Crispy Beer Battered Fish and Chips
Crispy, beer battered fish that stays crispy through the last bite, with classic "chips" style potato wedges, and homemade tartar sauce. (Includes gluten free alternative.)
Servings: 4 servings
Cost: $12
Ingredients
For the Chips
- 4 large russet potatoes cleaned, cut into 12 wedges each
- olive oil for drizzling
- coarse salt and pepper to taste
- parsley optional
For the Fish
- 1 lb cod cut into fillets; can use haddock, halibut, or similar white fish
- ½ cup rice flour, plus more for dredging (see recipe notes below for gluten free option)
- ½ cup all purpose flour (see recipe notes below for gluten free option)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (see recipe notes below for gluten free option)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika do not use smoked paprika
- 1 cup beer or club soda (see recipe notes below for gluten free option)
- 1 teaspoon white or white wine vinegar
- salt and white or black pepper to taste
- vegetable oil for frying
- fresh lemon wedges for serving
For the Homemade Tartar Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 large lemon squeezed, the juice of
- 2 tablespoon capers can substitute choice of sweet pickles or relish
- ¼ teaspoon sugar omit if using sweet pickles
- pinch salt and pepper more or less, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder optional
- 1 tablespoon minced dill optional, add for Beaver copy cat tartar sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder optional, add for Beaver copy cat tartar sauce
Instructions
For the Chips
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Wash and dry the potatoes. Cut into 12 wedges (by first cutting into quarters, and then those quarters into thirds). Pat dry with towel.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pile the potatoes on into a neat pile.
- Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Toss with fingers to evenly coat every potato.
- Spread the potatoes out so that they are in a single layer with room in between to allow them to crisp.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until browned and crisped.
- If desired, sprinkle with dried or fresh minced parsley before serving for garnish.
For the Fish
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set a cooling rack over it that is at least ½ inch off of the surface of the baking sheet.
- Pour vegetable oil in a deep stock pot, about 3 inches deep, leaving at least 3-4 inches space to the top of the pan. (The oil level will rise rapidly once the fish is put in it, and it needs room to do so, to avoid boiling over hot oil.)
- Heat the oil on medium to medium-high heat or use a thermometer to reach approximately 375 degrees. It should sizzle when flour is sprinkled in, but not smoke.
- Cut the fish into 1 inch thick fillets, about 3 inches long. The thick parts of the fish can be cut in half long ways for a thinner fillet.
- Pat the fish completely dry with paper towels, leaving no trace of surface moisture. If possible, allow fish to air dry uncovered in the fridge for up to one hour; though this is not required.
- Lightly salt and pepper both sides of each fish fillet.
- Take the dried fish and dredge in just the rice flour alone (or baking mix), and set aside on a plate.
- Whisk together the ½ cup rice flour, ½ cup all purpose flour and 1 tablespoon baking powder in a bowl. (If you are using a gluten free baking mix, this mix replaces these 3 ingredients, so just add 1 cup of mix to a bowl instead of both flours and baking powder.)
- Add 1 teaspoon each of sugar and salt, the ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, and mix well.
- Add the 1 cup of beer/club soda and the 1 teaspoon of white/white wine vinegar and whisk everything to form a batter.
- When oil has reached 375 degrees, or sizzles when a bit of flour hits it, it's ready.
- Take the dredged fish fillets and dip into the batter, lightly shaking off the excess.
- Carefully drop into the hot oil, it should immediately bubble and fry. Work in batches of 2 to 3 fish fillets, depending on the size so that they aren't crowded in the oil. After 2-3 minutes, flip the fish to get an even color on the other side and fry an additional 1-2 minutes longer.
- Use a slotted spoon, or frying strainer to remove the fish from the oil once they are dark golden brown and lay to drain on the cooling rack with plenty of room in between. Repeat with all the fish until it's done. Oil will stay very hot and dangerous until cooled, so make sure to keep the pot of oil in a safe place to cool.
Make the Tartar Sauce
- To make the tartar sauce, use an immersion blender or pulse in a food processor the 1 cup mayonnaise, juice of lemon, 2 tablespoon capers/diced pickles/relish, and pinch of sugar, salt and pepper until just blended. If desired, blend in the teaspoon of ground mustard powder, ⅛ teaspoon onion powder, and the fresh or dried dill. Store in fridge up to one week.
Notes
- To make fish gluten free, substitute the ½ cup rice flour, ½ cup all purpose flour, and 1 tablespoon baking powder, for 1 cup gluten free baking mix only. Use a mix like King Arthur Flour Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix that is primarily rice flour, with potato and tapioca starches added. Check list of ingredients on package.
- Cod is a flaky mild white fish, and probably the most popular choice. Haddock is also widely used, along with Halibut. Ask your Seafood department what they recommend.
- Be very careful with hot oil! Fry the fish on the back burner, to minimize the risk of accidental spills. Make sure small children are not near the stove; when the first pieces of fish go in, the oil can bubble and rise very quickly if it's too hot and it can boil over the pot and cause major injuries. When it's done, it will continue to be hot for quite some time, so make sure it's out of the way until completely cooled.
- Be sure to drain fish on a rack over a parchment lined baking sheet so that air can circulate underneath. This prevents steaming which is what makes fish get soggy a few minutes later.
- To reheat fish, the best way to do so is in hot oil again, for just a minute or two. Just enough to warm and crisp it up without making the breading too dark. It can also be heated in the oven at 450 degrees for a few minutes and served immediately. Don't attempt to reheat fish at a low temperature, it will just get soggy.