Beer Batter for Seafood

The feast

 Last week our family gathered for vacation on Cape Cod. The day vacation ended was Dad Riddle's 70th birthday. 

Happy 70th Dad!

We decided to celebrate him in a very New England fashion with a seafood feast. Doug grilled shrimp, Joseph prepared a bass Aaron caught, he wowed us with seared scallops with herb butter, we steamed lobsters, prepared crabcakes and fried some fresh New England cod. I know frying fish isn't the most healthy way to eat fish but DAAAAAANG it is the most tasty. Don't worry, we made a salad too.

We decided to use a beer batter. This recipe is perfection. Super easy to prepare, it coats the fish lightly and crisps up well. There are a few tips in the recipe that will make sure your beer battered fish turns out great. (marked with an *) Be sure to read those carefully. We have used cod and halibut with this recipe, both are meaty white fish, but this beer batter recipe will work for shellfish, thin veggies or tofu as well.

Beer Batter for Seafood:

Ingredients:

2lbs white fish

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp 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 (a lighter summer beer works well for fish)

Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Directions:

1. Prepare your fish. You want to cut your fish into smaller portions, 1x3 inches works well. *If your fish portions are too big, it will cool down your fry oil and not cook well. Pat your fish dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

My little chef!

2. In a heavy bottomed pot, dutch oven or fryer, heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees. 

3. While your oil heats, make your fry batter. Combine the flour, garlic powder, paprika, seasoned salt, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the egg to combine, then whisk in the beer until the batter forms and is no longer lumpy. 

*I have found that this recipe requires 3-4 tablespoons of extra flour to get to the perfect coating consistency. It may depend on the beer you choose. The batter should resemble a thin pancake batter. It should just coat your finger if you dip it in the batter, and a few drips should drip off. It should not be runny, but it also should not be as thick as a cake or muffin batter.

4. *Test that your oil is hot by either using a candy thermometer or dripping a bit of batter in the oil. If the batter test bubbles up to the surface right away you are looking good. When your oil is ready, dip your fish pieces one at a time in the batter and carefully drop in the oil. The fish is ready when it has turned a beautiful golden brown...3-5 minutes. 

*if your fish sinks to the bottom and sticks, or your batter comes off in the oil or it takes a really long time...that is a good indication that your oil is not hot enough

* be aware that if you are using a gas stove, drafts can impact your burner's effectiveness. 

5. Carefully remove your cooked fish with a slotted spoon and let it cool on a wire rack. 

*The wire cooling rack preserves the crispyness of the batter while the fish cools. Cooling on a paper towel will result in soggy fish.

6. Enjoy with tarter sauce :)