Fish on Friday with a modern take on chip shop style pea fritters

Last week I got expat chip shop cravings. Pea fritters are so British,aren´t they? Remember Mushy peas packed into a ball and then deep fried in batter? I used to love them when I was at college- they were cheap,hot and filling.If you offered them to me now I´d say no thanks.Times have changed,I have moved on, and mushy peas have had their day.I now want a wittier, more modern and more nutritious version of the chip shop style pea fritter.I prefer using fresh minted garden peas folded into a luminous green batter and then fried like patties.Serve alongside hake fillets with sea salt baked roast potatoes, they make the perfect fish on Friday supper.

For those of you unfortunate enough never to have experienced the culinary delight that is a pea fritter...here is what the chip shop version looks like.

The Trick
Chewy.. Bouncy. Rubbery. These aren’t typically flattering words when it comes to food,but the first batch I made,although delicious in their flavour were spoilt by their gummy texture.Alright if you are in Taiwan or parts of East Asia,where these adjectives describe a beloved texture — a food quality sought after, not shunned. It’s called the “Q” texture, or the mystery food characteristic you didn’t even know you were missing.Firm and springy is good,The "Q" texture has been likened to “a marshmallow or a good-quality gummy worm.”Enough of that digression,the answer to my predicament lies in a protein called Gluten.Have you ever wondered what makes pancakes so fluffy? Why do pancake recipes always tell you not to overmix the batter? Overmixing your pancake batter will result in tough, rubbery and flat pancakes.So do not do what I do and overmix your fritter mix.I also added two teaspoons of baking powder to the equation and the second batch came out light and fluffy.And guess what, if you dont want to eat 12 all at once they freeze beautifully and can be defrosted for a Nigella moment when you get a little peckish in the night.They make a great snack,picnic or lunchbox option.Trust me.

The Twist
Add chopped parsley and chopped mint to the equation.A bit of bacon and or parmesan would not go amiss.To spice them up add green chillies,turmeric ,cumin or garam masala.

Thoroughly modern Pea Fritters
makes 12
3 cups (400g) frozen peas
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups (210g) self raising flour
1 spring onion - chopped
1/3 cup (55 g) crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
1 tbsp chopped mint (optional)
Boil the peas for 4 minutes and drain.
Add the flour, eggs, spring onion and half of the peas to a food processor and pulse until combined.Fold through the remaining peas, feta cheese and parsley.
Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in a little oil for 2 minutes on each side until golden.
Delicious hot or cold.