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Top down shot of a plate of french fries with beer battered fish on top with fresh lemon wedges and a little bowl of homemade tartar sauce.

Beer Battered Fish

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  • Author: Erin Jensen
  • 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

Scale

Tartar Sauce:

  • 1/41/2 cup Claussen pickles, spears
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
  • 12 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 12 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:

  1. 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. 
  2. 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). 
  3. Taste + Adjust: Taste and add any salt or pepper, as-needed, as well as any additional dill, lemon, etc. 

Beer Battered Fish:

  1. 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. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.  
  4. 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. 
  5. 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