Beer Battered Cod and Corn Salad

This week we decided to step up our game by taking on 2 new dishes from one of our favorite restaurants (see last post).

The biggest challenge of taking on these recipes was figuring out how to develop a homemade deep fryer. Easiest way to accomplish this, head straight to Sur la table. We picked up a spider and a deep fry/candy thermometer. Despite all the fancy equipment, it was still funny to see Michi flinch when she dropped in the first piece of fish. Our fish was more like a traditional fish and chips with a buttery beer batter that fries into a nice airy casing for a delicious piece of fish. The Purple Pig's white bait dish was more like an appetizer with shoe string and rings of fish with a calamari like breading. Our corn salad was VERY close to the Purple Pig but it probably needed to set over night to let the flavors meld more.

NOTE: Remember to be careful when frying at your home or apartment (especially keep that special someone away from the heat so they don't get splattered).

Corn Salad
4 cups of cooked white or sweet yellow corn (cold)
1 small box of button mushrooms
1/2 cup walnuts
4 springs rosemary
Juice of 2 Lemons
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup of crumbled parmesan cheese
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Saute sliced mushrooms with two small pads of butter. Once sauteed season with salt, pepper, and add leaves from 1 spring of rosemary. Let mushrooms cool. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet until the walnuts start smelling. Chop coarsely. Add cooled mushrooms, walnuts, and parmesan cheese to 4 cups of cooked and cooled corn.

For the vinaigrette, add juice of two lemons to garlic. Stream in olive oil until combined. Then add vinaigrette to mushroom, walnut, and corn mixture. Stir well and chill for a couple of hours.

Beer Battered Cod Recipe
4 small fillets of Cod cut into strips (get fresh cod if you can, if not thawed, frozen fish works fine)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 2/3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups of favorite beer
Corn oil to fry
Parsley and lemon for garnish

Whisk flour and baking powder and then add beer. Chill batter for at least one hour. While oil is heating, season fish with salt and pepper and dust lightly with a bit of flour. When oil heats to 350 degrees, dip the fish in the batter and fry until crispy.

Judgement: Purple Pig Wins!