British Beer-Battered Fish & Chips

fish & seafoodmeat & seafoodlunchdinnerfriesdeep fried

Jun 9

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Screen Shot 2021-06-08 at 6.14.52 PM.png — Bring the classic pub-style treat to your home for dinner tonight with this **British Beer-Battered Fish & Chips**! No need to go to a chip shop when you can make the crispiest fish and French fries right from your kitchen!

I think we’ve all seen fish and chips since we were kids. It’s just one of those staple meals that you hear about all the time. It’s a British staple! I really should have British food more often! I made an epic Beef Wellington for Christmas Dinner 2020, which you can find on my IGTV, and I love a good Shepherd’s Pie. I’d also love to try my hand at some Scotch Eggs or a Yorkshire Pudding!

Full disclaimer that I’ve never ordered a fish and chips at a restaurant or pub before. But I get so much of my inspiration from Gordon Ramsay to try new things, and lots of times my first taste of a dish is actually homemade, then I’m eager to compare mine with that of the restaurant! While sometimes it’s the other way around - I’ve loved a restaurant dish and want to try it myself - the reverse has happened countless times too! I saw fish and chips being made on Hell’s Kitchen, so a jolt of inspiration came to me and I just had to finally make my own Beer Battered Fish & Chips recipe!

At the time of writing this, we’re in the pandemic phase, so there’s unfortunately no eating out anyway. A bit of a side note, but this is where you can see that being able to cook can come in so handy! I’ve ordered some Pizza Hut and got some poutines as a nice little break, but I’m not missing the restaurants all that much! Of course the experience and going out is lovely, but I can certainly satisfy my cravings at home!

On my YouTube channel awhile back, I made a poll asking what viewers wanted to see. There was an overwhelming number of responses for seafood!

That is something I don’t make often enough, I’ll admit. For me, fish is a special protein. I’m so biased toward chicken, and I resort to chicken breast for an easy weeknight protein. But there is so much magic in fish! I recently discovered my favourite white fish - and probably my favourite fish! - and that will be used in this recipe! Stay tuned ;)

What Makes a Good Fish & Chips?

Although I’ve never had a fish and chips before cooking up my own, I can tell you based on testing out this recipe what you’ll want to get out of it!

Fish that won’t go soggy! We want our crust nice and crispy!
Tender, juicy fish
Fries that are warm and crispy
Fish that’s perfectly seasoned. White fish can be quite bland, but in this case all the flavour will come from the seasoning that’s in the beer batter.

Don’t worry, with this recipe all the boxes will be checked off, and you’ll have an excellent fish and chips that will deliver in taste and satisfaction!

What Beer Should I Use to Make Fish & Chips?

You can use either a dark or light beer. I’ve done both. In the video, I actually used a dark beer, Guinness ale to be precise. I was a bit concerned by the colour of the beer batter, but when it came time to actually fry the fish, the colour was a lovely golden brown comparable to when I had used light beer, and the taste was just right!

The main thing is that you won’t want a beer that has too strong of a flavour. This will distract from the taste of your seasoned beer batter, and you won’t enjoy the crispiness of the awesome crust! Honestly I’ve just picked out random beers from the store and was lucky, but try to go for neutral beers with a lower alcohol percentage.

What kind of fish to use for fish & chips?

Typically, a white fish is used for fish & chips. I’ve tried Alaskan cod fish and halibut. My ultimate choice would be the halibut, as I’m going to show you here. I think halibut has become my favourite fish of all time now!

I find that halibut has an incredible flavour of its own! You’ll notice that halibut filets are nice and thick. That’s perfect for this recipe, so that it won’t break down when you’re coating the fish and when you’re frying it. Halibut filets are firm and will hold their shape with the batter. PLUS when you bite into your stick, you’ll have such a good taste! Inside that amazing crust will be so much juiciness and tenderness. You’ll definitely want to savoury every bite!

If you can’t find halibut or want to explore, here are my other fish recommendations:

Cod
Haddock
Tilapia
Catfish

How to get the batter to stick to the fish?

If you watch the video at the bottom of this post, you’ll see that I coated the fish using skewers. You’ll have one plate with some rice flour to dip your fish in before adding the batter. The rice flour will make the batter stick onto the fish and ensure it’s nice and crispy when it cooks! The all purpose flour that’s in the batter will make the crust nice and puffy when you fry it.

What Potatoes Should I use to Make Restaurants-Style Fries?

Hey, if you’re new here let me tell you something. I have THREE French Fries recipes! On my social media, I’ve been getting called the master of French fries, haha! I’m not sure about that, but I do love to make fries on an almost daily basis now! This is my childhood dream come true!

To keep this classic, I’ll be following my Restaurant-Style French Fries recipe. Might as well deep fry the fries if we’re already frying our fish, right! We’re going to for the full pub-style experience! For this recipe, as well as my non-fry French fry recipes, the Perfect Air Fryer French Fries and the Homemade Baked Oven French Fries recipes, you’ll see that I used Yukon gold yellow potatoes. I chose those potatoes for those recipes because I preferred the taste and the colour that comes from cooking those fries in those appliances.

Here, though, I actually used russet or baking potatoes. I still keep reading so many bloggers recommending russet potatoes for French fries. So, I gave it a shot! These fries were pretty good, but I do prefer the Yukon gold potatoes for French fries. They’ll really taste more like what you know from a restaurant, a food truck, or your favourite fast food place! With that being said, I recommend the yellow potatoes, but if you prefer or want to try russet potatoes, then by all means go for it! Let me know in the comments which potatoes you prefer!

Tips for the Best Crispy Fish & Chips

Here are some tips to keep in mind when you’re making the best fish and chips at home!

Do the first fry of the French fries first. This will fully cook the potatoes. The fries can cool down before the second fry when you fry your fish.
I strongly recommend the addition of rice flour to ensure that your crust won’t get soggy and mushy after frying!
Make sure your beer is ice cold before making your batter.
Make sure you use a firm fish so that it will hold the batter well and won’t break down when coating or frying.
Dip the fish in the rice flour and batter using skewers so you don’t get your hands dirty!
Check the temperature of the oil before frying. You want 125 degrees Celsius for the first French fry frying process, and 175 degrees Celsius to fry the fish and finish the French fries.

Ingredients for Fish & Chips

Here’s what you’ll need to make the best British Fish & Chips. Keep in mind that all measurements can be found in the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD at the bottom of this post, so be sure to scroll to the end and save it for later!

For the Beer Batter

Beer: For this recipe, I’m using a dark beer. You can use a dark or light beer. Make sure your beer is ice cold when using it in your batter.
Rice flour: Based on my experience from my restaurant days, we’d make our batters with a combination of rice flour and all-purpose flour, so I decided to try that out in this recipe! The rice flour will keep the crispiness minutes after the fish has cooked. Using only all-purpose flour will result in a soggy crust as the fish rests. We don’t want that at all!
All purpose flour: Using all-purpose flour will give the lovely golden brown colour on the crust we’re looking for.
Baking powder: This will make the crust airy and fluffy, giving you the texture of restaurant-quality fish and chips.
Salt: To season the batter.
Paprika: Optional, but I added a bit for a tiny bit of heat to my beer batter! Feel free to omit if you don’t want it.

For the Fish & Chips

White fish filets: Today I’m going to use halibut, and this is the fish I recommend you go with.
Potatoes: Use russet or Yukon yellow gold. In the video, I used russet. I was testing to see which potatoes I prefer. I actually prefer the flavour of Yukon gold, but russet works too!
Oil: For frying. I’m using an olive & canola oil blend. Oils that work well for deep frying are peanut oil, coconut oil, ghee, avocado oil, and olive oil.
Salt: To season the fries.

How to Make Beer-Battered Fish & Chips

For the Fish

Preheat the oil for frying at 175 degrees Celsius. Ensure the depth of the oil is at least 2-3 inches.
Pat the fish dry and season with salt on each side.
Prepare the batter by combining all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then slowly pour in the beer while whisking.
Pour until you have a batter which matches the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Prepare a plate with flour for dusting and then dip the fish in flour, and then dip it in the batter to coat. Carefully drop the fish in the oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 7-9 minutes.

For the French Fries

I’ll be following my Restaurant-Style French Fries recipe to make these fries. For more details on deep frying the perfect, restaurant-style fries, then be sure to check that post out!

Rinse and wash the potatoes well. You may peel the potato or keep the skin on.
Slice each potato into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Then, stack 2-3 slices at a time and cut the potatoes into about 1/2 inch matchsticks.
Soak the fries in cold for for 15-20 minutes while you preheat a pot/wok of oil at 125 Celsius. The oil should be at least 2 inches in depth
Prepare a baking sheet with a layer of paper towels. Remove potatoes from the water and transfer to baking sheet. Pat dry to remove most of the moisture.
Add fries in batches to hot oil and cook for around 10 minutes, or until the fries are soft. Drain and set aside on a baking sheet layer with paper towels. Repeat this step for any remaining fries.
Wait until the fish is ready to fry and the once the fish is ready, cook fries for 5-8 minutes or until they are golden crispy.
Drain and set aside, season immediately and serve hot!

Serving Suggestions

You’re now ready to enjoy some delicious British Beer-Battered Fish & Chips! Here are some ideas to take your fish and chips up a notch!

Tartar sauce: I haven’t made my own yet but I’d love to give it a try! So good!
Spicy Aoili: Spicy mayonnaise with Sriracha, garlic and lemon juice.
Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing: It’s an awesome dipping sauce and it’s much lighter than a traditional Caesar dressing.
Lemon or lime juice: Squeeze on a touch for some extra zestiness!
Quick & Healthy Creamy Coleslaw: This recipe uses no mayo but it’s still super creamy and satisfying! It would be an excellent light side dish!
Ketchup: Can’t go wrong with it!
Last but not least - vinegar and a sprinkle of salt: Classic!

Watch How to Make British Beer-Battered Fish & chips Here:

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!

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British

British Beer-Battered Fish & Chips | Best Beer-Batter Crispy Fish Recipe | No Soggy Fish or Fries!https://youtu.be/hGe0YJKlV3oBritish Beer-Battered Fish & Chips is a classic recipe commonly served at pubs. This recipe will show you how to make an easy beer batter and how to fry the halibut to make the crispy fish. This Beer-Battered Fish & Chips recipe will also show you how to deep fry your French fries to go with the crispy beer-battered fish. Serve this beer-battered British fish and chips with tartar sauce or ketchup2021-06-09

Yield: 2

Author: Anadi

British Beer-Battered Fish & Chips

Bring the classic pub-style treat to your home for dinner tonight with this British Beer-Battered Fish & Chips! No need to go to a chip shop when you can make the crispiest fish and French fries right from your kitchen!

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

For the beer batter

Beer dark or light ale, as needed
1 heaping Tbsp rice flour
2/3 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
paprika, as desired
salt and pepper to taste

For the fish & chips

3 small filets of white fish of choice (I recommend halibut), cut into strips
2 pounds russet or yellow Yukon Gold potatoes (4 large potatoes)
Oil, for frying (Peanut oil/Olive oil/Avocado oil/Coconut oil/Lard/Tallow)
salt to taste

Instructions

For the fish

Preheat the oil for frying at 175 degrees Celsius. Ensure the depth of the oil is at least 2-3 inches.
Pat the fish dry and season with salt on each side.
Prepare the batter by combining all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then slowly pour in the beer while whisking.
Pour until you have a batter which matches the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Prepare a plate with flour for dusting and then dip the fish in flour, and then dip it in the batter to coat. Carefully drop the fish in the oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 7-9 minutes.

For the chips

Rinse and wash the potatoes well. You may peel the potato or keep the skin on.
Slice each potato into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Then, stack 2-3 slices at a time and cut the potatoes into about 1/2 inch matchsticks.
Soak the fries in cold for for 15-20 minutes while you preheat a pot/wok of oil at 125 Celsius. The oil should be at least 2 inches in depth
Prepare a baking sheet with a layer of paper towels. Remove potatoes from the water and transfer to baking sheet. Pat dry to remove most of the moisture.
Add fries in batches to hot oil and cook for around 10 minutes, or until the fries are soft. Drain and set aside on a baking sheet layer with paper towels. Repeat this step for any remaining fries.
Wait until the fish is ready to fry and the once the fish is ready, cook fries for 5-8 minutes or until they are golden crispy.
Drain and set aside, season immediately and serve hot!