This beer battered fish recipe is simple and super crispy. A crunchy golden brown exterior gives way to tender, flaky cod that’s served with a tangy remoulade dipping sauce you’ll love.
I couldn’t stomach the thought of eating fish until I was in high school. In fact, an attempt by my parents to force the issue around age 7 resulted in such a fit, I gave myself an asthma attack and ended up in the doctor’s office at 7pm with my first nebulizer treatment. Fun times.
After coming to my senses about this entire food group, however, I’ve made up for lost time. On a trip to Ireland in 2011, I was determined to try fish and chips at every hole in the wall establishment to suss out the best one and recreate the recipe at home.
That’s where this beer battered fish recipe came from. After eating close to 15 pounds of fish in that week-long trip, I had pretty much nailed down the secrets to success:
- A crispy, crunchy exterior is a must
- Golden brown color on the battered exterior — no pale fish allowed
- A battered coating that’s the perfect middle ground of not overly thick and doughy, but not so thin it flakes off and disappears.
- Tender, flaky fish
- Flavor! There should be actual seasonings to the fish beyond the batter — this really distinguishes a standout recipe from a mediocre one.
I don’t often fry things at home. It’s not even about the health aspect as it is the mess and smell. This beer battered fried fish is worth both of those things. Turn on your vent hood, open some windows and make this amazing battered fish at home. I promise it’ll be better than any fish fry you’ve previously had. And if you just can’t commit to that, you can always default to some air fryer fish sticks instead. They’re pretty darn good too.
What You’ll Need For Beer Battered Fish
- Fish — There is a variety of fish you can use for a fish fry, but I always default to cod. Alaskan wild cod is easy to source, relatively cheap and results in the best flaky, tender texture. Other fish that work for making beer battered fish include: haddock, hake, flounder and pollock. Stay away from pricier white fish like halibut or sablefish, they’re both too dense and oily. Sole is too thin and delicate.
- Flour — We’re using two types of flour for the batter: a general all-purpose (which can also be swapped with gluten-free flour) and cornmeal. I love the heartier texture the cornmeal brings to the coating.
- Herbs + spices — Rosemary brings lots of fresh flavor to the coating while salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne season the fish filets.
- Beer — Any light beer will do. It doesn’t have to be anything special. Make sure it’s fresh and straight out of the fridge cold (the reaction between the cold beer batter and the hot oil makes the outside puff up immediately when frying for a light and crispy texture). Avoid IPAs, sours and heavier stouts. A light lager is best.
- Baking powder — This helps make the coating light, airy and crispy when the fish fry up.
- Oil for frying — A neutral oil like avocado oil is great for this recipe.
My Pro Tip
Don’t Worry…
The alcohol cooks off in the frying process so you don’t have to be concerned with the booze in this recipe.
There’s also a tangy remoulade that’s stirred together and served with the battered fried fish for dipping. It features a mostly yogurt base with a touch of mayonnaise. Dijon mustard, chopped dill pickle and a handful of spices and herbs round out the sauce which goes perfectly with the battered fish.
How To Make Fried Beer-Battered Fish
This is a short overview of the recipe, please see the recipe card below for detailed instructions and ingredient quantities.
PREPARE THE FISH
Pat the fish dry with a paper towel and season with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
MAKE THE BATTER & DREDGING MIXTURE
Mix together the ingredients for the beer batter in a large bowl, whisk and set aside. Combine the ingredients for dredging the pieces of fish in a shallow dish.
DREDGE & DIP THE FISH
Place the pieces of seasoned cod into the shallow dish with the flour mixture and coat the fish on all sides. Transfer the fish to the beer batter. Using tongs, let any excess batter drip off the fish before placing it in the hot oil to fry.
FRY THE FISH
Pour enough oil into a Dutch oven or fryer so that it comes up the sides of the pot about 2 inches and the pieces of fish can fry while being totally submerged. Heat the oil to 375°F (use a candy thermometer if needed to monitor the temperature of the oil) and fry the fish for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the fried fish to a wire rack on top of a baking pan so any excess oil can drip off.
MAKE THE REMOULADE & SERVE!
Mix together all the ingredients for the remoulade dipping sauce in a small bowl. Serve it with the beer battered fish, fresh out of the fryer while hot.
My Pro Tips
My Best Tips For The Crispiest, Most Flavorful Fried Fish
- Make sure the fish is patted dry and seasoned well before frying. This is essential for getting the most flavor out of every bite.
- Oil temperature is important. If the oil is too hot, you’ll burn the outside while the fish will be undercooked inside. If the oil isn’t hot enough, the beer battered coating will have trouble sticking to the fish in the oil and the outcome will be pale and soggy. Using a thermometer that clips to the side of the pot to monitor and control the oil temperature at 375°F is imperative.
- Don’t crowd the pot. Only fry 2-3 pieces of a fish at a time. This prevents the oil temperature from dropping and gives enough space for each piece of fish to fry to a perfectly even golden brown color and crispness.
- Use a rack instead of paper towels. A rack allows excess oil to drip off the fish when it comes out of the fryer, whereas paper towels cause steam to get trapped between the fish and the towel resulting in soggy bottoms.
What To Serve With Beer Battered Fried Fish
Traditionally, you’ll find fried fish served with “chips” in the UK — aka fries for us Americans. Throw in a few lemon wedges, tartar sauce or malt vinegar (although, I much prefer this remoulade) and you’ve got the true pub-food vibe that’s associated with beer battered fish. This is always a solid option you can’t go wrong with.
If you want to make this fried fish more of a rounded out meal, try it with some easy air fryer baby potatoes and a simple vegetable like the peas shown here.
You can also easily turn this fried fish into tacos. Pair it with this Irish coleslaw and a tortilla and dig in!
Not feeling tacos? Make a fish sandwich instead by stuffing it between a bun or your favorite sandwich bread slathered in the remoulade sauce.
More Ways To Use Cod
And my air fryer cod recipe is worth checking out for a healthier approach to cod in a simple 20 minute dish. No messy oil situation needed.
Want an even simpler cod recipe? Try this stove-top blackened cod — it’s ready in under 10 minutes!
Cod piccata is a seafood twist on the classic Italian recipe typically made with chicken. It’s light and lemony with a wonderful briny flavor from the capers.
Beer Battered Fish
Ingredients
For the Fish
- 3/4 cup + 1/2 cup all purpose flour, one measurement for batter, one for dredging
- 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, one measurement for batter, one for dredging
- 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, one measurement for batter, one for dredging
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 10 ounces light beer
- 1 1/4 pounds cod, cut into 4 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
- neutral oil for frying, such as avocado oil
For the Remoulade
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 dill pickle, finely chopped
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
Instructions
For the Fish
- Prepare the batter first by combining 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 tablespoon rosemary, baking powder and beer in a bowl and whisking together until smooth. Set aside and let rest.
- Meanwhile, rinse and pat the cod pieces dry. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne on both sides.
- Combine the remaining all purpose flour, cornmeal and rosemary in a shallow plate.
- Pour enough oil into a large pot or dutch oven until it comes up the sides by about 2 inches and heat to 375°F.
- Once the oil is ready and hot, dredge the fish pieces in the flour mixture then dip in the batter letting the excess drop off before placing into the hot oil.
- Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Drain on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining fish pieces making sure not to crowd the pot and bring down the temperature of the oil. About 2-3 pieces at a time is best.
Remoulade
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir together.
Notes
- Easily make this recipe gluten-free by swapping out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour mix.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I crave fish and chips style fried fish and haven’t had it in forever. After ordering years ago in a restaurant to be presented with a flat fillet of bread crumb coated fish, instead of what I was dreaming of a thick cut of crisp battered coated heaven, oh the disappointment! Your rosemary cornmeal version looks exactly like what I’ve been craving, and then some. Husband despises the smell of fish cooked in house, but be damned I think this will be worth his complaints!
What a let down that must’ve been! I’m with your husband…the smell is pretty gross when you combine fish + frying but it’s worth it this time. Open the windows and light a candle :)
Going to make this tonight for dinner with fresh black drum I caught. Can’t wait! Thanks for posting…
i can imagine how GOOD these must have tasted! i am definitely craving one now.. love the idea of rosemary in the batter – something i will be trying. thanks for the inspiration!