British Beer Battered Fish And Chips Recipe

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 and 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 a while 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 favorite white fish - and probably my favorite 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 flavor 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!

Tips for the Best Crispy Beer Battered Fish and Chips

Here are some tips to keep in mind when you’re making the best beer battered 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.

Tools Needed

• Cutting board
• Chefs knife
• Large bowl
• Whisk
• Plate
• Wok
• Baking sheet
• Tongs

Ingredients for Beer Battered Fish and Chips

Here’s what you’ll need to make the best British Beer Battered Fish and 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 color 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 and pepper: 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 flavor 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 vegetable oil or peanut oil.
• Salt: To season the fries.

How to Make Beer Battered Fish and Chips

For the Fish

1. Preheat the oil for frying at 175 degrees Celsius. Ensure the depth of the oil is at least 2-3 inches.
2. Pat the fish dry and season with salt on each side.
3. 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.
4. 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!

1. Rinse and wash the potatoes well. You may peel the potato or keep the skin on.
2. Slice each potato into 1/2 inch thick slices.
3. Then, stack 2-3 slices at a time and cut the potatoes into about 1/2 inch matchsticks.
4. Soak the fries in cold water 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
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Wait until the fish is ready to fry and once the fish is ready, cook fries for 5-8 minutes or until they are golden crispy.
8. Drain and set aside, season immediately and serve hot!

Serving Suggestions for Beer Battered Fish and Chips

You’re now ready to enjoy some delicious British Beer Battered Fish and 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 Aioli: 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!