Beer Batter Fish and Chips Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of beer is good for fish and chips 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.

Rice flour, water, wheat flour, beer (water, barley malt, corn, rice, hops, yeast), tapioca dextrin, modified corn starch, salt, whey, dextrose, baking powder (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, cream of tartar), sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, natural flavor.

Beer Batter Ingredients

These are the simple ingredients you'll need to make this basic beer batter recipe: Flour: This homemade beer batter starts with all-purpose flour. Cornstarch: Cornstarch ensures an extra crispy, light fry every time. Egg: An egg creates a more delicate crust and helps seal in moisture.

Most are fair game for beer batter (Pilsner Urquell, Stella Artois, Modelo, and Firestone Pivo Pils are particularly nice), with the exception of Bohemian pilsner, which comes with a heavy dose of spices that can change the overall flavor of your dish. In a beer batter, pilsner is one of the more low-key options.

So, all in all, if you deep fry for larger groups several times a summer, you want a light American lager. Little flavor, plenty of carbonation, enough alcohol, and cheap to boot. I use Budweiser. The beer batter works because of the alcohol and the CO2 in beer.

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.

Milk/Dairy: Some fish and chip shops may use dairy products in their recipes, particularly where the batter is concerned. This means that milk or butter may be found in the products. For those with a severe dairy allergy, fish and chip shops that use dairy products should be avoided.

Very few fish and chip shops use beer in their batter. Those that do are likely to advertise the fact. Some pubs (those that want to be called gastro-pubs) use beer batter and will say so.

Some beer batter recipes will say to add ice or place the beer batter in the fridge to 'rest' for 30 minutes. Forget it! Adding ice will water down your batter and refrigerating the beer batter just takes time. Simply start with a cold beer and you'll be one step ahead.

How do you get batter to stick to fish? ›

Milk: The proteins in milk help the batter adhere to the fish and promote browning. Water: Use very cold water for the crispiest results. Baking powder: Baking powder ensures a light and crispy exterior. Salt: A teaspoon of salt enhances the overall flavor of the fish batter.

Completely. All the alcohol cooks out in the depp frying process and the remaining malt products are the same malt that all baby foods contain. The flavoring in beer comes from hops. Hops are harmless.

Mix beer with equal parts of water, if you want.

While beer batter is similar in some ways to a basic pancake batter, never add milk to beer batter. Milk added to beer will curdle, unless a small amount of lemon juice is added.

For anyone that has a problem with the beer batter not sticking to the fish, I have a simple trick. Set out a bowl with about a cup of flour, and before you dip the fish in the beer batter, coat the fish in flour. Also- to keep them crispy, make sure to drain the excess oil on a paper bag after frying.

There is no definitive answer to this question, as different beers will impart different flavors to the batter. However, a light, mildly flavored beer is generally a good option for fish batter. If you want to avoid using beer altogether, you can substitute sparkling water or club soda.

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.

Speaking of beer, it's the secret to the perfect batter, which makes it super fluffy, smooth and crispy all at the same time (but if you don't do alcohol, check out the recipe card below for a substitute).

Other recipes may use beer or milk batter, where these liquids are often substitutes for water. The carbon dioxide in the beer lends a lighter texture to the batter. Beer also results in an orange-brown colour. A simple beer batter might consist of a 2:3 ratio of flour to beer by volume.