Description

This Crispy Beer Battered Fish recipe delivers perfectly golden, crunchy fish with a light and delicate batter. Using white fish fillets coated in rice flour and dipped in a cold beer batter, then fried until crisp, this dish serves as a classic and comforting main course perfect for pairing with tartare sauce, lemon wedges, and crispy fries or baked wedges.

Ingredients

Scale

Fish:

700 g white fish fillets (flathead, snapper, whiting, cod, tilapia; skinless and boneless)

Dusting:

¼ cup rice flour

Crispy Fish Batter:

¾ cup plain/all purpose flour
¼ cup rice flour
1¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup very cold beer (pale ale or lager, avoid dark beers)

Cooking:

4–5 cups peanut oil (or vegetable, canola, or cottonseed oil)

Serving:

Tartare Sauce
Lemon Wedges
Homemade Crispy French Fries
Baked Potato Wedges

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Prepare the Fish: Pat the fish fillets dry thoroughly using paper towels or a tea towel. Cut them into 7 x 3 cm (3 x 1¼ inch) batons or larger fillets if preferred. For thick fillets over 3 cm, slice horizontally to ensure even cooking.
Dust the Fish: Place ¼ cup rice flour in a shallow bowl. While the oil heats, sprinkle some pieces of fish with a pinch of salt, then coat them generously in rice flour and shake off any excess flour. Let them rest up to 10 minutes.
Heat the Oil: Pour 4 to 5 cups of peanut oil into a large heavy-based pot, enough to reach about 6 cm (2 to 3 inches). Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 190°C (375°F).
Make the Batter: Just before frying, whisk together ¾ cup plain flour, ¼ cup rice flour, 1¼ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Gradually add 1 cup very cold beer, whisking lightly until combined. Do not overmix; some lumps are fine. The batter should be fairly thin, able to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust thickness with a teaspoon of beer if necessary.
Batter the Fish: Dip each piece of dusted fish into the batter, allowing excess batter to drip off briefly before frying.
Fry the Fish: Carefully lower battered fish pieces into the hot oil one at a time, away from you. Do not overcrowd; fry in batches. Cook for 3 minutes total, turning the pieces after about 2 minutes. Fry until the batter is deep golden and crispy.
Drain and Serve: Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve hot with tartare sauce, lemon wedges, and a side of crispy French fries or baked potato wedges. The fried fish will stay crispy for 15 to 20 minutes.

Notes

Keep the batter cold for best crispiness—store in the fridge between batches if ambient temperature is warm.
Rice flour is crucial for a crispy batter; substitute with cornflour or potato starch for a slightly less crispy result.
Use pale ale or lager beer; avoid dark beers like stout or porter as they affect flavor and color.
For non-alcoholic option, substitute beer with ice-cold soda water plus ¼ tsp extra baking powder.
Do not overmix the batter to avoid activating gluten, which makes batter dense and chewy instead of light and crisp.
For larger batches, use a double fry technique: first fry until golden but not deep golden, then re-fry at higher temperature (200°C/390°F) for 1 minute to crisp and brown.
Oil can be reused up to twice; strain and store properly after cooling.
Fish should be white, flaky varieties that handle frying well. Avoid oily or meaty fish such as salmon, tuna, or swordfish.
This fried fish is best eaten fresh; reheating typically makes batter soggy and less enjoyable.
Nutrition assumes 1/3 cup oil absorbed per whole recipe for a conservative estimate.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 460 kcal
Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 570 mg
Fat: 24 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 38 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 28 g
Cholesterol: 70 mg