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Golden crispy Beer-Battered Fish are deep-fried into perfection. This homemade fried fish recipe is so easy to prepare with fresh cod fillets and perfect for game nights. It's absolutely delicious and flavorful.
Beer-Battered Fish Recipe
Extra crispy beer-battered fish are made from tender, flaky cod fillets and deep-fried with a beer-battered coating. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice on top and dip into ketchup or mayo for the best taste.
Unlike other fried fish, beer-battered fish is utterly delicious and deeply flavorful with a beer-infused batter. Once you try it, you will never bother ordering them from a restaurant again.
If you love fish, you may also enjoy my other recipes such as baked cod, garlic butter fish, lemon butter swai fish, and baked tilapia.
Why This Recipe Works
This beer-battered fish recipe is quick and easy to prepare. It takes under 30 minutes from start to finish and rivals the best seafood restaurants.
It’s also an amazing recipe for game nights. You may serve them with baked french fries or parmesan zucchini fries to complete the meal.
This recipe doesn’t require many ingredients and all of them can be easily found in local grocery stores. You may also use only salt and black pepper, and the taste is still guaranteed.
Recipe Ingredients
Crunchy beer-battered fish calls for these ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Old Bay seasoning
- Beer
- Egg
- Cod fillets
- Ground black pepper
- Oil
- Lemon
Cod fillet retains the best texture after deep frying. You may also choose a different firm white fish, such as halibut or sea bass.
A good Old Bay seasoning substitute will be celery salt and paprika. For cooking, you may substitute each teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning with a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon celery salt and 1/4 teaspoon paprika.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Beer-Battered Fish
Deep-fried beer-battered fish is so simple and quick to make.
First, prepare the beer batter by mixing all-purpose flour, salt, Old Bay seasoning, beer, and one egg in a bowl. Whisk well and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Next, pat dry the cod fillets with paper towels and coat them generously with beer batter.
Finally, heat a pot with oil on medium heat. Slowly drop them into the pot and deep fry until golden brown and fully cooked.
Remove cod from the pot and drain on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and dipping sauce, such as mayo or ketchup.
Cooking Tips
For the best result, please follow my tips:
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes until it thickens. You may also make the batter and refrigerate it overnight. The thick batter helps to get an extra crispy and airy layer on fried fish.
- Pat dry the cod fillets with paper towels before coating them. It will create a firm texture after deep frying.
- Make sure to control the oil temperature at 375°F (190°C) while deep frying to avoid the fish turning out greasy and soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you may choose either fresh or frozen cod fillets. Thaw the frozen fish at room temperature and pat dry to get rid of the excess water before cooking.
The cooked fried fish should be golden brown and float near the surface of the oil.
This recipe has 469 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Beer-Battered Fish
For an easy and wholesome weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Beer-Battered Fish
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Salt, to taste
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 12 oz (375 grams) beer
- 1 egg, (about 2 oz.)
- 2 lb (1000 grams) cod fillets, cut into big pieces
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Oil, for frying
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Combine all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and Old Bay seasoning in a bowl. Whisk in the beer and egg. Continue whisking until the batter is smooth and free of lumps. Let sit for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Rinse the cod and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Fill a medium pot with enough oil to cover the fish and heat it over medium heat until it reaches 375°F (190°C). Coat the cod in the batter, then remove it and shake off any excess. Carefully drop the fish into the oil one piece at a time, avoiding overcrowding the pot. Fry for 5 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through, until both sides are golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the cod from the pot and drain on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and a dipping sauce, such as mayo or ketchup.
Video
Notes
- Let the batter sit for 10 minutes until it thickens. You may also make the batter and refrigerate it overnight. The thick batter helps to get an extra crispy and airy layer.
- Pat dry the cod fillets with paper towels before coating them. It will create a firm texture after deep frying.
- Make sure to control the oil temperature at 375°F (190°C) while deep frying to avoid the fish turning out greasy and soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What do you mean one egg with shell for the beer batter?
Hi Donna, I have updated the recipe card. It just means a 2-oz egg.
What else can I use besides the beer? Thx
Just use regular water to make the batter.
I have some fresh caught Pollock fish and was wondering if I could use that instead of the Cod?
Hi Jean. Yes, you can absolutely use pollock in place of cod for this recipe.
Made this yesterday, followed the recipe exactly as written and used Heineken as the beer. It came out perfect!
Great recipe Bee.
The batter for the fish was perfect, it was crispy without overwhelming the fish.
I liked it better than what I get at fish and chips restaurants.
Thank you so much for teaching me to cook delicious food.
Thanks :)
Curious as what kind of oil do you use? I would think that olive oil would leave an undesirable taste???
Vegetable oil.