I don't often do a 100% fried dinner...
Duh...
But as you can see below, at least a couple of times a year, primarily in the spring and/or summer when Vidalia onions are around...
Oh. Sidebar: no matter what you may have heard from pretentious chefs or whomever, it's VIE-DAYL-YUH! It is not, I repeat, Not, VIH-DAHL-YUH!
Trust me, I lived in Georgia...
Anyway...
So this week at Fairway, not only were the Vidalias lookin' good, but there was also a wild-caught cod sale. Therefore: fryin' time!
I made a simple batter (1C flour, 1t baking powder, 2t Old Bay, a dash of cayenne, and 1 beer)...
and I coated some rings of the Vidalias in the batter, and fried them in small batches in about 3 inches of canola oil heated to 350°-360° in a pan large enough to contain the boil-up that always happens.
I removed each batch to a wire rack set over a sheet pan and kept it warm in a 350° oven.
When all of the onions were done, I scooped out some of the bits left in the oil, heated it back to 360°-375°... Salted, peppered and floured the cod, which I'd cut into about 1-inch pieces...
Dipped 4-5 pieces in the batter and fried them in the hot oil until dark golden brown (about 5-6 minutes, but really, the color will tell you when it's done).
I added the fish to the rack with the onion rings and fried the second batch. I plated the onions and the fish and added some mayo into which I'd folded about 2T of chopped fresh dill and some lemon juice and zest...
OK, not every day, but every now and then... Heaven.
PS. If your fish or your onions are too strong, you can soak them in milk for an hour before proceeding with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite batter that's different from the one above... be my guest!