Pub-Style Beer Battered Fish
Your fish fry just got fabulous.
This recipe is so easy, it’s actually taken me longer to write it down than it does to make it. The real secret to this recipe is having your oil at just the right temperature and keeping your beer/sparkling water as cold as possible until right before you use it.
A few tricks I’ve also learned: have a second cooling rack in the oven to act as a warming box while you cook all of your fillets without risking the batter turning soggy, and don’t be afraid to use the same oil for your fries. I often cook the fries first, place them in the oven to stay warm, and then once all the fish is done, re-flash the fries for just a minute or so to get them nice and hot. I also use a combination of capers and pickles for my tartar sauce plus a splash of brine from either for that extra punch.
Just be sure to have a digital thermometer on the go when you’re cooking— it’s very easy to get your oil either too hot (resulting in dark or burned batter) or adding in pieces too soon without letting the heat to get back up to temperature (slowing overall cooking and impacting the tenderness of the fish). Take your time and have fun with this one. It’s well worth the (small) effort and the results will keep you coming back for more.—CFG
Ingredients
3-4 pieces of white fish (eg cod, haddock, or pollock)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 rounded tsp paprika
1 bottle of beer -OR- sparkling water, extra cold
Oil for frying (peanut or vegetable)
Directions
Place a bottle of beer/sparkling water into the freezer to chill (20-30min).
Prepare the fish fillets by slicing them into portions, then pat dry with paper towel.
Lightly sprinkle both sides of the fillets with a pinch of flour and salt and set aside.
Heat the oil to 350°F.
In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flouR, 1/4 cup of rice flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 a rounded tsp of paprika.
Gradually whisk in the bottle of beer or 350ml of sparkling water until the batter is smooth.
Using a fork, dip the fillet into the batter, being sure coat both sides. (A fork won't tear the fish or drag batter off the fillets.)
Allow the excess batter to drip off, then carefully place the coated fish in the heated oil.
Fry the fish for 2-3 min on each side until golden and crispy.
Remove the fish from the oil and drain on paper towel lined cooling rack.
Serve with coleslaw, fries, a lemon wedge and your favourite tartar sauce.
Enjoy!
