I told you about the wonder and majesty that is quick pickled cabbage; I wanted to give you all a recipe that would really help show off how good it is. This one is a winner. It has all the appeal of a hotdog crossed with fish and chips, with a tangy dilly aioli and fresh greens, and of course the pickled cabbage. Plus, optional but recommended, fried jalapenos to top everything off. These would be fantastic for a summertime backyard party.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the deep frying element of this recipe. I used to be super intimidated to deep fry anything, but this is actually pretty quick and simple. You don’t need any special equipment, just a large, heavy pot and a thermometer (in a pinch you can do it without a thermometer). If there is a recipe that’s worth pushing past deep frying anxiety, I think this is it.

crispy beer battered fish (and jalapenos!)

1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus a bit more for dredging
½ cup cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 can of your favorite beer
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 pound halibut, cod or other flaky white fish
⅓ cup pickled jalapenos, drained and patted dry with paper towel
3-4 cups neutral oil for frying

Pat fish dry with a paper towel and remove any bones. Cut the fish into hotdog-sized batons.

Heat oven to 250° and place a cookie sheet with a cooling tray on it into the oven. Heat oil in a large, heavy pot to 350°. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat the oil until a little batter dropped in sizzles and bubbles vigorously.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in beer and mix until evenly combined. Working one piece at a time, dredge fish in flour and then dip into batter. Make sure to coat the fish all over. Carefully place battered fish into hot oil. Fry until deep golden brown, turning fish over after two or three minutes when the bottom is dark enough.

Place cooked fish on the rack in the oven while you continue cooking the rest. Dip jalapenos in batter and fry for couple minutes. Drain on the rack with the fish.

dill aioli

1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 tbs lemon juice

Stir all ingredients together.

assembly

All of the above plus:

pickled cabbage, drained of as much pickling liquid as possible
pea shoots or other crisp greens
more tiny dill fronds
hot dog buns

Slather a soft hot-dog bun with dill mayo, and add pea shoots and pickled cabbage. Top with a piece of crispy fish, some dill and a few jalapenos if you like.

This is a kind of seasonless cocktail. It can certainly qualify as a summer drink; the tequila and lime combination feels beachy and sunny. But the pleasant heat from the jalapenos has a winterizing effect; it will warm you during these rainy, snowy, grey months while you pine for sunshine and heat. This cocktail is highly effective all year round. It will fortify your spirits and remind you that winter can't actually last forever.

The tequila sour is based on the whisky sour, but with tequila and lime in place of whisky and lemon. It's easy to double or triple for and you set it out in the pitcher for self serves cocktails if you like.

jalapeno simple syrup:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

Combine all ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the syrup is quite spicy when you taste it (let it cool well before tasting!). Keep in mind that the other cocktail ingredients will mute the heat; I try to make the syrup a bit hotter than I want the drink to be.

Let cool.

hot tequila sour: