The Best Beer Battered Fish (2024)

FAQs

What is the best beer for battered fish? ›

What type of beer is best for a beer batter? A light lager or pale ale is best for this type of batter. The beer should lend a subtle, malty flavor; so avoid bitter IPAs, heavy stouts, and sharp sours.

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.

Best Oil to Fry Fish. Thanks to its neutral flavor, affordable price, and high smoke point, canola oil is the most popular oil for frying fish. Peanut, cottonseed, and coconut oil are also great fish frying oils.

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.

What Type of Beer Should You Use For Crispy Beer Battered Fish? Go for a Mexican lager or light lager. I typically go for a can of Modelo or Tecate. Whichever you choose, just make sure it's cold.

Beer adds flavor and richness to the batter. And the alcohol will burn away during the cooking process.

Dump the fizzy seltzer water in favor of light beer when frying onion rings or shrimp. Lager, for instance, will make the batter light and airy.

Two of the five recipes included eggs in the batter, which resulted in a softer, doughier coating. If you like your fried fish nice and crispy, like I do, skip the eggs.

It must rest for at least an hour before use, by which time it's risen obligingly, like an over-eager bread dough. The batter has a quite astounding billowy texture, and a good crispness, but it seems to have soaked up more of the oil than the others, and we crunch thoughtfully, trying to put our finger on the flavour.

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.

What 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.

"Heating your pan properly is a key factor for keeping your fish from sticking and will give you a flavorful crust. Heat your pan on a medium-high heat, then add a small amount of oil or clarified butter. When the fat is shimmering, the pan is hot enough to add your protein.

Lager. Enjoying your fried seafood with a crisp lager will make your eating experience even better. Lagers are delicious with fried food because of their smooth, mellow taste.

For flavor, most recipes using beer do best with a malty, low-bitterness beer, like a marzen, scotch ale, or (maybe) amber ale. Highly-hopped "put hair on your chest" IPAs are a bad idea: you don't want that bitterness. Hefeweizen would be fine.

And while typical beer batters include dark heavy ales, I knew that the lightness of the Corona Extra beer would provide just the right amount of flavor without taking over the dish. And like all fish taco recipes, there needed to be a crunchy slaw on top to cut through the deep fried aspect of the dish.

Pale-colored beer works best for making beer battered foods. You can use any beer you like or have on hand other than a dark beer, such as a porter or stout. I used Coors Light.