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.
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 a 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 the 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.
Tawn says
This recipe is wonderful! We had 6 pounds of fresh walleye fillets. Everyone said it was the best fish they’ve ever had. Because we had 2 guests who can’t have gluten I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour and Glutenberg brand beer. The results were astounding. Light, crispy coating. Absolutely perfect. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kathy says
Thanks so much! I'm glad you were able to make this gluten free and I appreciate your tips for doing so!
Kathy 🙂
kirk smith says
Hi! I was thinking when you mix the dry ingredients and not using alot of fish if you only use the amount of dry batter that you need store the rest for next time the baking powder would stay active. And just use the amount of beer you need for the amount you are using at the time. What do you think? It was wonderful i used walleye.
Kathy says
I think that should work, as long as you've mixed the dry ingredients really well together. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!
Kathy 🙂
Mary says
Love beer batter fish . I haven’t used you recipe yet , but I think. What was said in her comments was A good idea .
Katie says
This is a favorite in our house. Love the crispy batter.
Sharon S. says
I tried this for the first time tonight in my new Fry Daddy. Since I was only making one piece of Cod for just myself, I cut the recipe quite a bit and next time will cut it even more.
Not sure what I did wrong as the crispy coating got soggy very quickly. But the flavor was amazing and the fish cooked perfectly. Should I have set this on paper towel after it came out of the fryer to crisp up and absorb some of the grease??
Also, since I had a fair bit of the batter left over, could I have saved it in the fridge for a day or so?
Kathy says
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for your comment. The batter does make a lot so you were wise to cut the amount down. I don't know if the batter will still be good after sitting in the fridge. The baking powder might not be active and you might not get the same results.
As far as the crispy coating, it sounds like your temperature of the oil might be too low. You might try using an external instant read thermometer to make certain the Fry Daddy is accurate. You can place the fish on paper towels or on a baking rack when it first comes out of the fryer. But if it's soggy and greasy, that's usually a temperature that's too low.
Kathy 🙂
Robin says
Hubs went fishing and brought home walleye. Had our neighbors over and used your batter recipe. We were all raving about how yummy it was. Thanks for sharing.
Kathy says
Thank you!!! So glad everyone enjoyed! 🙂
Lorilyn says
You did it again! We were out of fish, so used this with Oysters and vegetables.
It was amazing! We had the veggies for hors d'oeuvres, then later made oyster sandwiches and fried what was left of the vegetables.
Instead of milk, we just left the onion rings in the batter mix to soften, which worked great. We had mushrooms, cauliflower and zucchini with your batter, as well. Hubby said it was the best batter we have ever used/made. Your recipe was perfectly proportioned; would not change a thing.
I still think you should have a "buy me a coffee" link or something to get paid for these amazing recipes (until your recipe book is compiled!). Tomorrow am planning on making your buttermilk biscuits and gravy.
Thanks again, for yet another outstanding recipe~
Kathy says
Thank you!!! I'm so glad this worked so well for you and I really appreciate all your compliments and support! 🙂
I love that you keep working your way through all my recipes!
Larry Young says
It was great just by your directions, Best homemade batter I ever made. Thank You!
Kathy says
Thank you!!! 🙂
Jordan says
Have you used Crappie before or do you think that would be a good fish for the recipe?
Kathy says
Hi Jordan,
I've never cooked with crappie before, but I did some quick research and it should work out just fine!
Enjoy,
Kathy 🙂
Lorraine Séguin says
That was the best I ever had in any restaurant even my husband who does eat fish had 2 helpings everyone loved it all wanted the recipe just perfect did not change a thing
Thank you for a great recipe
Kathy says
Thank you!!! I'm so glad everyone loved it and I really appreciate your comment! 🙂
Michael Deatherage says
Great recipe. I used Yuengling Lager and about 1 teaspoon of Old Bay. That Virginia addition. Anyway, amazing! I love beer batter and specifically those using corn starch. Gives it that panko crispiness. Kids love the little batterfries that come with it. I disagree with the extra 1/2 beer, but then again, some like less batter and some like more. I actually added about an 1/8th of flour. A lot of it does have to do with your beer also.
I've made 100's of batches of fish and chips using 100's of different beers, and even a few liquors, such as vodka. I still enjoy the Yuengling more than most. This was a great recipe.
Michael Deatherage says
I forgot to say, I used roughly 4 lbs of fresh-caught Alaskan Halibut. I don't remember if you said it in your directions, but I do always let my fish air dry so the batter sticks. You may have said to pat dry, either way, my lord. A simply great recipe for any kind of white fish.
Kathy says
Thanks for the additional tips! 🙂
Kathy says
Hi Michael,
Thanks for you comment! The amount of beer does vary and everyone does have a personal preference on how thick or thin to make the batter. I never knew that different types of beer could affect the amount too! Thanks for that tip!
Kathy 🙂