Beer Battered Fish made with fresh cod filets dipped in seasoned beer batter and fried until golden brown and crispy, EASY to make and ready in only a few minutes!
Fish and Chips is basically the best order in any restaurant and my go-to if they look good on yelp (haha – always yelp photo check your restaurants everyone!), and this recipe is a great pub option along with other pub favorites like Buffalo Wings, Super Crispy Chicken Tenders and Classic Beef Chili.
BEER BATTERED FISH
Beer Battered Fish is a classic pub food dinner made with fresh cod that’s dipped into a batter of flour, eggs, beer, and seasoning, then fried until it’s crispy and golden brown on the outside and flaky on the inside. I like to serve this with crunchy potato chips or fries and a big spoonful of tartar sauce with lemon wedges.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BEER BATTER FOR FISH?
The flavor for this dish comes from the seasoning and the beer. I prefer to use a dryer stout, but use whatever beer you’d also like to drink. You can also use more or less seasoning depending on taste.
WHAT IS THE BEST OIL FOR DEEP FRYING FISH?
Canola oil and peanut oil have the highest smoking point, which means you have less chance of burning the oil if it gets too hot. I like to use canola oil, because that’s what I usually have around the house, and it doesn’t impart any flavor to the fish.
HOW LONG DO YOU FRY BATTERED FISH?
Each piece of fish will take about 10 minutes to fry, 4-5 minutes on each side. Work in batches, making sure the fish has enough room around each side to fry properly.
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF FRIED FISH IS DONE?
The fish is done when it turns a golden brown color, and the fish will be floating near the top of the oil, while the bubbles from around the sides of the fish will slow down.
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TIPS FOR MAKING BEER BATTERED FISH
- Add in 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or a dash of hot sauce to make this recipe spicy.
- Try adding different spices like curry powder, turmeric, or paprika for different variations.
- Watch the temperature of the oil carefully, if the temperature is too low you’ll end up with greasy fish, and too high will cook the outside before the inside is done. If your fish does turn out greasy, you can try placing it directly onto a baking rack to let the oil drip off.
- If your batter is too runny, whisk in all purpose flour a little bit at a time until it is the right texture.
- A fresh cod fillet will not have a strong fishy aroma, it should smell slightly like the ocean and that’s all. If it smells strong, it it old, not fresh.
- You can make this with any white fish, try tilapia or grouper.
- Serve this with malt vinegar and tartar sauce (recipe below).
Tartar Sauce Recipe:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons sweet relish
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Mix ingredients together and refrigerate at least an hour before serving.
Beer Battered Fish
Beer Battered Fish made with fresh cod filets dipped in seasoned beer batter and fried until golden brown and crispy, EASY to make and ready in only a few minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cod cut into 5 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 large egg
- 12 ounces beer
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a dutch oven to 365 degrees.
- Dry the cod well then season with salt and pepper.
- Mix the flour with the garlic powder and paprika, then add in the egg mixing well before whisking in the beer slowly.
- Dip the fish into the batter then carefully into the oil frying until golden brown then remove to a wire rack (not paper towels or newspapers, it will steam).
Recipe Notes
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
This was AMAZING!!! My husband loves fish and chips and trying to save money I gave it a go tonight and it was loved. He said it is better than the local English pub. I also used some of the extra batter and made onion rings and they were great as well. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
WOW!!! Adapted the recipe to the amount of fresh cod I had…WINNER WINNER WINNER! So good, I will make again, my husband gave it two thumbs up!
Yay!! Thanks for the 5 stars, Traci.
Awesome batter! I used 12oz of beer but also added 1/3-1/2 cup of panko. Also let fish come to room temp.
So crunchy and perfect!
Not a big fish person, but decided to try this for dinner tonight. Absolutely delicious!!
Used with walleye and Yeungling.
MMMMMMMM!!!!
The batter is good, add a little baking powder and it will puff up nicely, and replace 1/3 of the flour with panko if you want it crisper. But 4-5 minutes on each side is too long, unless your fish is 4 inches thick. Cooking too long makes the fish mushy. More like 2-3 minutes on each side at 375°, and it will be golden, flaky and cooked through.
Very good