A whole new world of food

She’s a woman on a dietary mission, and the latest string to her bow is her much-anticipated debut book, River Cottage Gluten Free.

Here’s a great recipe from the book.

FISH FINGERS

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

400g sustainable fish fillets, such as cod, hake, pollock, haddock or whiting

150g gluten-free white flour, or rice flour or cornflour

1tsp (heaped) sea salt

2 eggs

175g gluten-free breadcrumbs (You can make your own using shop-bought gluten-free bread. Or, for fancier crumbs, there are recipes for brioche, sourdough and baguettes in the book which can be crumbed, or you can use gluten-free oats)

Lard, dripping or groundnut oil for shallow frying

Black pepper

Method

lCheck your fish for any pin bones, removing any you find with kitchen tweezers. Slice the fish into roughly 12 fingers and pat dry with kitchen paper.

lGet three deep plates or wide bowls ready for coating the fish fingers. Put the flour into the first bowl and season with the salt and a good grinding of pepper. In the second bowl, beat the eggs well with a fork. Put the breadcrumbs into the third bowl.

lTake one piece of fish and press it into the flour. Turn and repeat to coat both sides, then tap off any excess. Pop it into the egg and turn it over quickly with a fork or your fingers, to coat completely. Drop the fish into the crumbs and use a spoon to cover it with crumbs. Using your other hand, turn the fish over to make sure it is fully coated, then set aside on a clean plate. Repeat with the rest of the fish.

lHeat a 1cm depth of fat in a deep, heavy-based frying pan. When it is hot, fry the fish fingers, in batches if necessary, for a few minutes each side until the crumb coating is golden. Unless your fish pieces are very thick, this should be enough to cook them right through. If in doubt, break one open and check that the fish inside is hot and opaque.

lDrain the fish fingers on kitchen paper and serve straight away, with a leafy salad, or peas or green beans.