Beer-Battered Cod

I fried up two pounds of cod for a fish and chips treat over the weekend. Cut the fish into equal-sized pieces and pat dry with paper towels. The batter secret: use equal parts flour and baking powder. I also add a little powdered sugar, sea salt, white pepper, paprika, and granulated garlic. Stir in dark beer and water until a sticky batter forms. Dip and fry.

Homemade Beer-Battered Fish

After some disappointment in ordering beer-battered fish at a local eatery, I battered my own last night. I cut up cod fillets into smaller pieces, roughly all about the same thickness, and dipped them in the batter below. This batter also yields awesome onion rings, and I've modified it in the past to do finger steaks, too. Use a deep-fryer, or 3-4 inches of oil in a heavy duty pan, heated to 375 degrees. A mixture of peanut and vegetable oil works nicely.

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tablespoon of powdered sugar

then season to taste with white pepper, granulated garlic, paprika (or maybe seasoned salt instead of all of that)

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup maybe more, of dark beer or hearty ale

Whisk everything together to make a stiff batter - maybe add a bit more ale, if needed. Pat fish dry, dip in batter and drop in oil. The fish cooks in 3-5 minutes. When the outside is golden brown, they're done.

Beer-Battered Fish

Homemade beer-battered fish is what I fried up last night. I used cod fillets. Halibut works, too. Cut the fish into small pieces and pat dry with paper towels.
Here is the batter I use. It's equal parts flour and cornstarch, lots of garlic powder, paprika, some salt, some pepper, a little bit of powdered sugar, dark ale or beer and water. Mix into a sticky batter.
Drop pieces of fish into the batter and then quickly pop them in hot oil. I used peanut oil at 375 degrees. Cook until brown. It takes about 4-5 minutes.

Mmmm. They don't keep as leftovers so eat them all. They're good plain or with malt vinegar. These taste just like the beer-battered fish I've had in restaurants. The batter can also be used for onion rings.