The Flavorful Ingredient Gordon Ramsay Adds To His Iconic Fish And Chips

There aren't many foods that acclaimed foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay can't make better than average, but he is particularly dedicated to elevating fish and chips — so much so that he has his own restaurant chain named after the iconic dish. If you've always wanted to mow down some whitefish and fries in the comfort of your own home, but wondered how Ramsay makes his fish and chips so delicious — pay close attention. His secret ingredient is one no-nonsense addition, and we're not talking about the crème fraîche that Ramsay uses in his tartar sauce. The secret is in the batter, and the magic add-in is curry powder.

The curry powder in Ramsay's beer batter, which also includes beaten egg whites for texture, is earthy, smells great, and lends the crisp coating of the fish a gorgeous golden color. It's only a teaspoon, so the flavor doesn't overwhelm the delicate fish. In the YouTube video on his channel where Ramsay makes his fish and chips (in ten minutes, no less!), he says that the curry powder "lifts the batter and makes it a little more spicy."

The top mistake you're making with homemade fish and chips is not flavoring the batter sufficiently. Fried foods are a sponge for flavor and salt, and it takes a lot more than you might think to keep your batter from becoming a tasteless, sludgy coating that detracts from the fish rather than making it delicious. Curry powder ensures that the fish component of your fish and chips turns out anything but ordinary. The spice blend can unexpectedly brighten a lot of dishes – curry powder can seriously upgrade your tuna salad, for instance – and, for the most part, we have the Brits to thank for adding curry powder to everything.

While the flavors of curry are Indian in origin, British occupation of India in the 1600s is at the root of a national obsession. Brit soldiers stationed in India fell in love with the heavily-spiced food there and brought it back home. Contemporary British curry doesn't have a lot in common with Indian food (curry powder doesn't really exist in India), but it's impossible to deny the influence. It's anecdotal that, pre-colonization of India, British food was bland and lacked spice. No matter how it came over, thank goodness that Gordon Ramsay decided to put curry powder in his fish and chips! The world is a tastier place for it.