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Jack's 'Wings' and Fries

Lizzie Mayson
Cook Time:
30 mins
Prep Time:
45 mins
Servings:
4
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Chef notes

Delicious, breaded jackfruit "wings" as made famous in Britain by London's wonderful Biff's Jack Shack. These are fried until crunchy and golden and served with crisp fries dressed in a punchy coating of jerk seasoning. As if that wasn't enough, we've given you two delicious dipping sauces to serve alongside: the first, a gloriously sticky barbecue sauce fragranced with North African Berbere spices; the second full of tropical heat and sweetness in the form of Scotch bonnet chilies and pineapple. The only problem is: Which to choose?

Ingredients

Berbere Barbecue Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 red or yellow bell pepper
  • 3 scallion tops
  • 1 tomato or 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Berbere spice mix
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
  • 1 splash water
Scotch Bonnet and Pineapple Hot Sauce
  • 3 Scotch bonnet peppers
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pineapple chunks
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 ribs celery
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons malt vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
"Wings"
  • 1 (20-ounce) can jackfruit
  • 3/4 cup strong bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons jerk seasoning or marinade
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 handful dried thyme and/or rosemary leaves
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Fries
  • 4 large potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon, plus 1 pinch salt
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon jerk seasoning

Preparation

For the Berbere barbecue sauce:

Place a skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Seed the bell pepper. Slice the pepper and scallion tops and add them to the hot pan. Roughly slice the tomato, if using, and add it or the tomato paste to the pan. Fry everything for 10 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add the Berbere spice and salt, stir to mix, and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, barbecue sauce and water. Leave to cool slightly before pouring into the blender. Blend until smooth, then set aside to cool.

For the Scotch bonnet and pineapple hot sauce:

Seed the chilies and put them in the blender. Drain the pineapple and roughly chop the vegetables. Add them to the blender along with the cloves, salt, malt vinegar and sugar (you might have to do this in batches). Blend until smooth. Place the small saucepan on medium heat. Add the hot sauce, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until thickened.

For the jackfruit "wings":

1.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2.

Drain and rinse the jackfruit thoroughly, then shred it by squishing it between your fingers and breaking it up into small, stringy strands. Place in a bowl and add the flour, jerk seasoning or marinade, nutritional yeast, herbs, paprika, soy sauce and olive oil, and combine everything well. Tip the panko into a separate bowl.

3.

Shape the jackfruit mixture into 8 "wings" and then dip them in the breadcrumbs, turning them until they are well-coated.

4.

Pour the vegetable oil into the large saucepan so that it comes no more than two-thirds up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 350 F, or until the oil sizzles around the edges when you dip in a wooden spoon.

5.

Lower the wings into the oil in batches and deep-fry for about 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to the pan lined with paper towels.

For the fries:

Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch fries and tip them into the large saucepan. Cover with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, then drain and leave to steam dry.

Spread the fries over the sheet pan and drizzle with the oil, jerk seasoning and tablespoon of salt. Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes, shaking the pan regularly to stop the fries sticking.

To serve:

Serve the wings with a pile of fries and dishes of each sauce for dipping.

Excerpted from BOSH! on a Budget by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. Reprinted with permission of HarperCollins, 2022.