStyle Smart Points.

Real quick, let’s compare this to Long John Silver’s, just for fun. (I know it is not exactly the same thing, but it will still give you a frame of reference.)

I think we can all agree that the Long John Silver’s picture wins! I mean, I liked my picture just fine…until I looked at theirs, and then I was like, “Woah! I totally should have gotten a basket!” And then I was like, “Wait a minute…I totally got this!”

heehee. Just kidding. I think it is safe to say that Long John Silver’s will not be contacting me to help with their photography any time soon. Anyway, basket or no basket…icebergs or no icebergs…today’s recipe still wins when it comes to the cooking method and ingredients used. That is…if you are trying to eat healthier.

So, who is this recipe for anyway?

Really, this recipe is perfect for anyone who is craving some good old fried fish and potatoes. If you, or someone you love, enjoys eating at Long John Silver’s, I would love for you to try this recipe and see what you think. We’ll tackle the hush puppies another day. For now, let’s just master the fish and fries.

The trick to making great battered fish and chips.

I don’t know about you, but I was pretty excited when I learned how to make this recipe! I was intimidated by the idea of making WW friendly battered fish, but it’s actually quite a bit easier than you would think.

There are 3 key steps to making battered fish:

1. Coat fish with flour.
2. Dip flour-coated fish in a seasoned “pancake batter” type mixture.
3. Cook battered fish in very hot oil.

After playing around with different ingredients for the batter that would keep the points down but have the same effect as beer, I found that zero point lemon-lime sparkling water did the trick!

The other question I had to figure out for myself was “How much oil is necessary to have great results?” I imagined needing a full cup of oil to get the fish nice and crispy, but after experimenting, I found that 1-1/2 tablespoons oil was perfect.

Another little trick: Fry the fish in batches.

I fried three fish fillets in the skillet at one time, using 1-1/2 tablespoons oil. Then I took those fish fillets out of the skillet, added 1-1/2 more tablespoons oil, heated the oil, and fried the remaining three fish fillets in the new oil. This worked better than trying to fry all six fillets at once in 3 tablespoons oil.

If you want to skip the potatoes and just eat the fish…

1 piece of battered cod is just 3 WW FreeStyle SP.
2 pieces of battered cod are 7 WW FreeStyle SP.

If you are just making the fries and skipping the fish…

One serving of fries (chips) is about 1.3 ounces of cooked fries (or about 15-18 fries) and is 2 WW FreeStyle SP.
(This number is from calculating 1 pound of potatoes and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and dividing it by 6)

Here is what you need:

Chips:

2 medium potatoes (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Battered Fish:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
6 (4 ounce) cod fish fillets
1/2 cup lemon lime sparkling water
3/4 cup flour, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Here is what you do:

To make the chips (french fries):

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Cut potatoes into fries that are approximately 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick.

Place in a large bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.

Drain and rinse the potatoes. Dry potatoes using paper towel or clean kitchen towel.

In a medium bowl or zip-close bag, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil.

Line large baking sheet or two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place fries on baking sheet(s) so that none of the potatoes are touching. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through.

In the last 15-20 minutes of baking the potatoes, begin cooking the battered fish.

To make the battered fish:

Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet set to medium-high heat.

Using hands, gently squeeze water out of cod fish if it is really wet, being careful not to tear the fish.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sparkling water, 1/3 cup flour, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Put remaining flour in a shallow dish.

Sprinkle both sides of the fish fillets with salt. Dredge 3 fish fillets through the flour and then in the batter. Carefully add the 3 pieces of batter-coated fish to the skillet with the heated oil.

Cook fish 3-4 minutes on both sides, using a spatula to flip the fish. Once cooked, use the spatula to transfer the fish from the skillet to a plate with a paper towel on it, to soak up excess oil.

Add remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Allow to heat for 1-2 minutes and fry remaining 3 cod fillets like you did the previous three.

Serve 1 piece of battered cod fish with 1.3 ounces chips (approximately 15-18 fries).

Makes 6 servings.
One serving is 1 piece of battered fish and approximately 1.3 ounces chips.
One serving is 6 WW FreeStyle Smart Points.

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Battered Fish and Chips

6 WW FreeStyle SP per serving.

Makes: 6 servings

Calories: 229

Author: Alisha Hughes

Ingredients

• CHIP INGREDIENTS:
• 2 medium potatoes (about 1 pound)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• BATTERED FISH INGREDIENTS:
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 6 4 ounce each cod fish fillets
• 1/2 cup lemon lime sparkling water
• 3/4 cup flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• TO MAKE THE CHIPS (FRENCH FRIES):
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Cut potatoes into fries that are approximately 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick.
• Place in a large bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes.
• Drain and rinse the potatoes. Dry potatoes using paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
• In a medium bowl or zip-close bag, toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil.
• Line large baking sheet or two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place fries on baking sheet(s) so that none of the potatoes are touching. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• In the last 15-20 minutes of baking the potatoes, begin cooking the battered fish.
• TO MAKE THE BATTERED FISH:
• Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet set to medium-high heat.
• Using hands, gently squeeze water out of cod fish if it is really wet, being careful not to tear the fish.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the sparkling water, 1/3 cup flour, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Put remaining flour in a shallow dish.
• Sprinkle both sides of the fish fillets with salt. Dredge 3 fish fillets through the flour and then in the batter. Carefully add the 3 pieces of batter-coated fish to the skillet with the heated oil.
• Cook fish 3-4 minutes on both sides, using a spatula to flip the fish. Once cooked, use the spatula to transfer the fish from the skillet to a plate with a paper towel on it, to soak up excess oil.
• Add remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons oil to the skillet. Allow to heat for 1-2 minutes and fry remaining 3 cod fillets like you did the previous three.
• Serve one piece of battered fish with 1.3 ounces fries (approximately 15-18 fries).

Nutrition Facts

Battered Fish and Chips

Amount Per Serving (1 piece of battered fish and approximately 1.3 ounces chips)

Calories 229 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9g 14%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 60mg 20%

Sodium 838mg 35%

Total Carbohydrates 20g 7%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 2g

Protein 17g 34%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.