Potato Scallops / Cakes

When I lived in Kent WA, there was this killer Aussie fish and chip shop down the street out of this gas station. You’d pick your fish from a chilled case, and they would fry it on the spot.  The unusual thing was that the chips were thin cross sections of a russet potato, skin on, and were as big as the fish filet. They were battered and fried the same as the fish, with a house made tartar sauce.

Why it works:

Sydney and Brisbane, they are called Potato Scallops. In Victoria, Tasmania and the

Melbourne they are called Potato Cakes.

Yield: 6 portions

Time: 1 hour

Pairing: Fried Fish, Tartar sauce. Fish Sandwich

References:

• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-05/mapping-words-around-australia:-what-do-you-call-a-battered,-de/7069708

• https://www.theurbanlist.com/sydney/a-list/best-potato-scallops-sydney

• https://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/how-to-make-fish-butcherys-potato-scallop/

Equipment:

• Mandolin or Chefs knife

• Deep fryer

Ingredients:

• 2 large russet potatoes (cut head to toe in a mandolin)

• Rice Flour

• Batter

  • Self rising flour (or AP and baking powder)

  • Egg

  • Corn Starch

  • 1 tablespoon vodka

  • Victoria Bitter (sub: light lager or club soda)

Instructions: Cut russets length-wise .5 cm thin with a mandolin or knife. 

• Soak in Salt water for 2 hours.

• Steam in the microwave until barely done, but still holding together. (2 minutes)

• Remove and refrigerate overnight (to get outside dehydrated

• Make batter by mixing ingredients, and whisk in tons of air.  (should be like a thin pancake batter)

• Add in Soda water

• Heat Canola oil

• Batter and fry until golden brown

• Remove form oil and salt

• Serve with malt vinegar or tartar sauce

Plating Instructions

• Ingredients

• Sebago potatoes. Dutch cream or Desiree will also work.

• 200g rice flour plus extra for dusting

• 275ml Victoria Bitter

• 170ml vodka

• 105g self-raising flour

• 20g honey

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Olsson’s salt flakes

• Fine saltMethod

• 1. Scrub potatoes until they are clean, ensuring the skin is intact. Slice potatoes into 2-3 cm disks cutting the profile of the potato at its widest.

• 2. Steam for 12 minutes in a combi oven until they are a custard-like texture. Alternatively, use a basket steamer or blanch in boiling salted water.

• 3. Once cooked, leave potatoes on the tray and refrigerate overnight.

• 4. To prepare the batter, combine rice flour with self-raising flour and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk VB, vodka and honey. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and whisk until smooth.

• 5. Dust potato slices in rice flour and dip in batter. Deep fry until dark golden brown and crunchy.

• 6. Season with fine salt and salt flakes before serving.

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