Do you want to know how the #1 restaurant in Lower West Pubnico, Nova Scotia makes their fish'n chips? You can fry up these Lemon Pepper Haddock Bites in your fry pan at home in 30 minutes.
Shout out to my foodie friend who begged Wanda Devine, Manager of the Dennis Point Café in Lower West Pubnico, Nova Scotia for the recipe.
I am blessed that many of my foodie and fellow wine lover's are enthusiastic about sharing recipes and wine notes with me! Thanks Elaine. ( I also have Elaine to thank for the Award Winning Cinnamon Whiskey Ribs recipe!)
Ingredients
The Haddock - Thick fillets 1-2" would be ideal to cut up. If you can only find thin fillets cut them with a bigger surface area and reduce the frying time. Just try to find the thickest haddock you can find if you are land locked like me!
The Breading - I have to say the 'very well milled hard breading' sent me off on a tangent. There are hard wheat and soft wheat varieties. Hard wheat varieties are higher in protein, usually around 12-15%. Hard wheat is used for Bread Flour and some Pasta flours. Hard flour, from hard wheat, has a stronger, elastic gluten web. If you don't have bread flour on hand all purpose (11% protein) will work as well.
Lemon Pepper - I got my lemon pepper at the Bulk Barn. Be sure to taste your mix to determine if it already has salt incorporated into it. The Bulk Barn had coarse sea salt in it so I didn't add anymore salt to the breading mix.
The Sides
Of course these beg to be served with tartar sauce, cole slaw and fries! Check out Jim 'N Nick's Cole Slaw, from a Bon Appetit reader's request for the recipe from Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q in Charleston, South Carolina.
Here is how to make Crispy Sweet Potato Oven Fries that were delicious with it as well.
For the tartar sauce I just mixed in some of my newly made Zucchini Relish with some light mayonnaise. You can use any relish you like.
With a place this quaint and authentic I can only imagine how good their various seafood dishes are!
Wine Pairing
A fresh, high acid white would work best with this to cut through the richness of the fried breading and especially if you serve it with the tangy cole slaw. Think Sauvignon Blanc, a Riesling that is describes as 'racy' , or a Chardonnay described as light and crisp. And don't forget one of my favourites a Muscadet Sevre et Maine!
Nova Scotia Lemon Pepper Haddock Bites
Ingredients
- 6 Haddock fillets cut in two" bite pieces
- 1 ½ cups bread flour You can substitute all purpose flour
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (Optional - not in original Cafe recipe)
- ¼ cup Lemon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt only add this if your Lemon Pepper mix DOES NOT contain salt
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsps butter
- 3-4 Tbsps olive oil
- lemon wedges for garnish
Tartar Sauce
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsps relish of your choice
Instructions
- Combine flour, cornmeal, garlic, lemon pepper and salt if using in a shallow dish. Stir to mix evenly.
- Lightly beat eggs in a shallow dish
- Dip fish into the eggs then dredge in the flour/cornmeal mixture until well coated.
- Heat butter with the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add in the Haddock Bites and cook until light brown all over. About 2 minutes per side. Don't over cook.
- Place fish on a serving platter and serve with tartar sauce and lemon slices on the side.
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