Beer Battered Fried Fish
The lightest and crispiest Beer Battered Fried Fish recipe. The baking powder and carbonation in the beer make the fish batter delicate and puffy, just like a good ole fashioned Supper Club.
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Who doesn’t love a good Fish Fry?
For anyone who’s not from Wisconsin, Friday Night Fish Fry is a huge tradition for the entire state. Wisconsin is known for its fish fry (especially beer batter fish) with an ice-cold beer. In case you were wondering… yes, we LOVE our beer too.
Fun Facts… Fish Fry grew huge in Wisconsin due to the large Catholic communities not eating meat on Fridays (to this day, many churches hold Fish Fries on Fridays to offer a non-meat option to the community). Prohibition also created a need for bars to find creative ways to bring in customers. So… they offered cheap fish dinners with alcohol under the table (shhh).
Best batter I have found! loved it, followed recipe to a T and turned out perfect.!
–Rachel Fiemeyer (via Pinterest)
This recipe offers all that deliciousness, but now you can enjoy your alcohol on the table. My husband and I thought it would be fun, one Friday night, to create our own beer batter. I mean, we already catch our own fish, so why not?
We cut a lot of small pieces from our fish fillets, courtesy of an ice fishing venture (yes that’s right, Wisconsinites and most Midwesterners for that matter, fish ALL YEAR ROUND), and we began our experiment. Carefully adding and tasting all the ingredients until it was exactly how we liked it – at that time. 😉 Then, after a few years I added or took away ingredients, and now… we have our new and improved recipe! I use this batter on shrimp, chicken, cheese curds, and of course fish. We always use the fish we catch, we do live right next to the Mississippi River after all, and my oldest has gotten pretty darn good at it. But if you’re unable to catch your own, buying it from the store is also fine. I do really recommend buying locally if you can. Fresh fish is ALWAYS better.
Also, I have a tartar sauce recipe that goes great with this Beer Batter Fish Fry. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- You might need more beer than 12oz. It does depend on how you measured the flour that day (it’s the downfall of using cups vs. weighing).
- Light Colored Ale is a MUST! If you use a darker-colored or strong-flavored beer such as a stout or IPA it will NOT taste good. The beer will get thrown off with the garlic. Unless you really like that competing flavor… then go for it!
- I like New Glarus® Spotted Cow however, this is ONLY sold in Wisconsin. So another more accessible good one is Blue Moon®. Or course, if you have a favorite, use it!
- It’s important that your oil is at 400ºF when you start or your fish will soak up all the oil and it will not be crispy.
- If you do not want to go through the process of pat drying the fish, you can take a 1/4 cup of flour and dredge the fish before putting it in the batter. I don’t do this, but I’ve had a couple of people say the batter wouldn’t stick, only to find they did not dry the fish first. So if you don’t want to dry, dredge. If you skip both, the batter won’t stay on the fish, and I can’t really help that.
- If you’re buying your fish and have really thick pieces, try cutting them a little smaller, or for something fun… cut them into 1-inch cubes. the Cubes cooked really quickly and my younger kids LOVED having the bite-sized pieces to eat vs. a larger piece.
- You can mix all the dry ingredients, then store the mixture in an airtight container in your pantry for a quick and easy fish batter at any time.
- You can also use this beer batter for other things like onion rings, shrimp, and even cheese curds. If you choose to do cheese curds, you need to freeze them for a couple of hours first.
Items to help you succeed
- A Deep Fryer (This is NOT required, and you could certainly use a cast iron skillet as well, I personally have found this to be easier.) I use the Presto 05466 Stainless Steel Dual Basket Pro Fry Immersion Element Deep Fryer mainly when I have company over and am making a lot. Otherwise, I usually use a cast iron pan. Check out “What Type of Frying Pan Should I Use?” to get details on the pans I use and love.
- A sheet pan and cooling rack for excess oil. A Sheet Pan with Stainless Steel Oven Safe Cooling Rack set is great because the cooling rack fits perfectly inside.
- Mixing Bowls. I love these Pyrex glass bowls. In fact, my set is actually a hand-me-down and is almost 20 years old!
- Update: I have changed over to Mora Ceramics Mixing bowls, but the pyrex are still a nother great option! I just fell in love with Mora Ceramics and have been slowly changing everything over.
- Tongs, I know the fryer comes with baskets, but trust me when I say… drop the basket, keep it down and Use tongs!
- Whisk, it helps mix the batter better than a spoon.
How to Make It
You’ll love how this recipe comes together.
Find the full beer batter fried fish recipe below scroll down). Here’s the gist:
- Heat your oil to 400°F
- Rinse and pat dry your fish.
- In a medium-sized bowl put all of your dry ingredients (flour, black pepper, salt, garlic and onion powder, baking powder, and cayenne pepper) in and whisk them all together.
- Poor in the beer of your choice (slowly), stirring it in as you go. Start with 1/4 of the bottle/can, and whisk. If it looks too thick slowly add more, whisk, and keep going until it’s where we want it. You’re looking for a thick pancake batter-like consistency.
- After that, you take your fish fillets and submerge the entire fish into the batter, let the excess drip off, and drop it into the oil. You can put as many fillets in as you want, but keep it to one floating layer of fish at a time. You will need to rotate them around until they are golden brown.
- Once they are golden, take them out and place them on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
- Continue this process until all the fish is fried.
A Few Other Yummy Dishes to Enjoy
Here are a few of my favorite dishes that go perfectly with this Beer Batter Fish Fry Recipe
- Patatas Bravas with Remoulade
- Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Basic Coleslaw
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Beer Battered Cheese Curds
Please let me know how the recipe turns out in the comments.
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Beer Batter Fried Fish
The lightest and crispiest Beer Battered Fried Fish recipe. The baking powder and carbonation in the beer make the fish batter delicate and puffy, just like a good ole fashioned Supper Club.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 7 people 1x
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 10 oz ¹ Light Colored² – Ale beer³
- 4 lbs white fish (We generally use Catfish or Perch. But Walleye and Cod are also a very common Wisconsin choice.)
- Peanut Oil (for frying. I highly recommend this. It can hold high temp and is much less expensive than others. If you have a peanut allergy use canola or avocado oil instead.)
Instructions
- Heat Oil Heat your oil to 400°F ⁴
- Prep Fish Rinse and pat dry⁵ your fish.⁶
- Dry ingredients for batter In a medium-sized bowl put all of your dry ingredients (flour, black pepper, salt, garlic and onion powder, baking powder, and cayenne pepper) in and whisk them all together.⁷
- add beer Poor in the beer of your choice (slowly), stirring it in as you go. Start with 1/4 of the bottle/can, and whisk. If it looks too thick slowly add more, whisk, and keep going until it’s where we want it. You’re looking for a thick pancake batter-like consistency.
- batter fish After that, you take your fish fillets and submerge the entire fish into the batter, let the excess drip off, and drop it into the oil. You can put as many fillets in as you want, but keep it to one floating layer of fish at a time. You will need to rotate them around until they are golden brown.
- remove excess oil Once they are golden, take them out and place them on a drying rack that is on. a baking sheet or paper towel to remove any excess oil.
- Finish Continue this process until all the fish is fried.
Equipment
Hotec Stainless Steel Kitchen Tongs Set of 2 – 9″ and 12″, Locking Metal Food Tongs Non-Slip Grip
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Mora Ceramics Large Mixing Bowls Set of 2 – 5.5 & 3.6 Qt – Earl Grey
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Presto 05466 Stainless Steel Dual Basket Pro Fry Immersion Element Deep Fryer
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Lodge L8DSK3 Cast Iron Deep Skillet, Pre-Seasoned, 10.25-inch
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¹ You might need more beer than 12oz. It does depend on how you measured the flour that day (it’s the downfall of using cups vs. weighing).
² Light Colored Ale is a MUST! If you use a darker-colored or strong-flavored beer such as a stout or IPA it will NOT taste good. The beer will get thrown off with the garlic. Unless you really like that competing flavor… then go for it!
³ I like New Glarus® Spotted Cow however, this is ONLY sold in Wisconsin. So another more accessible good one is Blue Moon®. Or course, if you have a favorite, use it!
⁴ It’s important that your oil is at 400ºF when you start or your fish will soak up all the oil and it will not be crispy.
⁵ If you do not want to go through the process of pat drying the fish, you can take a 1/4 cup of flour and dredge the fish before putting it in the batter. I don’t do this, but I’ve had a couple of people say the batter wouldn’t stick, only to find they did not dry the fish first. So if you don’t want to dry, dredge. If you skip both, the batter won’t stay on the fish, and I can’t really help that.
⁶ If you’re buying your fish and have really thick pieces, try cutting them a little smaller, or for something fun… cut them into 1-inch cubes. the Cubes cooked really quickly and my younger kids LOVED having the bite-sized pieces to eat vs. a larger piece.
⁷ You can mix all the dry ingredients, then store the mixture in an airtight container in your pantry for a quick and easy fish batter at any time. See all the details about this on my Wisconsin Supper Club Beer Batter Mix Blog Post.
Other things you can do with this Beer Batter
You can also use this beer batter for onion rings, shrimp, and even cheese curd. If you choose to do cheese curds, you need to freeze them for a couple of hours first. Check out Beer-Batter Fried Cheese Curds for the full recipe!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American, Wisconsin
Nutrition
- Calories: 366
- Sugar: 0.1
- Sodium: 530
- Fat: 5
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 55
- Cholesterol: 130
Nutritional Facts:
These numbers are based on the serving size stated. All are estimates and you should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.
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©2014 Photo, Prop Styling, and Food Styling by Jenn Smith
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Restaurant style beer batter! Absolutely perfect!
Thank you so much