Our Beer Battered Fish is perfectly crisp on the outside with light & flaky fish on the inside! In a matter of minutes you can make the most amazing fried fish fillets right in your own kitchen. Perfect for a Friday family fish fry, quick dinner, or after a day of fishing during those warm summer months!
The Best Beer Battered Fish
Our whole family loves going to a local restaurant for a their fish fry night, so we knew we had to perfect this fish cooking technique in order to make our own homemade beer battered fish! You might feel intimidated to fry fish on your stovetop, but we are here to reassure you that it is actually super simple. We have tested, tested, and re-tested to make sure that you absolutely love this crispy beer battered fish recipe!
Looking for More Recipes Like This?
If you love fish recipes as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Baked Fish Nuggets!
What You Will Need
- homemade tartar sauce – we have included a tartar sauce recipe in the recipe card below, but you can also buy a store-bought version at your local grocery store.
- frying oil – recommend using avocado oil or peanut oil for frying the fish.
- fresh fish fillets – a great white fish to use in this delicious recipe, but you could also use walleye, halibut, or another variety of flaky white fish.
- all-purpose flour – the base of the fish batter used to coat each piece of fish.
- rice flour or cornstarch – perfect for thickening the batter a little bit, so it’s not too thin.
- baking powder – always great to add some structure to the thick batter.
- Old Bay seasoning, onion powder, salt and pepper – simple seasonings that bring all the best flavor!
- beer – we have found it is best to use a very cold beer to bring carbonation and flavor to this beer-battered fish.
How To Make Beer Battered Fish
The first steps to making this basic recipe are to gather all of the simple ingredients.
Now, place all of the tartar sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Next, cut your choice of fish fillets into large chunks, place them on a plate, and pat dry with paper towels.
Then place the flours, baking soda, and seasonings in a medium bowl. Whisk flour mixture to combine. Then gently pour in the ice cold beer.
Whisk again to fully combine and create a batter. Carefully dip each piece of fish into the batter and allow any excess to fall off.
Put frying oil in a deep, large skillet or dutch oven and begin heating oil to a high heat (375-400 degrees F). Carefully place 2-3 pieces of battered fish into the hot oil at a time. They will be in the oil for a total of 2.5-3 minutes of cook time or until golden brown. Once they are fully cooked, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to cool.
Pro Tip
For best results, we highly recommend that you fry the fish in batches. You will want to use a fish spatula or slotted spoon to ensure that the pieces of fish stay separate and don’t stick together. Don’t crowd the pan, just take your time!
Best Way To Serve Beer Battered Fish
There are actually a lot of different ways to serve this versatile fish! Here are a few of our favorite ways:
- beer battered fish & chips: serve as shown with french fries or chips, a side of tartar sauce, and lemon wedges for that fresh squeeze of lemon juice.
- tacos: serve on tortillas with a slaw and cilantro lime sauce to make the best Beer Battered Fish Tacos.
- sandwich: just place the crispy fish on a bun with your favorite toppings, like lettuce, tomato, tartar sauce, and maybe a dash of malt vinegar.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Frozen Fish: you can absolutely use frozen fish, but you want to make sure you thaw it completely before dipping in the batter. It is not recommended to put frozen fish into hot oil.
- What does beer do to the battered fish? The bubbles of carbonation add a light, airiness to the batter and limit the amount of gluten that can form. Keeping the outside from getting tough.
- What beer is best for fish batter? We recommend a very light beer or pale ale bottle of beer, like Michelob Golden Light (used here), PBR, Coors Light, or another light beer.
Made this delicious recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram and TikTok account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Beer Battered Fish
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Fish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our delicious Beer Battered Fish recipe has a crispy outside and flaky inside! Perfect for making beer battered fish and chips at home!
Ingredients
Tartar Sauce:
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup Claussen pickles, spears
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1–2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon sweet yellow onion, diced
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Beer Battered Fish
- oil for pan (avocado oil or peanut oil)
- 1.5 pounds fresh cod fillets
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rice flour OR cornstarch (+ more for sprinkling)*
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (+ more for seasoning)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 12oz bottle *very cold* beer
- serving: lemon wedges
Instructions
Tartar Sauce:
- Prep Pickles: In order to remove some of the excess water from the pickles (no one wants watery tartar sauce), lay each spear on its side on a cutting board and cut off the seeds. Cut remaining part of the pickle into small pieces and then using either a cheesecloth or clean hands, squeeze out as much remaining liquid as possible.
- Blend: Add prepared pickles to food processor along with mayo, dill, lemon juice, garlic, dijon and onion. Blend until consistency is smooth (don’t over-blend).
- Taste + Adjust: Taste and add any salt or pepper, as-needed, as well as any additional dill, lemon, etc.
Beer Battered Fish:
- Heat Oil: Use a very deep cast iron skillet (we used a 5qt. cast iron skillet – 5.5 inches deep) and fill approx. 1/2 full with the oil of your choice. Bring oil between 375-400 degrees F.
- Prep Fish: Meanwhile, cut cod fillets into large chunks (approx. 3 inches wide). Pat fish dry with a clean paper towel. Season fish generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Sprinkle with a little rice flour or cornstarch (whichever you plan on using in the recipe). Set aside.
- Combine Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, rice flour (or cornstarch), baking powder, kosher salt, black pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and onion powder. Whisk in the cold beer – the consistency should be a bit thinner than pancake batter.
- Coat + Cook Fish: Dredge fish into the batter, let excess batter fall off. Carefully place in the hot oil and let cook 2 1/2 – 3 minutes (3 minutes for the thicker pieces), flipping halfway.
- Serve: Remove with slotted fish spatula and transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with kosher salt and serve immediately with some tartar sauce and fresh lemon wedges.
Notes
- Rice Flour vs. Cornstarch: We tested this recipe using rice flour and using cornstarch. We really could not see or taste a difference between the two!
- Beer: We used an ice cold Michelob Golden Light, but feel free to use your favorite beer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 349
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 722.1 mg
- Fat: 21.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.4 g
- Protein: 15.8 g
- Cholesterol: 51.5 mg
Leave a Rating & Comment