A 280g portion of fish and chips contains:
Calories: 849
Fat: 34g
Carbs: 93.4g
Protein: 39.6g
Source: www.caloriecount.com
Fish and chips often comes top of the list when people are asked to name their favourite takeaway food.Tasty as it is, that piece of battered fish and portion of deep-fried, salt and vinegar-soused chips comes with a price tag - the dish is rife with calories and fat. For those who wish to indulge on a regular basis, it's worth thinking about forgoing the takeaway option and cooking a healthier version at home.
Leaving the skin on the potatoes ensures that none of the valuable nutrients are wasted and cutting the potato into chunky chips, rather than skinny fries, reduces the surface area meaning that less fat is absorbed. Baking the chips in a hot oven, coated in a small amount of groundnut oil, also adds a further nutritional tick.
As for the fish, covering it in brown breadcrumbs rather than batter will help keep fat levels low, as will sautéeing the fillets in a touch of oil, rather than cooking them in a deep-fat fryer.
A serving of peas on the side adds a splash of colour and valuable vitamins and minerals.
Healthy fish and chips with puréed peas
Serves 2
For the chips:
2 medium baking potatoes
2 tsp groundnut oil
For the fish:
2 x 180g fillets sustainably sourced, skinless white fish (eg pollack, hake, Pacific halibut)
75g brown breadcrumbs
zest of a lemon 1 tbsp plain flour 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tsp groundnut oil
For the peas:
150g frozen peas
handful fresh mint, leaves picked
lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Place a baking tray in the oven. Scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt, then cut into 2cm-thick strips, leaving the skin on.
Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for three minutes. Drain well and tip into a large bowl.
Drizzle over the groundnut oil, season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Arrange the chips in a single layer on the preheated baking tray. Cook for 25-30 minutes until golden, turning halfway through the cooking time. Blanch the peas briefly in boiling salted water (2-3 minutes) before draining. Pour into a blender, add the mint leaves and blitz to a rough purée. Stir in lemon juice to taste and add a splash of water if the purée seems too dry. Reheat just before serving.
While the chips are cooking, prepare the fish. Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add the breadcrumbs and toast lightly. Stir in the lemon zest and season. Remove from the heat.
Place the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow bowls. Dip the fish fillets first into the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, coating well.
Pour the groundnut oil into a large non-stick frying pan and place over a medium to high heat. When hot, add the fish and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Serve immediately with the oven-cooked chips, pea purée and a wedge of lemon.
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young