For St. Patrick’s Day, New York City’s historic Grand Central Oyster Bar, celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year, offers this “Centennial Classic” recipe: Guinness Battered Fish and Chips.

Chef Sandy Ingber’s rendition is served daily throughout the year Mondays through Saturdays, for lunch and dinner. Since St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday this year (March 17th), the restaurant is closed. But Fish & Chips lovers can make Chef’s recipe at home.

National Fish & Chips Day is the first Friday in June.
 
 
RECIPE: GUINNESS BATTERED FISH & CHIPS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE beer, baking soda salt, pepper, and egg in a large mixing bowl.

2. WHISK in flour slowly, until the batter is thick (not runny) and adheres to a wooden spoon.

3. HEAT oil in a deep fryer or in a deep-sided sauté pan to 350°F. DREDGE fish in flour, shaking off excess, and dip in batter, covering all sides of the fish.

4. HOLD an end of the battered fish and gently dip it into hot oil, dipping it halfway in; wait 15 seconds and drop into oil. This will prevent the fish from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

5. FLIP fish over when brown on one side and cook all together for about 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. The fish should be all one color all the way through or 140°F internal temperature.

6. DRAIN on paper towels. Serve with tartar sauce, French fries, cole slaw and lemon or lime wedges.
 
 
VARIATIONS: TEMPURA BATTER, CRISPY PANKO COATING

We prefer Japanese methods for breading and deep fat frying:

Tempura batter: Combine 1 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1-1/2 cups of seltzer water and salt.

Panko breadcrumbs (if you want a gluten-free version, use crushed Corn Flakes instead of panko):

Here’s how to create a panko coating on your fish and chips.

1b. SKIP steps 1 and 2: You are not making a batter. Instead:

[1] Fish and chips: Perfect St. Patrick’s Day fare (photo © Hannamaria H. | iStock Photo).

[2]

[3] Panko bread crumbs (photo © Kikkoman).

3b. REFRIGERATE the coated fillets on a baking sheet or plate for 15 minutes before frying. The olive oil will harden somewhat and hold the crumbs tighter. Even better, if you have healthy coconut oil, use it: It hardens best!

4b. RESUME process with Step 4 above.

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Try these salsa-like toppings for burgers, eggs or grilled fish; toss them into wraps; garnish rice or potatoes. The recipes, courtesy of AvocadoCentral.com, make seven half-cup servings.
 
 
RECIPE #1: AVOCADO & PICKLE SALSA TOPPER RECIPE

Ingredients

[1] Hold the ketchup: Garnish your burger with this avocado topper (photo © Hass Avocado Board).

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally until well browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Allow to cool.

2. In a large bowl, COMBINE the sautéed onion and garlic with the tomato, cheese, pickle relish, basil, mustard, salt and pepper. Gently toss in the avocados.

[2] Try a sweet mango salsa topper on chicken or fish (photo © Avocados From Mexico).

For a bit of sweetness, try this variation, which is especially delicious over grilled chicken or fish.
 
 
RECIPE #2: AVOCADO MANGO SALSA TOPPER

Ingredients

1. COMBINE in a medium bowl the, mango, tomato, cilantro, onion, jalapeño, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

2. ADD avocado and toss gently.

For more avocado recipes, visit AvocadoCentral.com.

A green-colored spirit made from the flowers and leaves of the wormwood herb (Artemisia absinthium), absinthe was a favorite of Parisian writers and artists of the 19th century, who called it the “green fairy” and credited it with powers of creativity.

However, consumption of absinthe was accused of leading to hallucinations and madness. The troublemaker was believed to be a chemical component of wormwood, thujone. Today, we know that while thujone can be dangerous in large quantities, there is far too little of it in absinthe to have any negative effect. There is no modern proof that absinthe is any more dangerous than any other spirit.

General alcoholism, possibly in combination with other medical maladies, were the most likely causes of the hallucinations and madness of absinthe drinkers. In 2008, it became legal to import absinthe into the U.S., and domestic distillation began as well.
Pernod Absinthe, the original absinthe brand, has whipped up some cocktails to get everyone in the “green fairy” mood.

Serve a Green Beast for National Absinthe Day or St. Pat’s. Pernod was the most popular brand of absinthe throughout the 19th century, until the sale of absinthe was banned in 1915. Photo courtesy Pernod.

Ingredients Per Drink

1. MUDDLE 2 slices of cucumber in a cocktail shaker.

El hada verde is Spanish for la fée verte, or green fairy. The green fairy becomes el hada verde when tequila is mixed with absinthe.

ABSINTHE COCKTAIL RECIPE: HADA VERDE

Ingredients Per Drink

Preparation

1. MUDDLE a rosemary sprig in a mixing glass. ADD tequila, absinthe, lime juice and simple syrup and shake with ice.

2. RIM a rocks glass with salt, if desired.

3. STRAIN cocktail into a glass. Garnish and serve.