Beer Battered Cod
This beer batter cod is amazingly crisp on the outside yet juicy and flaky on the inside. It is quick to make and tastes even better than your local fish fry.
I love easy dinner likes fried rice or skillet lasagna. Another favorite is this beer-battered cod.
It is the best fried fish I've ever tasted! The outside is light and crispy, yet it remains super flaky on the inside. The beer's carbonation makes the batter super light and airy (I also love using beer in my pickle chip batter) . However, it still has a great crunch. You'll physically hear it when you bite into these bad boys. It is wonderful for dinner during Lent, or any night really. Serve with french fries or onion rings for a real pub-inspired feast.
Fish and chips are traditionally served with malt vinegar over the top. However, I like mine with a squeeze of lemon and a generous amount of tartar sauce.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Super crunchy: It's impossible to sneak a bite of this as everyone will hear you crunching! Beer batter leads to a super crispy batter than is never heavy.
- Flavorful: No bland batter here: We used hot sauce and basic salt/pepper. Feel free to use your favorites.
- Fast and Easy: Get dinner on the table in no time!
What Is Beer Batter?
Beer batter is a type of light, crisp coating that's made from a mixture of flour, beer, and seasonings. The alcohol in the beer evaporates as the batter cooks. It is often used to coat foods like fish, and onion rings before they are fried.
Ingredient Notes
- Beer: The alcohol does cook off in cooking, but if you still want to avoid it nonalcoholic beer will work. If you don't like the flavor of beer, a bubbly beverage like club soda will give the same effects.
- Cod: I like the flavor and flakiness of cod. When selecting cod, look for bright white flesh with no spots or discoloration. Fresh fish should have an ocean-like smell - if it's not fresh, it will likely have a fishy taste. However, any white fish would work. Other good options include halibut, haddock, tilapia,or grouper. Frozen fish will work if you don't have access to fresh seafood, just be sure to thaw it first.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point. Canola, vegetable, or peanut are my go-to. Avoid oils like olive oil which have a low smoke point.
- Baking Powder: This helps the batter rise even more giving it that classic pub food texture.
Leftovers
Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat in the oven or air fryer until heated through. Avoid reheating in the microwave which can make the coating soggy.
Freezing: Freeze for up to 1 month.
Tips
- Dry off excess moisture: Pat the fish dry with paper towels to help batter better adhere.
- Make-Ahead: Batter can be made up to 2 days ahead. We found that batter straight out of the fridge actually lead to a crispier result!
- Don't overcrowd the pan: You want your oil to stay at the same temperature to avoid a greasy coating. Adding too much to the pot at the time same may quickly lower the oil temperature.
- Don't overcook: Use a deep-fry thermometer to ensure your fish is cooked through. Overcooked fish is rubbery. If your oil is too hot the outside may burn with the inside remaining raw. Do your best to keep your oil at 370 degrees. Fish is down when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
- Keep warm: Keep fish warm while you fry the remaining batches in your oven at 250 degrees F.
Use whatever beer you enjoy drinking. I used a local pale ale which is mildly bitter but not overpowering. I also like Pilsners which are slightly malty and lagers.
Make sure your oil is at the correct temperature. If it is too low the fish will absorb too much oil and be greasy. Avoid adding too much fish at once which can also lower the oil temp.
First, be sure to pat the fish dry to absorb any excess moisture. Next, dip in flour to further dry the surface.
Serve With
📖 Recipe
Beer Battered Cod
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cups All Purpose Flour Divided
- 2 Teaspoons White Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Sauce If Desired
- 1 Cup Beer
- 2 Pounds of Cod Fillet Cut Into Strips
- Vegetable Oil For Frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir in eggs and hot sauce.
- Slowly pour in beer. Stir constantly with a whisk until the batter is smooth and no longer foamy.
- In a large stock pot or cast iron skillet heat 2-3 inches of oil to 370 degrees F.
- Dip cod strips into remaining flour. Shake off any excess.
- Then dip into beer batter.
- Carefully drop fish one piece at a time into the hot oil. Cook until brown on both sides, turning only once.
- Drain on paper towels.
Notes
- Beer: Use whatever beer you enjoy drinking. I used a local pale ale. The alcohol does cook off in cooking, but if you still want to avoid it nonalcoholic beer will work. If you don't like the flavor of beer, a bubbly beverage like club soda will give the same effects.
- Cod: I like the flavor and flakiness of cod. When selecting cod, look for bright white flesh with no spots or discoloration. Fish should have a solid texture with few bones. Fresh fish should have an ocean-like smell - if it's not fresh, it will likely have a fishy taste. However, any white fish would work. Other good options include halibut, haddock, tilapia,or grouper. Frozen fish will work if you don't have access to fresh seafood, just be sure to thaw it first.
- Oil: Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point. Canola, vegetable, or peanut are my go-to. Avoid oils like olive oil which have a low smoke point.
- Dry off excess moisture: Pat the fish dry with paper towels to help the batter better adhere.
- Make-Ahead: Batter can be made up to 2 days ahead. We found that batter straight out of the fridge actually lead to a crispier result!
- Don't overcrowd the pan: You want your oil to stay at the same temperature to avoid a greasy coating. Adding too much to the pot at the time same may quickly lower the oil temperature.
- Don't overcook: Use a deep-fry thermometer to ensure your fish is cooked through. Overcooked fish is rubbery. If your oil is too hot the outside may burn with the inside remaining raw. Do your best to keep your oil at 370 degrees. Fish is down when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
- Keep warm: Keep fish warm while you fry the remaining batches in your oven at 250 degrees F.
Nutrition
I made this last night and it was excellant. I used frozen thawed cod from Costo. Today we made fish tacos with the leftovers. They were delicious. Next time I'm going to make the onion rings as well. Thanks for sharing this recipe. It's a keeper!!!
Yay, we love Costco fish. Thanks for making our recipes and stopping by Carrie.
Sounds exactly like how my Mom used to make. Going to use club soda instead of beer, though. Doing this tomorrow! Thank you!
This is my favorite! Thanks for the easy recipe!
That breading looks perfect! So crunchy!
This is so good!! I loved that it is so quick and easy to make!
This Beer Battered Cod is such an exciting idea!
I really like this batter. I've had it on cod, but it's not my family's favorite fish. So we tried it on our favorite - salmon - and it was incredible on the salmon, too! Delicious.
My family LOVED this recipe! It was so easy and the flavors were amazing!
This recipe was amazing, I love the crispiness of it and yet the fish remained super tender, the perfect recipe for battered cod!
This looks amazing! I can't wait to try this!
I haven't made battered fish in a long time and this turned out fantastic. Amazing recipe and cannot wait to make it again!
Well, NOW I'm starving! Nothing is better than fried fish. I love that you went with onion rings rather than hush puppies. Mixing things up!
My husband and I really found this recipe tasty and easy. We had some Sam Adam's Boston Lager in our fridge and it really worked out well. Thanks for the great recipe.
I loved it! So tasty and delicious!!
This Beer Battered Cod looks totally awesome!