By Aishwarya Sahasrabudhe
August 3, 2023
Beer battered fish and chips are a crispy delight, be it as a heavy evening snack or early supper. If you are making fish and chips using frozen fish this rainy season, here are some tips to fry perfectly crispy beer battered fish.
Avoid excessively oily fish and go for white fillets like snapper, cod or flathead. You can also opt for kingfish but make sure to eat it hot otherwise it can dry out.
A trick for a crispy outer coating on fried fish is to dip it in ice-cold batter so that when it hits hot oil, the outer layer puffs up instantly. Use chilled beer for this purpose.
Make sure the oil is perfectly hot to achieve an even cook on all pieces of fish. Excessively hot oil will lead to a burnt exterior layer and raw fish inside.
If you are indulging in fried goodies, go all the way and use cornstarch in the beer batter to crispen the coating. You can also use rice flour to give the fish a lasting crisp.
Once the fish is fried, avoid placing it on a bed of tissues to drain oil because this can make the pieces soggy. Instead, settle fish on a wire rack to drain excess oil.
Instead of frying a small fish whole, cut the cod into 3 or 4 small pieces which can be properly coated in batter and fried evenly for a perfect crisp.
For a uniform cook, avoid overcrowding the frying pan with too many fillets at once. Fry only a few pieces at a time to achieve an even golden-brown hue.
Before seasoning fish, follow the basic step of patting it dry with a towel or tissue to drain it of excess moisture. Use sea salt and pepper for a fine seasoning.