There is some inspiration behind this beer battered fish recipe. So not very long ago I worked as a kitchen hand for a busy restaurant. I actually quite liked the majority of the food there. They had seafood night every Tuesdays and a lobster special on Thursdays. Although there was one thing that they served which I didn’t like all that much, and that was the battered fish. I think it was partly because of how often I had to help prepare it, and I just got sick of it. There is something about seeing that same fish being deep-fried over and over and over again every time you come to work, that just puts you off it after a while. But I also didn’t really like how the batter was prepared. Not to sound too cheffy, but the batter was a too thick and gloopy for my liking.
For me, when it comes to deep-frying I often try to keep the food nice and light. So with these beer battered fish fingers, I made the batter a bit lighter by substituting some of the beer with sparkling water. And as you can already tell, I prepared them as fish fingers. I like serving them this way as they are nice to just pick on when served in the middle of the table. It is also great to serve to kids this way.
By the way, would any of you classify these as fish fingers or fish bites? The batter ends up making the shape look more rustic. But I still think these can be classified as fish fingers, but maybe I’m wrong so let me know in what you think in the comments. Maybe I will end up changing the name of this recipe who knows.
As always thank you so much for reading this post, if you decide to try this recipe let me know how it goes. Subscribe to the blog, comment, all that good stuff. Much love to you all (:
Beer Battered Fish Fingers
A new and inspiring way to make fish fingers. Great for as an appetizer or a side.
Ingredients
- 500 g of white skinless fish patted dry then cut into finger sized pieces (Some good examples of white fish are cod, seabess and haddock).
- 115 g of self raising flour
- 100 g of plain flour
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
- 200 mls of beer
- 100 mls of sparkling water
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- Plenty of vegetable oil for deep frying
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
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Sift the self-raising flour in a bowl and then add your paprika and the dried oregano.
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Add the beer to the bowl a little bit at a time whisking on each occasion until all the bear is mixed through the self-raising flour and the mixture is nice and smooth. Next, add your sparkling water, your 2 tablespoons of oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk together until combined well.
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Put your plain flour on a plate or in a bowl, then add the fish to the flour. Make sure every bit of fish is evenly coated, then take the fish out shaking off the excess flour and transfer to another plate or board.
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Get a pot or saucepan on the stove and fill it up about halfway, ready to deep fry. Then get the pot on low-medium heat. While you are waiting for your oil to heat up get your batter, your fish and a plate or tray lined with kitchen paper ready.
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If you have a cooking thermometer, you can use it to check if the oil is 180 degrees. If not, you can add a small piece of bread to the oil, then once the bread is floating, bubbling and golden you're ready to start frying.
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Put you floured fish into the batter ensuring every piece of fish is coated.
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Gently start submerging the fish into the oil making sure that you don't burn yourself, and that you don't overcrowd the pot. If any of the fish sticks to the bottom or the side of the pot, leave it for a minute, let the batter cook and then you can use a pair of tongs to gently pull it away. Fry the fish for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Repeat that cycle until all of the fish is cooked. Use a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer your fish to the tray or plate lined with baking paper.
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Serve straight away with wedges of lemon.
Recipe Notes
- These fish fingers go well with mushy peas and tartar sauce. Also, make sure you serve the fish straight away, the longer you leave the fish once it's cooked, the softer the batter will become.
I love your fish fingers though I’d be putting them in fish tacos rather than the more traditional mushy peas/tartar sauce presentation.
Ooooo that sounds like a wonderful idea (:
Looking very delicious.Thanks for sharing.
thank you very much (: my pleasure
I think so too, especially beer battered and paired with a tangy coleslaw.
Absolutely! (:
Oh you’ve done it again! Food looks delicious! Love the photos and the recipe. I want to eat that.
Thanks Eartha. Always a pleasure to hear form you (:
These look insanely good. I totally want to try the recipe!
Thanks you! I hope you like it if you do try it (:
Nice recipes! O my good, they are so yummy! Thanks for checking out my blog!
Thank you very much. No worries it was my pleasure (: keep up the good work.
These look super good perfect for a Friday fish fry! Would definitely serve with tarter sauce 🙂
Love the sound of a Friday fish fry (;
Me too 🙂
Good one. I’ve always had a problem making proper fish and chips, I think it’s because I’m a) doing it at home and b) the filets I use are probably too big. Think I should probably do smaller sizes as you’ve suggested and see how that works.
Hmmm, interesting. You wanna make sure the batter isn’t too thick or too thin, and you want to make sure you make that oil really nice and hot before you start frying. Good luck and keep trying (:
Definitely smaller filets worked. When I get a whole side (or sides) of cod, just sliced them up into more manageable pieces, maybe 3 inches across / width.
That is great to hear! great job (: