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
Tim judd
I’m a Brit in the US for 25 years and this is the best fried cod I have tasted and certainly cooked in my time here. I used Costco cod fillets and cut the amounts to 1/3 for just the two of us and it was just brilliant.
Brilliant
Best
Shawn
What a great compliment! Thank you Tim, I’m so glad you enjoyed the fish!
Jim
This is a great recipe. The only thing we did was use old bay, because we didn’t have seasoning salt. Awesome
Rebecca
Making this tonight. Question – the recipe calls for both salt and seasoned salt. And the directions only seem to use the seasoned salt unless I’m not seeing something. Thanks!
Rebecca
Oh wait, I figured it out!
Sherry
I made this for dinner tonight and it was really good. The only adjustment I would make is to cut the garlic powder in half as it was too overwhelming for my tastes. But, as close to a restaurant quality fish fry as I’ve ever achieved at home. Great tip on using a cooling rack to keep it from getting soggy. Thanks for the recipe!
Ben
This was awesome, I only used a teaspoon of the garlic and paprika (cheapskate) but it still had great flavor and color.
It was super crispy when first made, if it sits for a while it goes soggy, but my air fryer revived it in a few minutes.
I don’t deep fry much, but I have bookmarked this recipe!
Charlotte Narvaez
Wow! Loved the one-step coat process, compared to the 2-step dip then coat process in other fried fish recipes.
I beat the egg by itself until it was foamy – then added flour mixture to the egg & then the beer & mixed until smooth.
Coating the fish was easy & it fried to a crispy golden brown…,my husband came home from work to find the cookie rack loaded with pieces of golden fried tilapia. It was delicious! Can’t wait to fry fish again. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
Mel
Used a local microbrew, followed recipe making sure to keep the oil hot between batches. Family raved about the lightness and crunch of the batter. Definitely a keeper!
Brittany
I’m 100% beyond happy with this because I now make better fried fish than any restaurant in the area I do have a question though that I’m hoping you may have an answer to. Do you know of any way to freeze this for future use? I’ve always just used the frozen, boxed, beer batter fish for anything I need, but I’d like to make my own if I can.
Caleb
Really good flavor, but it wasn’t at all. Followed the recipe to a T. Was crispy when I pulled it from the fryer, but after a few minutes of cooling, it turned fairly soggy. Any suggestions?
Caleb
*EDIT*
Really good flavor, but wasn’t *crispy* at all!
Shawn
Did you layer the fish or keep them close together after they were fried? The heat from the fish can cause the breading to steam and get soggy.
Caleb
Spread them out on a cookie sheet on top of paper towels in about 175 degree oven while cooking the rest of the fish.
Annie
I would suggest cooling on a wire rack. It prevents sogginess. Paper towel retains the heat and oil from the fish and can cause the batter to steam and get soggy
Jackie
Hi, excited to try this! Will the cooking time change if we don’t cut the fish up into sticks? Planning on making fish and chips with haddock filets. Thanks!
Shawn
Yes, you’ll want to make sure you cook them long enough to cook through. I’m not sure on how long that would be because I don’t know how big your fish will be.
Made amazing fish tacos thanks to this recipe!
This recipe was impeccable!
We are Vermonters and used a local IPA (conehead) This was the best beer batter fish I have ever tasted! Thank you for the tip about the cooling rack! It makes an absolute difference! We threw this fish in a tortilla with some coke slaw, guacamole, queso fresco and arugula. Absolutely delicious.
Andrew Hughes
Fantastic
Jim Cooper
Young lady,
Took the wife to a restaurant yesterday for fish and chips and it was not what she expected. So i searched the web for a recipe to try and fix her craving. Your recipe was just what she was wanting. Made as it was written and would not change a thing.
Thank you so much,
Jim
Spokane WA
Ray Seva
Made this tonight…and it was great! The only change I made–I used two cans of beer.
One for the batter….and one for the cook! (me)
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it! 😉
Will Meris
I tried this recipe last night, and I used fresh cod. For the beer, I used a dark amber, and I followed all the directions exactly. Wow, it came out amazing! Perfectly crispy on the outside, while the fish was tender and flaky. I often order fish and chips at restaurants, and this recipe rivaled the best of the best. I served it with lemon wedges, tarter sauce, fries and coleslaw. This will be a new favorite dish!
Shawn
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Will! Thank you for your comment!
Liz
We LOVED it! I made a savory slaw and homemade chips to go along. My husband couldn’t rave enough!
Shawn
So great to hear Liz! Glad you enjoyed it!
Bryn Archer
I made this yesterday using this recipe and as a Brit now living on the Greek Island of Crete we really fancied English style fish an chips. Got some Atlantic salt cod which is easier to buy here as its part of a Cretan national holiday feast and re-hydrated it for 3 days. Then made the batter exactly as per the recipe with Greek beer. I left it in the fridge for a few hours and made the chips and par fried them. And made the authors home made tartare sauce using 50% 10% Greek yogurt and 50% mayo. The entire thing came together perfectly. Perfect batter as close to English fish and chip shop as ive ever done, The Tartare sauce was superb and frying the chips ( fries?) twice made them dead right even using local Greek potatoes. Superb dinner Great batter and tartare sauce that just made it perfect. Im using more and more off this site. The recipes are brilliant Shawn Especially for a bloke who’s cooking skills are not that of Gordon Ramsey! And Ive passed these on to my kids who now live Stateside in Florida. My daughter tried the Batter and loved it!!
Shawn
That’s so great to hear Bryn! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it!
Bliza
This was great. I used seltzer instead of beer. The taste was perfect. My batter was not as crispy as I thought it would be, but it’s definitely the best seasoning mixture I’ve tried. Even the next day!
Dane Rolloff
REcipe was fine, but your damn website is so overloaded without advertising it took 20 minutes to get to the recipe. Maybe something to consider.
Lorraine Powers
Tried this tonight and my husband absolutely loved it! As did I and our granddaughter! Amazing recipe that turned out wonderful!
Laura
We just made it here in the UK. Delicious! Won’t change a thing about it
Shawn
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it Laura!
Jodi in Volcano
I have made this recipe four times now it is SO GOOD! The homemade tarter sauce is the bomb! This is my new favorite way to cook fish. I put only about 1/4 inch of oil in the pan.
Shawn
I’m so glad you are enjoying the crispy fish and tartar sauce too! Thanks for the comment Jodi!
Gwen
Followed the recipe to a tee. Used cod. Soggy coating. Soo disappointed. Will not us this again.
Shawn
So sorry you didn’t get amazing results here Gwen. Chances are your oil was not hot enough if your coating was soggy. I would recommend heating your oil to 375 degrees, use a thermometer to make sure it’s at the right temp!
MB Navarro
I loved this beer batter though it was light . . . almost a tempura. Crunchy.
I used it on cod — trying to replicate the famed Fables All You Can Eat Cod. Perfect for my husband, but I wanted thicker batter. I’m thinking I shouldn’t have whisked batter, and maybe coat cod with flour before dipping in batter to achieve a thicker crust?
Shawn
You could try adding less beer next time to make it a little thicker!
Jodi in Volcano
I whisk everything except the beer. Then I add only enough beer to get a thick batter but I don’t mix it a lot, very little with the beer. The batter REALLY coats the fish, make sure the fish is totally dry before you dip. The batter is thick and crunchy!
MB Navarro
Ooooh, good input. I know proteins have to be dry, dry, dry — so that was a non issue. But whisking everything EXCEPT the beer makes perfect sense — and reducing amount of beer (I can always add more). Thank you for the tips
Jackie
Good tip about adding beer after, to get the perfect thickness that works to your individual taste. Trying it tonight!
Candy
My husband can’t stop raving about this fish! Thank you!
Lorraine Powers
My husband loves this also! Can’t stop talking about how amazing it is!
Jodi A
Omg! I have made this recipe twice, tonight is the third time. Totally perfect!!!
I made sure to make the batter and add the beer last. I added the beer last because I live in Hawaii at 4000 feet. It’s humid up here and things cook different. I added enough for it to be good at dipping and drank the rest so don’t ask how much. It coated perfectly. I didn’t “whisk” once the beer was in. Lumps and bumps are needed for perfect beer batter.
I would upload photos but I don’t see where to do that in here. I used Ono fish (also known as wahoo in other areas as wahoo.
PHENOMENAL!!! This recipe was incredibly close to Humpy’s restaurant in Kona on the Big Island. Now I don’t need to drive 100 miles each way to have amazing fish and chip!! Thank you Shawn!!! LOVE IT!!!
Shawn
Thanks for the comment Jodi! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Dawna
I made this tonight with walleye and OMG, this is the best beer batter recipe!!! Thank you!
Shawn
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Dawna!
Evelyn
Tried the recipe tonight with Atlantic Cod fillets and a brand new deep fryer. Nervous about the new fryer, but all went well. The fish was fantastic. Great recipe, really light and crisp batter. My husband and two sons, all adults, agreed it was better than any restaurant deep-fried fish. One of my sons is a “foodie” and actually worked in a seaside restaurant when he was younger, so is quite opinionated about fish prep. Very impressed. Congratulations Shawn.
Shawn
That’s wonderful to hear Evelyn! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Lisa Whittall
Super easy & so crispy
Shawn
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the fish Lisa!
Judy
My fish had no crispness.
I couldn’t get the lumps out of the batter so I sifted them out. That left a large bowl of tasty brown liquid. (I used Guinness.) when I put the fish in the liquid of course it didn’t adhere to the fish, flounder, which cooked but didn’t get crispy. Then I smushed the strained flour and rubbed the next fish in that and the liquid. It worked better but not great. Do I need less beer, more flour or what? HELP! My husband wants it again but I need a Revised recipe. The tartar sauce was great. I added what was left to my macaroni salad. Yum
Shawn
Hi Judy, I’m sorry you didn’t get that crispy fish. My guess is that your oil wasn’t hot enough yet. If it’s the right temperature your fish will cook perfectly, but if it’s not there yet, the fish will be more soggy and less crispy. Hope that helps!
Judy
If at first you don’t succeed try try again! Otherwise I’ll have an unhappy husband. I got 1-1/2 Crispy fish from rubbing them in my sifted out flour. I am persistent. I am lucky my neighbor always has beer on hand
Shawn
I’m glad it worked out for you Judy! 🙂
Tim
Looks great, I’ll let ya know if I ruin it or not lol. Have you tried this with chicken as well?
Sally
I wish the directions were more clear — up to 1 1/3 beer, but may be way less. My batter was a luiquidy mess 🙁 After my son did some research, I will try this again knowing that I am looking for a consistency that is like fluffy pancake batter (as opposed to crepes).
Shawn
The batter isn’t supposed to be super thick. If it’s too thick it wont be as crispy when it cooks. Make sure your oil is nice and hot, and even a thin layer of batter will puff up and get nice and crispy!
Ann W
Making this tonight, is it better to use cold or room temp beer or does that matter? Thanks in advance and will let you know later how it came out 🙂
Shawn
I don’t think it matters for the temperature of the beer.
Michelle
Made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! Batter is very flavorful and crispy. Definitely our new go to recipe.
JERRY BAILEY
CAN I SUBSTITUTE WATER FOR THE BEER?
Shawn
No, I would use club soda instead.
Kelli
Havnt tried this yet but going to! i was just wondering about the skin on the fish? I bought some fresh whitefish while in the U.P. do i try to remove or leave it?
Shawn
I would remove the skin on the fish before frying.
Dante
Amazing! I, a lazy teenager, decided to try this recipe because I was getting tired of my dad’s grilled fish. This was so perfect! I’ll definitely make it again-and the tartar sauce made it even better.
Shawn
Haha! Well I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Dante! 😉
Jess Rog
DELICIOUS!! I used Emirl’s original essence spice seasoning. Was super yummy with homemade French fries.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed it Jess!
Zoe
Meh…mine tasted rather bland. Will definitely add more seasoning next time.
Shawn
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the flavor of the fish. I would suggest pairing it with my tartar sauce. It’s a great combo!
Sandy
My whole life I could never cook fish.I decided to give it one last try and I DID IT!!!!. Looks just like the picture and is delicious and crispy
Shawn
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed the recipe Sandy!
Joe
I think I did something wrong because mine was not crispy; it was beautifully browned but the breading was soggy. I did pat the fish down so it was very dry (the store substituted Talapia for Cod in my grocery order). I followed the recipe exactly. The flavor was good, I was just really looking forward to that crispy shell. My oil was about 360 when I put the fish in. I used a cast iron frying pan and only put a few pieces in a a time to prevent crowding. I put the fish on a cooling rack after cooking. I’d love to figure out what I did wrong so I can make it again. The taste is great! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Shawn
Hey Joe! I emailed you directly, but I also wanted to respond here in case anyone else ran into the same issue. The reason your coating was soggy was because your oil was not hot enough. Try again at 375 degrees F and you should have much better success! 🙂
Joe
Thank you so much! I did get your email and I was going to try it again today but didn’t get around to it. I am thrilled it is something so simple. Thanks for the help!
Joe
Success! Cranked the heat up to 375 and got great results: crunchy, tasty fish! Thanks for sharing the recipe and for the guidance. Stay safe.
Shawn
That’s fantastic Joe! So glad you enjoyed it!
Sandy
Can you use guiness beer for the batter?
Joe
I did and the flavor was great.
Shawn
Yes, definitely!
Allene Lee
Thanks, I sure am going to try this!
Shawn
Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!