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piece of fried fish with bite taken of it
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5 from 6 votes

Crispy Beer Battered Fish

This Beer Battered Fish recipe is crispy and light, and made with an ultra simple batter.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time16 minutes
Total Time31 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fried fish recipe, how to fry fish
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 500kcal
Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

Tartar Sauce

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 Tbsp finely chopped dill pickles
  • 1 Tbsp finely minced sweet onion
  • 2 tsp pickle juice
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp hot sauce optional

Frying

  • peanut or canola oil

Fish

  • 2 lbs. fresh cod sliced into pieces about 1 inch wide and 3-4 inches long
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Beer Batter

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 12 oz lager-style beer I use Yeungling

Instructions

Make the tartar sauce

  • Combine tartar sauce ingredients in small mixing bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for best flavor.

Prepare for frying

  • Add several inches of oil to the bottom of a large heavy-bottomed pot (my dutch oven is my preferred pot to use), and heat over MED heat until oil reaches 375°F.
  • Line a baking sheet with a paper towel, then add a wire cooling rack on top.  Set aside, near the stove.

Make the batter

  • While the oil is heating up, add dry batter ingredients to a mixing bowl (flour, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder) and whisk to combine.  Add beaten egg and slowly whisk in beer until mostly smooth, and batter resembles a pancake batter consistency.

Fry the fish

  • Pat cod pieces very dry and season with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
  • Dip a cod piece into the beer batter, turning to coat very well.  Add cod slice into the hot oil, carefully dropping it away from you, then repeat with another 2-3 slices.  Try not to fry more than 3-4 pieces at a time, or else the pan will get overcrowded.
  • Cook approximately 3-5 minutes, until golden brown on one side, then gently flip pieces over and cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side, until golden brown all over.  Remove to prepared wire rack.
  • Repeat steps 6 and 7 with any remaining fish pieces. Serve with lemon wedges, a bit of fresh parsley, and tartar sauce.

Notes

  1. Prep time does not include the time for the oil to come up to temperature, as this will vary from individual to individual.
  2. Using a candy or frying thermometer (or even an instant read one) is highly recommended to ensure proper oil temperature.
  3. When adding fish to hot oil, gently lower the fish until the bottom end is in the oil a bit, then gently lay it down in the oil, moving your hand away from you.  This causes the fish to drop away from you as well, and saving you from any oil splashes that could potentially happen.
  4. Avoid overcrowding the pan when frying.  Overcrowding causes the oil's temperature to drop too low, which means the fish will end up soggy, oily, and not cook evenly.
  5. To remove fish pieces from the hot oil, I highly recommend a spider, but a slotted spoon will do.

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1209mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 474IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg