Hot on the heels (or should we say fins?) of the first installment of this quest for making perfect Fish ‘N Chips, here’s the second attempt, this time using Pancake mix.

We had a huge Costco-sized 10 lb. bag of Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix sitting in the pantry…

So I thought “What the heck? Let’s try it!” Being in experimentation mode, I also picked up this fish called Izumidai, a.k.a. Tilapia…

Izumidai (Tilapia) Block for Sashimi (previously frozen), $5.99/lbs.

These two beautful slabs of white meat fish, being just under a half-pound costed only $2.10. Yasui desu yo!

The batter recipe is simply equal parts pancake mix to equal parts water, which has a thinner viscosity than the intended pancake recipe. It’s already preseasoned with salt, and of course the added richness of Buttermilk, so nothing else is needed.

Here it is.

Easy Buttermilk Pancake Battered Fish ‘N Chips
Batter-up:
• 1/2 lb. white meat fish fillets, cut into 2″x6″ strips
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk Pancake mix
• 1/2 cup water
1st base (the dry dredge):
• 1 cup Buttermilk Pancake mix
2nd base:
• 3 cups canola oil
3rd base:
• Chips (I used frozen Ore-Ida seasoned fries (with skin). Cook enough for the amount of people you’re serving.
Home Run:
• Cocktail Sauce (the stuff used for Shrimp Cocktail)
• Tartar Sauce
• Fresh Lemon Wedges
• Garnish (optional, but highly recommended!) such as chopped fresh Green Onion, Chives, or Parsley

In a bowl, combine equal parts pancake mix with water and whisk until smooth . In another bowl, first dredge the fish strips into the dry pancake mix (this helps the wet batter bind, and also adds body), then dip in wet batter mix…

Here you can see the thinned-down viscosity of the pancake-based batter mix. It sort of lumped there in this shot, but I shook it off. Immediately drop the evenly coated fish in properly heated deep frying oil and cook, turning it ocasionally to reach an even golden-brown and delicious finish (“GBD”). That takes approximately 3 minutes.

Serve with chips (fries), condiments and garnish.

Here’s a cross-cut view of the pancake battered fish after it’s cooked…

Witness how moist and tender this fully cooked white-fleshed Izumidai is.

So how is this pancake batter crust for Fish ‘N Chips? Simply said, excellent! It’s more of a flaky texture, and a bit less glutenous than the beer batter version. But it’s seasoned perfectly out of the bag, and being converted into a different element than breakfast pancakes – namely being deep-fried – it takes on a whole new level of flavor. I’d liken it to Andagi in flavor, sans the sweetness and chew that Andagi has.

And that Izumidai (Tilapia) fish is fantastic! Way better than Pollock. Even though this was also previously frozen, it had much character to its flavor and texture. It tasted like fish, without being “fishy”, know what I mean? Kinda’ like Mahimahi. As long as it wasn’t caught in the Ala Wai canal, it’s A-O.K. with me. lol

Here’s a few photo-to-photo comparisons of the pancake batter Fish ‘N Chips and the beer batter Fish ‘N Chips…

The Tasty Island’s Pancake Batter Fish ‘N Chips: Project II

The Tasty Island’s Beer Batter Fish ‘N Chips: Project I

You can see that the beer batter has a smoother, sealed crust, while the pancake batter has more texture to it.


The Tasty Island’s Pancake Batter Fish ‘N Chips: Project II

The Tasty Island’s Beer Batter Fish ‘N Chips: Project I

The name also has to sound alluring. “Buttermilk Batter Fish ‘N Chip” sounds good to me! Almost better than “Beer Batter Fish ‘N Chips”. Almost.

Well this project isn’t done yet. While both so far are excellent, tried-and-true recipes (as you see it), there’s still more batter to beat and bigger fish to fry!

And to everyone on this Christmas eve… MELE KALIKAMAKI!