Beer Battered Fish Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What kind of beer is best for fish batter? ›

What is the best beer for fish batter? It's best to save your craft beers for drinking, and use a simple light beer. Anything from very light (PBR) to a mild British ale (like Newcastle Brown Ale) will work well.

Flour: This homemade beer batter starts with all-purpose flour. Cornstarch: Cornstarch ensures an extra crispy, light fry every time. Egg: An egg creates a more delicate crust and helps seal in moisture. Seasonings: Season the beer batter with garlic powder, black pepper, and seasoning salt.

Make sure the oil is hot.

If the oil is not hot enough, you will end up with soggy pieces. If the oil is too hot, you will end up with crunchy and possibly overcooked batter and undercooked fish. I aim for 375°F then maintain a range between 350°F – 375°F while cooking.

Dip fish pieces into the flour, turning to coat all sides, and shake off excess flour. The flour will help the batter stick to the fish.

Some beer batter recipes will say to add ice or place the beer batter in the fridge to 'rest' for 30 minutes. Forget it! Adding ice will water down your batter and refrigerating the beer batter just takes time. Simply start with a cold beer and you'll be one step ahead.

So, all in all, if you deep fry for larger groups several times a summer, you want a light American lager. Little flavor, plenty of carbonation, enough alcohol, and cheap to boot. I use Budweiser. The beer batter works because of the alcohol and the CO2 in beer.

To summarize, cornstarch cuts the protein content, which makes the crust lighter and crisper, baking powder provides leavening, generating air bubbles that also result in a lighter, crisper crust, and baking powder provides alkali, which allows the crust to turn golden brown via the Maillard reaction.

Because vodka is more volatile than water, it evaporates more quickly, which dries out the batter faster and more violently. That creates larger bubbles and even more surface area, in turn resulting in a much crispier crust.

How do you make batter without eggs? The best egg substitute for frying is a flour and water slurry. Mix equal parts flour and water or a small bowl and whisk thoroughly. For a lighter consistency, opt for a 2:1 ratio of water to flour.

The right temp is a must. The range def has to be between 350-375. Lower then that and the batter will disperse, and higher then that the batter might stick but it will look like toast rather then fish.

How do I get my batter to stick to my fish? ›

Give your fish a light dusting of corn starch before dredging in the batter. Flour works to some extent but without gluten formation flour is working as a drying agent more than anything else.

If the wet batter is too thick (in consistency) your cooked batter will be thick (in depth) around the fish and tends to soak up too much oil. Too watery on the other hand and it won't coat the fish properly, and will go soggy quickly. Aim for a batter that runs but fully coats the back of a spoon – see video.

If the oil isn't at the correct temperature, your fish will absorb the oil while it's frying, causing some of the batter to drop off. To prevent this, your oil should be around 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thoroughly dry the fish with paper towels to stop water from accumulating in the batter and help it adhere properly. Excess moisture can make it soggy and lead to it falling off. The batter can also break off if the oil in your pan isn't hot enough.

Most are fair game for beer batter (Pilsner Urquell, Stella Artois, Modelo, and Firestone Pivo Pils are particularly nice), with the exception of Bohemian pilsner, which comes with a heavy dose of spices that can change the overall flavor of your dish. In a beer batter, pilsner is one of the more low-key options.

There is no definitive answer to this question, as different beers will impart different flavors to the batter. However, a light, mildly flavored beer is generally a good option for fish batter. If you want to avoid using beer altogether, you can substitute sparkling water or club soda.

The kind of beer you use in this batter is entirely up to your personal tastes. I usually use an amber or dark beer because I love the strong(ish) flavor that it adds to the batter. If you want a more mild flavor, use a pale lager. My two favorite beers to ue in this batter is London Fog and Newcastle Brown Ale.

First, the bubbles provide lift as they escape from the batter during frying. Second, the carbonation makes the batter slightly more acidic, which limits how much gluten can form when the beer and flour mix, preventing the batter from turning tough.