Beer Battered Fish
Beer Battered Fish – game day favorite fresh fish cod dusted and dipped in a well-seasoned flour and beer batter then fried until golden perfection. Light and crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. Serve it during game days, parties or as a quick dinner!
This Beer Battered Fish recipe reminds me of my favorite aunt who’s currently living in the UK. Whenever I go there for a visit, she would always bring me to her favorite (which by the way means a couple of them😉) fish and chips bar(s). I would happily gobble down my warm fried fish served with tartar sauce and chips or fries and a cold glass of lemonade. It was just pure heaven!
And since I’m planning to visit her pretty soon, it’s about time that I make her proud by making fish and chips the “Imma way”.
How To Make Beer Batter?
I tell you, this fish fry batter is seasoned enough to please even the most discerning palates. It starts with seasoning the flour with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, baking soda, salt, pepper, and beer.
As for the beer, use whatever beer you’d like to drink. But I prefer a lager type of beer (like Heineken for instance) for the fish batter. Cold beer somewhat results in a lighter and crispier batter though, but feel free to use those at room temperature, too. To make the batter, simply add the beer to the bowl of the flour mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. Then that’s it!
Tips for that Crispy Beer Battered Fish
On my first attempt, I made some disappointingly greasy battered fish that loses its crispiness quickly. So I tweaked it a bit after doing some research on how would I achieve that crystal crisp exterior without drying out the fish inside. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
- Adding cornstarch to the flour mixture makes the difference. It makes the end result crispy without being too greasy.
- Watch the oil temperature. If it’s too low, it’ll make the fish greasy, and if it’s too high the outside will cook first before the inside is done – and we don’t want that.
- Just like my Baked Crispy Chicken Legs HERE, it is VERY important that you pat dry the fish fillets first before seasoning it.
- Coat your fish fillet with the dry flour mixture before dipping it in the batter so the batter has something to cling to.
- A quick fix for a runny batter is to whisk all-purpose flour a little bit at a time until you achieve your desired consistency.
- To keep your fried cod warm and crispy as you cook the rest of the beer battered fish, transfer them to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet and into the oven at 200F.
- Aside from cod, you can also use any other white fish like grouper, tilapia, snapper, striped bass, trout OR go for the classics like pollock and haddock.
How Long To Fry Fish?
Fry each fish fillet until brown and crispy – about 3-4 minutes or more on each side depending on the size. You’d be able to tell that the fish is done when it turns in golden brown color and the bubbles on the side of the fish will slow down.
Serve it with Tartar Sauce (which I’ll be sharing SOON) or your favorite dip, some lemon wedges and of course French fries. And don’t forget the ice-cold beer or lemonade to complete the meal! This is just right on time for this coming Super Bowl! Enjoy!
More Fish Recipes You’ll Love
Other Appetizing Recipes to Explore
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Pizza Rolls
- Shish Kebab
- Remoulade Sauce
- Chicken Tenders
- Baked Crispy Potato Wedges
How To Make Beer Battered Fish
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, baking powder, and salt and pepper, to taste. Reserve about ¾ cup of the flour mixture (this is used to dust fish). Set aside until ready to dip the fish.
Pour oil into a cast iron or skillet, enough for deep frying. Preheat oil into about 375 Degrees F. While the oil is preheating, add the beer to the bowl of the flour mixture and whisk until incorporated and batter is smooth. Then dip each fish strip in the dry flour mixture first, shake off any excess flour and dip into beer batter mixture until it’s completely covered. Remove the fish and let the excess batter drip off.
Carefully lower into cast iron, fry a few pieces at a time, moving them around so they don’t stick. Fry until brown and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes or more depending on the size. Remove from the fryer with a slotted spoon place on a cookie or wire rack to ensure crispness. Repeat with the remaining fish strips. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.
Beer Battered Fish
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (4 ounces) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons (6g) garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5g) cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon (2g) paprika
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon (7.5) salt
- ½ teaspoon (1g) white pepper
- oil , enough for deep frying
- 1 ½ cup (249.38g) beer
- 1 ½ pound (680.39g) skinless cod fillet , about 1 inch thick, cut into strips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, baking powder, and salt and pepper, to taste. Reserve about ¾ cup of the flour mixture (this is used to dust fish). Set aside until ready to dip the fish.
- Pour oil into a cast iron or skillet, enough for deep frying. Preheat oil into about 375 Degrees F.
- While the oil is preheating, add the beer to the bowl of the flour mixture and whisk until incorporated and batter is smooth.
- Then dip each fish strip in the dry flour mixture first, shake off any excess flour and deep into beer batter mixture until it’s completely covered. Remove the fish and let the excess batter drip off.
- Carefully lower into cast iron, fry a few pieces at a time, moving them around so they don't stick. Fry until brown and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes or more depending on the size.
- Remove from the fryer with a slotted spoon place on a cookie or wire rack to ensure crispness. Repeat with the remaining fish strips. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.
Tips & Notes:
- A quick fix for a runny batter is to whisk all-purpose flour a little bit at a time until you achieve your desired consistency.
- To keep your fried cod warm and crispy as you cook the rest of the beer battered fish, transfer them to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet and into the oven at 200F.
- Aside from cod, you can also use any other white fish like grouper, tilapia, snapper, striped bass, trout OR go for the classics like pollock and haddock.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
I chose your recipe because of the spices and the cornstarch. I already had a feeling that cornstarch would be key, as many Asian recipes use it to coat fried foods for that lighter batter. It was DELICIOUS! After battering and cooking the fish (I used Tilapia since we had it) I pulled out an onion to see how it would work for Onion Rings. My husband said “the fish was good, but you can make those Onion Rings any time you want!” I’ve already made a copy for my personal cookbook, in case Pinterest ever dies!
I’m glad that you love this as much as I do. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
So flavorful! I used both cod & shrimp and it was delicious! My 4 year old even had some, so double stars 🙂 I’m going to use the leftovers for baja style tacos tomorrow. I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you:) There’s more to come, so stay tuned
I made this last night for my husbands birthday dinner. It was delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you:) There’s more to come, so stay tuned
Very crispy and delicious! Had to fry in very small batches and it held up well. Needed to add flour, maybe next time I’ll add 1 cup of beer and drink the rest
Amazing!!!!! That looks absolutely delicious!! Glad you loved it. Looking forward to you trying more of my recipes.
Quick! Easy! Delicious!! The post was helpful as it’s been years since I attempted a beer batter! Glad to read in the comments that it works well with onions!! Thank you!
Aww, Thank you so much for being loyal. Much Love!
This recipe is awesome! I didn’t dredge the fish though. I used the shaking bag method and put the remaining flour mixture back into the batter bowl to make the batter a bit thicker. Finally, walleye is the ultimate fish to use with this recipe. This recipe is now bookmarked.
Woohoo, great to see your love to just make it a bookmark. Visit the blog regularly and try the latest recipes to have more collections.
The best batter ever
Yaaay! Thank you for taking the time to comment. Please stay tuned for more recipes. Have a lovely day!
Very light and tasty. I used it with mushrooms and it was delicious!
Nice to know that! Thank you, Sue!
LOVED THIS!!!!❤️
Thanks for the feedback.
I tried this recipe last night & it was a hit! My son, who is a harsh critic raved about it! Thank you Imma!=)
I used this recipe to make Vidalia Onion Rings, rather than fish. The whole family went crazy for them. “Best rings ever!” Thanks so much for the great recipe — I’m going to try it on zucchini next, and then maybe fish! 😀
Yes it works well with onion rings and other vegetables . Thanks for sharing!!
Has anyone tried this recipe with flounder?
flounder works as well.
What kind of oil do you use for frying?
Hi Victoria. I use canola oil.
This recipe looks amazing. The last time my husband and I had Beer Battered Fish we want to a restaurant. But these look even better. Do you mind if I ask what brand of beer you used in this recipe?
do you have an alternative to the beer?
Carbonated water would do. But I’m not sure if you get the same color.
You had a recipe for air fryer wings, could you fry this fish in the air fryer too?
That’s a good one. I haven’t tried yet though, but I will surely post it here on the blog for more of my air fryer recipes. =)
No. It’s wet and would get goopy everywhere. It needs to be immersed in hot oil.
This looks great in trying it game day. Yum yum
Thank you! Enjoy the game, and of course, the food! 😉
don’t know if its 1 and a quarter cup, or 1 quarter of a cup.
Hi, it’s 1 1/4 cup of flour.
OK so it is a quarter of a cup. Got it.
Oh, wait…I see from the recipe that it needs to be a cup and a quarter. I must say that you might want to adjust how you list these measures. Like 1 and 1/4 cup rather than 1 1/4 cup.
When you learned about mixed numbers and fractions in school, were you taught that “and” should go between the whole number and the fraction?
Hi Imma
This sounds great, I will soon try your beer battered fish.
Have a great day.
Rigards from France
Konrad
Hi Imma, I was wondering if I could use this batter with shrimp ? I really love you’re recipes especially the African and Caribbean ones although I am an American I have always had a taste for those types of cuisine. I am also a great lover of Cajun and Creole cooking and your wonderful site provides all of that and more, so thank you very much.
Hi Henrietta,
You certainly can. Thanks for so much for trying out my recipes and so happy to hear it’s been working out well. Happy Cooking!!!