Ingredients

• 600g/1lb 5oz pollack fillet
• skinned and pin boned
• cut into 4cm/1½in square pieces
• salt
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander
• 1 green chilli
• seeds removed
• finely chopped
• 1 lime
• zest only
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 100ml/3½fl oz white wine
• 100ml/3½fl oz white wine vinegar
• 100g/3½oz sugar
• 3 carrots
• cut into matchstick-sized pieces
• 1 banana shallot
• sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• sliced in half and germ removed
• 75g/2½oz plain flour
• plus extra for dusting the fish
• 75g/2½oz cornflour
• 200ml/7fl oz ice cold soda water
• sunflower oil
• for deep frying
• 2 spring onions
• finely sliced
• 120ml/4fl oz cold press rapeseed oil

Directions

• Season the fish pieces with salt
• two tablespoons of the chopped coriander
• half the chilli
• the lime zest and smoked paprika in a bowl. Set aside for at least 30 minutes and preferably a few hours.
• Put the wine
• vinegar
• sugar and 100ml/3½fl oz of water in a pan and heat to a simmer.
• Place the carrots
• shallot
• garlic and green chilli into a bowl and pour the simmering pickling juice over. Submerge the carrots using a piece of cling film to hold them in place. Leave to cool.
• To make the batter
• mix together the flour and cornflour with a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the soda water and keep the batter chilled
• ideally on ice
• until needed.
• Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180C/350F
• or half-fill a heavy-bottomed pan with sunflower oil. (Caution: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Dust the fish with flour and pat off any excess.
• Dip the pieces of fish into the batter and carefully drop them into the fryer one by one. Cook for two minutes and then transfer to a on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Season the crispy batter with a touch more salt.
• Drain the carrots and discard the garlic. Mix the remaining tablespoon of chopped coriander and the spring onions with the carrot mixture
• season with salt and dress with the rapeseed oil. Serve the fried fish on a platter with the pickled carrot salad.