Beer Battered Fish

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Crispy Beer Battered Fish is flaky and tender on the inside with a crispy, crunchy coating on the outside. These traditional fish and chips made with white fish are coated in a simple batter with the secret ingredient of ice cold beer to create the perfect crust. Serve with homemade tartar sauce and French Fries or Baked Potato Wedges for a homemade version of this classic meal.

Crispy Beer Battered Fish is flaky and tender on the inside with a crispy, crunchy coating on the outside — the best traditional fish and chips! | aheadofthyme.com

This beer battered fish recipe relies on simple pantry staples and you don't have to be a big beer drinker to enjoy it — you can use non-alcoholic beer instead too. Those fizzy bubbles and tangy flavor give your batter a light, fluffy texture and a little extra flavor. Save the excess batter to coat chicken, zucchini, onion slices, and more to make the most of that crunchy coating! Great for fish fry Friday night, game days, and just because!

Why You'll Love This Beer Battered Fish

Ready in 20 minutes. Frying is such a quick and easy way to cook proteins and one of the best methods for cod! The high heat cooks the white fish just enough without overcooking it, so you get sweet, tender cod with a perfectly flaky texture under a crisp coating. It's such a treat and a super quick dinner on busy nights!
Restaurant-quality flavor. Most of us rely on restaurants or chip shops for fried fish and are intimidated by the thought of breading and frying fish at home. That's part of why I love using a beer batter. It doesn't require the same dredging process as breaded fish, so you can just dunk the pieces of fish in the batter and then fry. Easy!
Feeds a crowd. Just one batch makes 6 servings, and you can easily double (or triple) that for a fish fry. It makes such an easy dinner, and your guests will be impressed by your crispy fish every time. Serve it with coleslaw, applesauce, and potato pancakes for a classic fish fry, make fish tacos, or keep it simple with French fries and malt vinegar. You can't go wrong!

Ingredient Notes

To make this delicious Beer Battered Fish, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

cod fish fillets - make sure these are completely thawed and cut into 3-inch long strips. You can substitute any type of flaky white fish filets, including haddock, halibut, pollock, perch, striped bass, etc.
all purpose flour
cornstarch - for an extra crispy beer batter.
seasonings - for the best flavor, season the batter with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
beer - you'll need some ice cold beer straight from the fridge. Any type will do! I like to use an inexpensive lager or pale ale, but you can also use red ales, stocks, porters, and more.
egg - this will give the fish batter a nice, thick consistency to glaze over the fish pieces.
vegetable oil - for frying.
tartar sauce - optional, for serving. Either make homemade tartar sauce or grab some from the store.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a large pot or Dutch oven, cooking or deep-fry thermometer, paper towels, a large bowl, a whisk, and a plate.

How to Make the Best Beer Battered Fish

Heat oil. In a large, heavy bottomed cooking pot (or deep fryer), add enough oil to fill the pot at least 2-3 inches deep. Preheat the oil over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350F, about 3-4 minutes.
Prep fish. Use a paper towel to gently pat the fish fillets completely dry. Season with salt and pepper evenly on both sides.
Make coating. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until evenly combined. Stir in beer and egg and mix well until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a little more beer or water.

Coat. Use a cooking thermometer to make sure the oil temperature reaches 350 F. Once ready, dip the fish fillets, one piece at a time, into the batter and slowly add them into the hot oil.

Fry. Fry until the batter is crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes. You can cook 2-3 pieces in one batch and make sure not to overcrowd the pot.
Absorb. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb some of the oil.
Serve. Serve with a side of tartar sauce.

Recipe Variations

Spice things up. For a kick of heat, add a little cayenne pepper to your batter.
Try different beers. Light beers will add a mild, slightly yeasty flavor to your batter, while dark beer will add a richer, nuttier flavor. Feel free to experiment with different types to see how the flavor changes!
Make it nonalcoholic. Although the alcohol will cook off in the fryer, some people prefer to avoid alcohol completely. In this situation, use nonalcoholic beer or try soda water.

How to Serve

This Beer Battered Fish is delicious served on its own, or paired with some classic sides including:

For more recipes, see our 25+ Best BBQ Side Dishes.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Dry your fish. This is a super simple recipe, but make sure you follow all the steps carefully. For the best results, make sure you pat the fish dry with a paper towel before dipping it in the batter. Otherwise, the batter can fall off in the fryer.
Fry your sides. Save the leftover batter and oil to make calamari, cauliflower tots, fried onion rings, zucchini fritters, and so on.
Dip in starch first. This is optional, but if you want a super crispy coating, it can help to coat the fish in cornstarch or rice flour before dipping it into the cold batter. Just pat the fish sticks dry, coat in the starch, then dip in batter and fry.
Watch the color. It's easy to fry any food for too long, which will give it a bitter, off flavor. The batter should be fully golden brown before removing the fish from the fryer.
Save the batter. You can save any leftover batter and oil to make calamari, cauliflower tots, fried onion rings, zucchini fritters and so on.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Fried fish is best served hot to keep the crispy texture. If you have extra, store it in an airtight container lined with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

How to Reheat

The best way to reheat fried fish is to bake it in the air fryer or oven at 360 F for 10-15 minutes or until heated all the way through. This will crisp up the coating to keep it from turning to mush.

How to Freeze

Feel free to freeze any extra pieces of fish on a sheet pan. Transfer to an airtight container for up to 2 months and reheat from frozen.

FAQ

What does beer battered mean?

"Beer battered" refers to how fried foods are coated before frying. It's an alternative to dredging and breading, which can be more labor-intensive and messy. Beer batter is made by mixing cold beer into a mixture of flour, cornstarch, and different seasonings until it has the consistency of pancake batter. For beer battered fish, you dip the filets into the thick batter, then fry for a crispy, crunchy shell similar to traditional fish and chips.

How do you keep beer battered fish crispy?

There are a few pro tips for keeping any fried foods crispy, including beer battered fish. You'll need to control several variables: temperature, ingredients, and cooling. The batter needs to be very cold, and the fryer must be preheated to 350F. Add a little cornstarch to the batter to absorb extra moisture and keep things nice and crispy! After you remove the fish from the fryer, place it either on a paper towel-lined plate or, if you're baking a bunch, place a wire rack over a baking sheet. This will let any extra oil drip off and keep the crust nice and crunchy. If you do all of these things right, you'll have perfectly crispy fish every time.

Does beer battered fish contain alcohol?

Although the batter itself is made with beer, the deep frying process will burn off any residual alcohol. If you need to avoid alcohol for any reason, feel free to use a non-alcoholic beer or try club soda, like tempura batter.

More Seafood Recipes

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