This Crispy Beer Batter Fish Recipe is made with basic ingredients and creates a crunchy coating around flaky, tender white fish! Fried fish is great with homemade Tartar Sauce or used to make crispy fish tacos!
We’ve been on a mission to clear out our freezer, so when I came across some fish that my husband had caught last year I knew exactly what I wanted to make!
Gone are the days of boring, soggy fish sticks, these crispy coated fish are flaky, crunchy and perfectly seasoned!
How To Make Beer Batter Fish Fry
I’ll be honest, I am NOT a drinker, so while I don’t ever have beer in my fridge, that won’t stop me from buying it specifically for this recipe. The beer gives the batter that light airy texture, creating a thin, yet crispy coating that’s totally crave-able.
Here’s what you’ll need for the beer batter:
- All Purpose Flour
- Garlic Powder – adds great flavor to the batter
- Paprika – gives the batter a nice flavor, while also helping give a nice golden brown color
- Seasoned Salt – feel free to adjust salt levels to taste
- Egg – helps to create a nice texture and bind things together
- Beer – the type of beer doesn’t really matter, I like to use a dark amber beer like Dos Equis
*There’s no need to be concerned with alcohol consumption and this recipe, as the alcohol will get cooked off when the fish is fried in oil.
What Type of Fish is Best For Frying?
I have tested a few types of fried fish and I’ve had the best results with white fish, namely using an Alaskan COD FISH. The cod fish had the best flake and texture in my opinion. Here are some other types of fish that would work great:
- Alaskan Cod
- Tilapia
- Halibut – also one of my favorites, but can be a bit pricy
- Striped Bass
- Shrimp – use raw shrimp, not precooked
How To Get Crispy Fried Fish Every Time
There are a few things to watch out for in order to get perfectly crisp and flaky fried fish. Don’t worry, it’s actually super easy and results in success every time!
- Dry and Season – Pat down the fish with paper towels and then season each piece of fish with salt and pepper prior to being dipped in the batter.
- Oil Temperature – If your oil is not hot enough, you could end up with an oversaturated coating that is soggy and unappetizing. If your oil is too hot, you’ll end up burning the outside of the fish coating, not giving the fish inside enough time to get cooked and flaky.
- If your fryer doesn’t keep track of the temperature for you, invest in a cooking thermometer to keep your oil at a constant temperature of 375 degrees F.
- Don’t Over Crowd – Placing too many pieces of fish into the fryer at a time will quickly drop the temperature of your oil, which is no good. Start with just a few pieces of fish at a time, giving them ample time to fry and get nice and crispy.
- Use a Cooling Rack – You worked hard (ok, not too hard) to get that crispy fish coating, don’t lose it by setting the fish on paper towels or newspapers to drain. This action will cause steam to form between the fish and the coating, making your fried fish quickly lose that crisp coating. Use a cooling rack to keep that coating nice and crisp!
Can you just hear that crunchy coating? Oh man, this fried fish is seriously so delicious!
What to Serve with Fried Fish
- Homemade Tartar Sauce – seriously the best!
- Make your own french fries or use the frozen kind and toss in the oil with the fish.
- We love wrapping the fish up in flour or corn tortillas and serving with coleslaw and pickled onions for a quick crispy fish taco!
- Creamy Corn Salad or Classic Macaroni Salad would pair perfectly with this fish too.
Are you ready to get your fish fry on?! This Crispy Beer Batter Fish recipe will blow you away! Hope you enjoy it!
PS – I also have an incredible Fried Chicken Recipe that I’m sure you’ll love!
Crispy Beer Batter Fish Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. white fish, like cod or tilapia
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/3 cups beer
- Canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Add oil to a large, heavy bottomed pot or deep fryer till it's about 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat oil to 375 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, cut fish into stick shapes, about 1 inch wide and 3 inches long. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- To make the beer batter, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, paprika and seasoned salt. Stir in the lightly beaten egg, then gradually whisk in the beer until the batter forms and is no longer lumpy.
- Quickly dip the fish one piece at a time into the batter, then place in the hot oil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the fish is a nice golden brown. Drain on a wire rack and enjoy while hot!
Easy Tartar Sauce Recipe
Rick
Quick and easy recipe. Super fast to prep for a quick dinner.
For those complaining about mushiness, fish need to be drained in a strainer vertically on top of a bowl so the oil drips off and the heat escapes with the airflow around the fish reducing steam.
I also find adding a tablespoon of oil to the batter makes it flakier for an added crispy crunch.
christine jenkot
We made this recipe with some red snapper we had caught while deep sea fishing. It was totally amazing tasting and so simple to make. We had left overs the next day so we made fish tacos. They were the best fish tacos I have ever eaten in my life. I also made a very simple homemade tarter sauce both days. I cannot recommend this recipe enough.
Christian
Wasn’t crispy for me. Followed the recipe. Used a homebrew pale ale. Find the egg makes the batter chewy
Lynsey
This batter was initially texturally what I wanted, but it QUICKLY turned soft. I even tried to reconstitute in oven. Flavor was great, but I need my fish to stay crisp
Shawn
If the breading went soft after frying, it’s most likely to steam being built up in the fish. Make sure you don’t stack the fish after being fried, and set them on a wire rack. As with all things fried, it will not stay crispy forever, so enjoy while hot and fresh!
Michelle
Sorry, Too thin, way too much salt, gets mushy right away
Shawn
I’m sorry you didn’t get great results. I promise this recipe works, but you just gotta make sure you’re following the directions to a tee.
Rick
Quick and easy recipe. Super fast to prep for a quick dinner.
For those complaining about mushiness, fish need to be drained in a strainer vertically on top of a bowl so the oil drips off and the heat escapes with the airflow around the fish reducing steam.
I also find adding a tablespoon of oil to the batter makes it flakier for an added crispy crunch.
Jenna
I followed the directions to a tee and after it was cooked, the batter was not crispy. It was soggy. I made sure my oil was the correct temperature, I did not crowd the fish pieces and I used a cooling rack.
I’m so disappointed because I think it would be a great recipe if the batter was crispy.
Brianne
We’ve made this recipe several times now and it never fails. Always crispy and delicious! We use haddock every time.
It’s a regular staple for us, at least one a month!
Jenna
Mine didn’t turn out crispy and I followed the directions to a T. What did you do differently?
Heather yoho
I followed this recipe word for word with my Alaskan cod and it turned out great, thank you for sharing your recipe with me. My son and boyfriend smashed on alot of fish, now one is on chase and one on couch with full tummies watching football ready to fall asleep. Wish I had this recipe a long time ago lol
Freddy
I make it! Good flavour and easy to make
Bryan
Should add a note for first time fish fryers. Hold the fish in the oil for 4-5 seconds before dropping it completely. Stops the fish from sticking to a basket.
Other than that, worked out really well and really fluffy.
Christine M Riley
Waaaaay too much paprika and the batter was extremely runny…none stayed on the fish! What a waste of very good halibut.
Jessachan
It worked perfectly for me
Did you make sure the fish was dry?
And you can always alter seasonings
I don’t care for seasoned salt, so i used my favorite curry blend
Elaine Griffith
I lost my recipe like this.. thank you . This recipe is wonderful
Chelsea S
This was quick and easy to make! I paired mine with your tarter sauce and coleslaw recipes on a toasted pretzel bun and it was *chef’s kiss*!
Angie Braun
Lightly salt the fish once fried.
Erin
This recipe was incredible!
Laura
My cod turned out great. I used the extra batter for onion rings. All fantastic. Thanks!
Michelle
So runny! No batter stayed on!
DeFernandeze Hill
Add 1/2 cup of flour.
Jack
I believe a part of every battered fish recipe I’ve ever used was left out of this recipe. After you pat the fillets dry, coat them with flour… a good coating but not like it was what you were actually using as a breading, just a good light coat of flour. NEXT! Let the fillets with the flour rest for about 15 minutes or so, and at the end of that resting period, give them another light coat of flour and shake off any excess. Once you’ve done this I guarantee the batter will stick to the fish. I do the same thing on my fried chicken and the coating actually adheres to the skin instead of flaking off.. I also do this with battered fish and it always works for me.
Gigi
Great tip Jack. I do the same.
Cheeseburger the chef
My snapper and basa came out crunchy and scrumptious I dipped the fish in flour 1st then in the wet batter fire and desire yummy to my tummy
Cheeseburger the chef
My snapper and basa came out crunchy and scrumptious I dipped the fish in flour 1st then in the wet batter fire and desire
Cole
As long as you follow the recipe the same way she orchestrated it, it turns out beautifully! Everything was spot on. Super well done!
Sandra
I agree. Important to use a liquid measure for the beer and a dry goods measure for the flour. I did adjust mine and threw in a few tablespoons of flour. They came out perfect. I had my oil at 20’clock on the dial. High heat, should be sizzling frantically. Don’t turn them but once, I did two minutes and then turned for another.
BEATA MCKEE
This mixture is SO runny and there was so much leftover. I placed the fish into the oil and the mixture just ran right off the top to the sides, so I dipped again in the mixture and recooked it. Should’ve known that any recipe that doesn’t call for a double-dip (mixture, flour, mixture) was destined to fail. The beer to flour ratio is way off.
Laurel
Yum! Crispy, crunchy, light & airy. I will never ever make breaded fish again after making this batter. I found a bottle of Icelandic ale in the cupboard left over from a holiday gathering. I know it said the beer doesn’t matter but maybe it does! The only things I did differently was use King Arthur flour (gluten free) since it’s all I had & added 1 tablespoon of citrusy garlic seasoning from TJs. It was delicious. I burnt the last batch not having a thermometer but it was still edible.
Laurel
forgot to mention I used Tilapia.
Claire
This was delicious! Easy to make too. I didn’t have a thermometer so I just estimated but it turned out perfectly.
Vicki mathiason
I followed this recipe to the T the batter fell off the cod second I put it into the hot oil l, fish was to oily. When I tried to flip fish it fell into little pieces I will not be trying this again.