There are some foods that, if you close your eyes, you can just smell or taste. They transform you back to another place. We think scraps are one of them.
Picture yourself now as a kid or teen, standing in line at the chippy on a Friday night, eyeing up the sodas in the fridge and baulking at your dad’s request for a pickled egg.
The air is heavy with grease, vinegar and salt. As you leave, the person at the counter hands you a free paper pouch of scraps – nuggets of burnished batter, scooped from the fryer to keep the oil fresh – and it feels like you’ve struck gold.
Dashed with a bit of malt and salt, they keep you quiet on the walk/drive home, acting as an amuse bouche for the main course of fish or battered sausages when you’re back on the sofa.
These are worth making if you have any batter left over from frying or as a nostalgic beer or wine snack. Serve with your favourite dips.
Ingredients (serves several people as a bar snack)
- 200g plain flour
- 75g cornflour
- Large pinch sea salt
- 300ml beer (ideally a dark or amber ale)
- Splash white wine vinegar
- Large pinch baking powder
- Oil for frying
To serve:
- Your favourite vinegar or dip
Method
1. Simply mix together all your ingredients into a smooth batter and let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. Heat up oil in a deep fat fryer or deep pan (carefully) to 185C. Spoon in little drops of batter and cook until deeply golden and crunchy.
3. Season with your favourite vinegar, or get your favourite dips on the side and dig in while hot.
