Description
This Crispy Beer Battered Fish recipe delivers perfectly golden, crunchy fish fillets with a light, airy batter made from cold beer and rice flour. Ideal for a classic fish and chips meal, it’s quick to prepare and serves as a satisfying main course for four. Serve with tartare sauce, lemon wedges, and crispy fries or baked wedges for a delicious Western-style dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Fish
- 700 g white fish fillets (skinless, boneless; such as flathead, snapper, whiting, cod, tilapia)
Dusting
- 1/4 cup rice flour
Crispy Fish Batter
- 3/4 cup plain/all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup very cold beer (pale ale or lager, refrigerated for 2 hours minimum)
Cooking
- 4 to 5 cups peanut oil (or vegetable, canola, or cottonseed oil)
Serving
- Tartare sauce
- Lemon wedges
- Homemade crispy French fries
- Baked potato wedges
Instructions
- Dry & cut fish: Pat the fish dry thoroughly using paper towels or a clean tea towel. Cut the fillets into roughly 7 cm by 3 cm batons or keep larger fillets if preferred. If fillets are very thick (over 3 cm), slice them horizontally in half to ensure even cooking.
- Prepare dusting: Place 1/4 cup rice flour in a shallow bowl for dusting the fish.
- Heat oil: In a large heavy-based pot, heat 6 cm (2 to 3 inches) of peanut oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 190°C (375°F).
- Salt & dust fish: While the oil heats, sprinkle a pinch of salt onto 3 or 4 pieces of fish. Coat them evenly with rice flour and shake off excess. You can let the dusted fish rest up to 10 minutes before frying.
- Make cold batter: Just before frying, whisk together plain flour, rice flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the very cold beer and whisk lightly to combine, leaving some lumps. The batter should be fairly thin, coating the back of a spoon; add more beer 1 teaspoon at a time if needed.
- Dredge fish in batter: Dip each piece of fish into the batter, allowing excess to drip off briefly.
- Fry fish for 3 minutes: Carefully lower each battered fish piece into the hot oil away from you, frying in batches without overcrowding. Fry for approximately 3 minutes, flipping after 2 minutes, until pieces are deep golden and crispy.
- Drain fish: Remove fried fish from oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining fish pieces. Serve immediately for best crispness, which lasts 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve: Serve crispy fish with tartare sauce, lemon wedges, and a green salad dressed with classic vinaigrette. Accompany with crispy French fries or baked potato wedges for a classic meal.
Notes
- Keep the batter cold (refrigerated) to achieve a light, crispy texture, especially in warm environments.
- The recipe yields more batter than needed for 700 g fish; this ensures proper dredging and coating.
- Rice flour is essential for crispiness and longevity of the crust; substitute with cornflour or potato starch if unavailable.
- Use pale ales or lagers as beer for the batter; avoid dark beers as they change flavor and color.
- For large batches, apply a double fry method: fry once for 2.5 minutes until golden (not deep golden), drain, then fry again at 200°C (390°F) for 1 minute for extra crispness.
- Oil can be strained and reused up to three times for similar fried dishes.
- Fried fish does not reheat well; consume fresh for best texture and flavor.
- Nutritional values account for a conservative estimate of oil absorption during frying.
- The batter should not be overmixed to avoid a thick, chewy crust; minimal whisking is best.
- Adapted from Chef John of Food Wishes with personal modifications for crispness and technique.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 175 g fish with batter and minimal oil)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
