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Knowing How To Make Beer Battered Fish At Home
There are so many different ways to enjoy a nice piece of battered fish, most people are not confident about how to make beer battered fish at home.
I’m here to help, I’ll walk you through every detail on how to make beer battered fish at home. So your first batch of beer battered fish will come out perfect, regardless of whether you are cooking cod or haddock.
I’ll even show you some trade secrets on what makes your beer batter super crispy and what species of fish work best with this recipe – plus I will share my thoughts on which oils are best suited for frying too. So keep reading
Follow these easy steps to make your own beer battered fish and have it ready in less than an hour! I’ve made this many times at home and I’m a professional chef so this recipe is the real deal!
The secret is using fresh fish and making the batter with a blend of flour, cornflour, and chilled beer. Cooking your own beer battered fish in quality oil like rice bran, and seasoning with quality salt.
Make your own tartar sauce, this will add that next level of flavor, along with some lemon wedges that complement your beer battered fish.
Many cooks are hesitant to use beer in their cooking, but it is a fabulous ingredient that can be used in this awesome beer batter fish recipe. Using beer in your beer batter is way better than using water or other liquids.
Using Beer To Make Crispy Beer Battered Fish
For my beer battered fish recipe, I’m going to use a Bavarian lager with fruity, lemon, and lime notes. Using beer to make beer batter is an excellent way to get flavor into your fish batter.
The yeast hops and fermentation process will make your fish batter light and crispy, and give it a depth of flavor. It is important to remember that you’ll need to add the beer cold and keep the batter chilled before and while using it.
What is the best beer to use for beer battered fish?
There are many kinds of beers out there and it can be difficult to know which one works best with what flavor profile you’re going for. You don’t want to use anything too bitter, cooking will intensify the bitterness.
A good question to ask yourself do you have a favorite beer? One that just seems to go perfectly with fish and seafood, or even works well with other white meats like chicken or pork.
I like to use a Bavarian lager like a Radler, or wheat beer, or craft beer with citrus fruity notes. You should experiment and try different beers to make your beer batter.
Fresh Fish Only
The best fish to use for beer battered fish is any fresh white-fleshed fish. I’m using Kingfish that I got from my local fish market. Beer battered frozen fish is just not right, it has an unpleasant taste and tends to be dry and overly flaky.
There are other species I would use in professional kitchens I run. Below is a guide to what you could use, names and species can vary in different counties.
What Is The Best Fish For Beer Batter?
New Zealand: These fish species are commonly used – Terikihi, Australasian Snapper, Red Gurnard, and Hoki. Other fish species I like to use are Kingfish, Lemon Fish, Blue Cod, and Bluenose.
United Kingdom: These are common in fish and chip shops – Haddock, Pollock, Plaice, and Cod. Not so common but can still be used – Bass, Black Bream, Coalfish, and Whiting.
United States: Commonly used Cod, Haddock, Halibut. Catfish is a popular choice in Southeastern states like Alabama.
Fish species I wouldn’t use – Salmon, Kahawai, Tuna, Mackerel, and Herring, these are oily fish and would be too rich if beer battered.
Beer Batter Dry Ingredients
When making your beer batter the dry ingredients are the key to keeping the beer battered and crispy, well after the fish has been cooked. Making the beer batter with cornstarch/cornflour is a surefire way to achieve crispy batter for fish.
how to make crispy beer batter?
You’ll need a blend of cornflour and flour the ratio should be 1 part flour to 1 ½ parts cornflour.
Sift them so they blend together before adding the chilled beer. This will keep your beer battered fish crispy for 5-10 minutes after it is cooked. These are trade secrets.
The other ingredient, (this is another trade secret) is a couple of drops of white vinegar whisked into the batter, the acidity from the vinegar will strengthen the beer batter to make and keep it super crispy!
Tips For Making Beer Battered Fish Gluten-Free
You can make gluten-free beer batter you’ll need to purchase a gluten-free beer and replace the flour.
how to make gluten-free beer batter
First of all, you’ll need to swap out a couple of the ingredients, remove the flour and replace it with chickpea or rice flour the ratio should be 1 part chickpea or rice flour to 1 ½ parts cornflour.
You will need to make sure the vinegar you are using is gluten-free, you’ll also need to purchase gluten-free beer as well, there is a wide range of gluten-free beers available today.
I use rice bran oil for deep frying and that is gluten-free as well.
Choosing The Right Oil Makes All The Difference
Choosing the right oil to deep fry with will make or break your beer battered fish. I always use rice bran oil, it has a neutral flavor and also has a high smoke point before it starts to burn. The other great thing about rice bran oil is it’s gluten-free.
Larder Stables And Must Have Kitchen Tools
You’ve made it this far and I know you want to get your hands on the recipe. To help, here is a list of tools needed for making beer battered fish at home.
Essential Kitchen Tools – Must-Haves
You can’t be at a professional level in the kitchen unless you own a variety of high-end tools. Genius kitchen gadgets are an essential part of any home cook’s or aspiring chef’s arsenal. From some of the best chef knives, and kitchen cookware, to wooden cutting boards. These will set you apart from others and get you ready with what you need to start making meals like a chef.
My Professional Recommendations
Many chefs, including myself, prefer sea salt like Maldon salt flakes or Himalayan pink salt. Both can be used for cooking and finishing. They have a refined flavor that brings out the natural taste of food.
Crispy Beer Battered Fish
Ingredients
Fresh Fish
- 600 grams Kingfish - fresh
- Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cornflour - for dusting fish
Beer Batter
- 1 ½ cups Cornflour
- 1 cup Flour - self-raising
- 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 400-500 mls Bavarian lager - chilled
Tartar Sauce
- ½ cup Mayonnaise - store-brought
- 2 tbsp Capers - finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Gherkins - finely chopped
- ½ each Onion brown - finely chopped
- ½ tsp Smoked paprika
Oil For Deep Frying
- 2-3 liters Rice bran oil
Garnish
- Lemon wedges
- Fresh thyme
Instructions
Beer Batter
- Sift the cornflour, flour, and salt.
- Whisk in the cold beer.
- Whisk vigorously until batter is smooth, the consistency should be enough to coat the back of a spoon.Place the beer batter into the fridge to keep it cold.
Tartar Sauce
- Mix the mayo, diced capers, gherkins, onion, and smoked paprika together, if you like you can add a couple of drops of hot chili sauce.
Portioning and Cooking The Fish
- Pour the rice bran oil into the pot and heat to 180°C or 356°F. Use a deep-frying temperature probe to monitor the temperature.
- Portion the fish and season with Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Season the cornflour and dust the fish.
- Coat the fish with the beer batter and carefully place it into the hot oil.The cold batter hitting the hot oil will instantly seal the batter and start the crisping process of the batter.
- Cooking the beer battered fish for 4-5 minutes and turn to evenly cook the fish.Carefully remove the fish and drain on a wire rack for 1 minute.Season with Himalayan pink salt, serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serving Size: 150g Beer Battered Fish, Homemade Fries, Tartar Sauce, and Slaw.
Calories 781 | Total Fat 45.8 g | Carbohydrates 40.8 g | Fiber 3.7 g | Protein 48 g | Iron 2.2 mg
How To Make Beer Battered Fish At Home Step By Step
Now You’re Armed With The Knowledge
Now you’re armed with the knowledge, you’ll be a master on how to make beer battered fish at home in no time!
This article is for the fish lovers out there, but it may also be helpful to those who are looking for an easy and delicious dish to make at home.
I’ve covered how you can make crispy beer battered fish at home with some simple ingredients that don’t require any special skills or tools.
Plus I’ve shared a few trade secrets and some simple tools that will help your batter come out perfect every time. Now you know how to make beer battered fish at home, you can go get cooking!
Tried this yesterday super recipe the batter was great, easy to follow instructions and the addition of the vinegar works a treat. thanks
Hi David that’s awesome you loved the recipe, feedback appreciated ????