Beer Batter Fried Fish
Serves 4
This is a classic British “fish and chips” treatment. Any firm, mild fish will do, but I’ve never found anything that surpasses cod, the traditional choice.
Ingredients #
- 7 tbsp flour
- 7 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup Guinness Stout or another dark beer
- 1/3 cup cold club soda
- 4 (7 ounce) thick white fish fillets
- Peanut oil for deep frying
Instructions #
Reserve 2 tablespoons of flour on a plate. Place the remaining flour, the cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine.
While whisking with a fork, add the beer and water. Continue stirring to form a thick, smooth batter. Cover and refrigerate to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Place the fish fillets on a paper towel and carefully pat them dry. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil to 350 in a Dutch oven.
Dust each fillet in the reserved flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the fillets in the batter, being careful to coat them completely. Drop them carefully into the hot oil. Fry for roughly 8 minutes, turning every minute or so with a slotted spoon, until golden brown.
Remove the fish from the oil and drain on paper. Season with sea salt while hot.