Beer Battered Fish with a crispy coating and light tender fillets of fish. This lightly seasoned beer batter is easy to make and makes perfect crispy fish for fish and chips.
Crispy beer battered fish
Beer Battered Fish is one of our favorite ways to make fish at home. Who can resist that crunchy coating and the perfect flaky fish? Not me!
Serve with homemade tartar sauce!
We have a summer fishing/camping tradition. We always spend one weekend on Lake Roosevelt, on the Columbia River camping and fishing.
We have several families that go together. There's a core group that's always there, but we always have a few more families that are able to join us each year. This year there were a total of 15 of us.
We go for the fish - Walleye, but it's also about having a great time and hanging out with everyone.
Walleye are tender fish and need a net in order to bring them into the boat. Otherwise, they tend to fall off the hook just as you bring them out of the water.
Sometimes the fishing gets a bit slow.
Some years the fishing is better than others, but we always catch enough to have a huge fish fry back at camp.
Most years we also have enough to bring back home and stock our freezers. I use the same recipe for making beer battered fish at home as I do at camp. I also make this pan fried Walleye and a fish salad with frozen fish.
Another great recipe that can be made with walleye or other fish is this almond crusted fish.
To make batter ahead of time
Since I'm never quite sure how much batter we will need at camp, I mix up all the dry ingredients and place in a zip-top bag. I mix one batch in each bag and I usually bring 3 or 4 bags with me.
At camp you just add beer until the mixture is the right consistency. You could just mix right in the bag and have one less thing to clean up. We usually dump the dry ingredients into a big bowl since we do so many fish.
Rod is always our fish fryer at camp.
And he cooks up a ton!
At home, we use the same method - just in smaller portions. If you don't have walleye, any light white fish will work - cod, haddock, halibut and flounder are good choices.
How to make homemade beer batter
- Mix flour, salt, paprika, baking powder and cornstarch together
- Add beer and mix
- Mixture should be thick, like pancake batter
- If mixture becomes too thick, add a bit more beer
- If mixture is too runny, add a bit more flour
What type of beer is best for beer batter?
You can use any type of beer for beer batter. I like to use a light pilsner type beer because I don't want a heavy-tasting beer in my batter.
What should I serve with this fish?
We keep it pretty simple when eating beer battered fish. We often just have a crisp green salad or a coleslaw or even a couscous salad. Onion Rings would also be delicious with this fish.
More delicious Walleye recipes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
If you loved this recipe you'll LOVE all the others in this category. Check out all my main dish recipes here!
Beer Battered Fish
Equipment
- Fry Thermometer
Ingredients
Batter
- 2 cups flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 - 1½ can beer (12 ounce)
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 -2 pounds fish fillets
- corn oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add beer and stir. Mixture should be the same consistency like pancake batter.2 cups flour, ⅓ cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 - 1½ can beer
- Add 1 ½ -2 inches oil to pan. Heat oil to 375 degrees.corn oil
- Pat fish fillets dry with a paper towel. Dip fish, one at a time, into beer batter. Add to heated oil. Cook 3-4 pieces at a time so pan is not overcrowded.1 -2 pounds fish fillets
- Cook 2-3 minutes per side. Place cooked fish on a baking sheet lined with a baking rack. Place in a preheated 250°F oven to keep warm while remaining fish cooks.
- Repeat until all fish is cooked.
Notes
- I use Walleye fish, but any light fish will work.
- Use a light beer.
- If batter is too thick, add a bit more beer.
- If batter is too runny, add a bit more flour.
- This recipe makes a large amount of batter. There is enough to dredge all fillets and there will be extra batter leftover.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Vicki says
So light and crispy! I might try Old Bay seasoning instead of paprika. It was really delicious!
Kathy says
Thank you!!! Old Bay is a classic with seafood so it should go well here too! 🙂
Jenni says
I just made this. I added some garlic powder to the mix. And after the first fry, I upped the heat a little, spritzed the fried fish with some lemon juice, and double fried it. The outcome was amazing! It was so crispy, and a huge hit with everyone. Made some onion rings with the left over batter. Thank you so much!! This recipe is a keeper for sure.
Kathy says
Thanks, Jenni! Glad this worked so well for you and you had enough to make onion rings too!!! Thanks for you tips! 🙂
Margie says
Do you have to use corn oil for frying
Kathy says
Hi Margie,
You can use almost any type of oil for frying - canola or vegetable oil will work well too!
Enjoy 🙂
Candace says
The entire family loves this recipe. I really just used the cornstarch (which I have discovered is key) and flour as the base and added my own spices to season the way we like - cue garlic. I always mix up a large batch to take camping, that way we just add beer and can add beer/mix to get the right consistency!
Kathy says
Hi Candace,
That's what I do for our camping trips too. I always make an extra bag of dry batter ingredients just in case we need one more. Then if we don't use it, I have it ready to go at home. Just add a beer and you're good to go! 🙂
KAREN S NORTON says
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS !!! Easy to make had everything in cupboard.Everyone loved it!
Kathy says
Thanks!!! I appreciate your feedback! 🙂
JOE SPENCE says
The best fish I ever had thank you KATHY
Kathy says
Thank you!!! 🙂
Nathalie says
This recipe should be readjusted for the beer quantity....
It should be 1 beer and a half beer. That is what worked for my batter tonight.
Kathy says
Thank you for your comment! Sometimes this recipe does take a bit more beer and could take up to 1 1/2 beers. This depends on many factors, your flour, how you measure your flour, the humidity in your area and how thick or thin you like your batter. Thanks for letting me know that it took a bit more for you. I hope you enjoyed your beer battered fish! 🙂
Patrick love says
I used 2 tsp of old bay instead of the regular salt. Came out great.
Kathy says
Hi Patrick,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your twist. I need to give Old Bay a try!
Thank you,
Kathy 🙂
Robert Lee Mullowney says
I added baking soda by accident, then the baking powder. Well, lets see how this works!
Kathy says
Let me know! Sometimes great recipes happen by accident! 🙂
Sharon says
Absolutely awesome recipe! We made this a few months ago and making again tonight - don't change a thing - you won't be disappointed!
Kathy says
So glad to hear, Sharon! Thanks so much for your lovely comment! 🙂
- Kathy
Essie Patterson says
I used the recipe to make deep fried spear ribs today. Great.
Kathy says
Wow! I never even heard of that before, but now I want to give that a try! Thanks for the suggestion!!! 🙂