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This Beer-Battered Fried Fish recipe is perfect for a weekend fish fry. Use it with your favorite fish, whether bass, catfish, crappie, or walleye. Cornmeal and simple seasonings gives it a crispy, flavorful crust to compliment the tender, freshwater fish.
Our family has always enjoyed fishing in the spring and summer. These days, we get our fresh fish from my husband’s uncle who is retired and does a LOT of fishing. He supplies us with all the fish we can eat. And we always enjoy the bounty he brings. When my freezer stash grows too full, it’s time for a family fish fry!
If you don’t have a fisherman in your family, you may easily substitute frozen fish from the grocery store, such as farm-raised catfish, tilapia, halibut, or cod.
Equipment and Supplies Needed
For this recipe you’ll need a kettle or Dutch oven to deep fry the fish, and a cooking thermometer to keep the hot oil at the desired temperature. I like to use peanut oil for deep frying, as it holds up to higher temperatures longer than other oils, which results in a crispy coating. It also has little to no “frying odors” or flavors as experienced with vegetable or canola oil.
If you happen to have an Outdoor Propane Burner, I highly recommend using it for deep fat frying or boiling. Not only will it heat the oil faster, it will do a better job of holding the optimum temperature for frying. I’m putting one on my Christmas list!
If you prefer pan-frying, see this recipe for Fried Catfish. This recipe also works well when making Fish Tacos.
Serving Fish and Chips (or Fries)
If you plan to serve French fries with your fish, I like to double fry them. Fry them once before cooking the fish. Then when the fish is finished, cook the fries a second time in hot oil for 2-3 minutes to crisp them up before serving. This way your food is hot and crispy when served.
Ingredients for Beer-Battered Fried Fish
See full recipe in its entirety at the bottom of this post.
*If serving more than 6 people, simply double or triple the recipe as needed.
- frozen fish (bass, catfish, crappie, or walleye)
- bottle of beer (I prefer dark ale, but use what you like)
- all-purpose flour
- yellow cornmeal
- seasoned salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Peanut oil for deep frying
- kosher salt and more black pepper for seasoning
Homemade Tarter Sauce
- salad dressing or mayonnaise
- sweet or dill pickle relish
A Few Tips for Preparing Fish
Sometimes freshwater fish has a “gamey wild” taste. To protect against such things, I like to soak the fish pieces in beer for 30-60 minutes before frying. I prefer a dark ale, but you can use any beer that you have on hand. This helps to remove any undesirable flavor.
When I use this batter recipe, I prefer to cut the fish into 2-3 inch pieces. That way they fry more quickly and are more uniform. But you could also fry larger pieces, especially if using a skillet.
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
On a cutting board, slice fish into 2-3 inch pieces. Place in a shallow bowl. Pour beer over the fish and allow to soak for 30-60 minutes before cooking. Using a wire strainer, remove the fish from the beer, but reserve the beer for the batter.
Preheat enough oil in a Dutch oven or tall-sided skillet for deep frying.
In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, seasoned salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add the reserved beer to the flour and mix with wire whisk or fork until combined.
Add chunks of fish to batter, coating each piece well. The batter may seem thin at first, but it will thicken as it sits.
When the peanut oil has reached the proper temperature to ensure crispness (between 350-375 degrees), add 6-8 pieces of fish at a time. Cook for 2-4 minutes, turning once or twice until both sides are a deep golden brown.
When deep frying, it’s important to keep your oil at the proper frying temperature, between 350-375 degrees. If it drops below 350 you risk having oil-laden food. I usually shoot for the higher temperature, and only add a few pieces at a time. I’ve learned it’s better to fry in smaller batches to keep the temperature in check.
Remove the pieces of fish with a wire strainer and place on paper towels or a wire rack to remove excess oil. Sprinkle fish with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired. Return oil to cooking temperature and repeat until all of the fish has been fried.
Place the fish on a pretty platter or in a bowl to serve. This recipe will serve 4-6 people.
Prepare the Homemade Tarter Sauce
While the fish is frying, prepare the tarter sauce. In a small bowl, combine the salad dressing and sweet relish. Or if you prefer a sauce that is not sweet, use mayonnaise and dill relish. Both are very tasty with this fried fish recipe.
Serve with French Fries, Pan Fried Country Potatoes, Coleslaw, Macaroni and Cheese, and Hush Puppies.
See more Fish and Seafood Recipes Here. Browse Main Dishes Here. View Fried Foods Here.
Beer-Battered Fried Fish
Ingredients
- 24 oz frozen fish bass, catfish, crappie, or walleye
- 12 oz dark ale beer
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 quarts Peanut oil for deep frying
- kosher salt and more black pepper for seasoning
Homemade Tarter Sauce
- 1 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons sweet or dill relish
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
- On a cutting board, slice fish into 2-3 inch pieces. Place in a shallow bowl. Pour beer over the fish and allow to soak for 30-60 minutes before cooking. To protect against gamey fish, I like to soak the fish pieces in beer for 30-60 minutes before frying. I prefer a dark ale, but you can use any beer that you have on hand. This helps to remove any undesirable flavor.
- Using a wire strainer, remove the fish from the beer, but reserve the beer for the batter.
- Preheat enough oil in a Dutch oven or tall-sided skillet for deep frying.
- In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, seasoned salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add the reserved beer to the flour and mix with wire whisk or fork until combined.
- Add chunks of fish to batter, coating each piece well. The batter may seem thin at first, but it will thicken as it sits.
- When the peanut oil has reached the proper temperature to ensure crispness (between 350-375 degrees), add 6-8 pieces of fish at a time with a fork. Cook for 2-4 minutes, turning once or twice until both sides are a deep golden brown.
- When deep frying, it’s important to keep your oil at the proper frying temperature, between 350-375 degrees. If it drops below 350 you risk having oil-laden food. I usually shoot for the higher temperature, and only add a few pieces at a time. I’ve learned it’s better to fry in smaller batches to keep the temperature in check.
- Remove the pieces of fish with a wire strainer and place on paper towels or a wire rack to remove excess oil. Sprinkle fish with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired. Return oil to cooking temperature and repeat until all of the fish has been fried.
- Place the fish on a pretty platter or in a bowl to serve. This recipe will serve 4-6 people.
Prepare the Homemade Tarter Sauce
- While the fish is frying, prepare the tarter sauce. In a small bowl, combine the salad dressing and sweet relish. Or if you prefer a sauce that is not sweet, use mayonnaise and dill relish. Both are very tasty with this fried fish recipe.
Notes
- If serving more than 6 people, simply double or triple the recipe as needed.
