What's the best beer for fish batter?

Any light lager or ale is the best beer to use - stay away from dark, strong-flavoured beers because they'll mess with the flavour and colour of the batter.

Why is my batter soggy?

There could be a couple of reasons - with any deep-frying, it's important to make sure your oil is staying at the right temperature. If it's too cold, the batter will turn out soggy, but if it's too hot, it can burn the outside. This is when I HIGHLY recommend a thermometer so you can easily monitor it. I use a cheap probe thermometer from Amazon, which I also use for cooking meat and it's one of my most used kitchen tools. Crowding your pot can also result in soggy batter, and this again is because adding anything to oil will lower the temperature, so adding too much can drop it too far. So fry in batches and keep checking on your temperature for the best results.

Crispy Beer Battered Fish Sliders

Description

Ultra-crispy, light beer batter, super tender fish plus soft brioche buns make the most wonderful mini fish sliders, perfect for parties. Add zesty tartare sauce and crunchy lettuce for the perfect bite that’s easier to make than you’d think.

Ingredients

Scale

4 white fish fillets (approximately 500g/1.1lb – cod, hake, basa, snapper or tarakihi are good options)
½ cup plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
150ml (2/3 cup) ice-cold beer
Flaky sea salt
16 mini burger buns
1 Romaine lettuce
2 scallions (spring onions)
1/2 cup tartare sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon

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Instructions

Start the batter. Add 1/2 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric into a large bowl and mix to combine. PRO TIP: Place the bowl with your dry batter ingredients in the fridge while you’re preparing the rest of the dish – this will help keep your batter super crispy and light.
Prepare the salad. Slice the lettuce into thin strips, then place in a large bowl. Finely slice the scallions, then add them to the bowl too. Set aside. Slice your mini buns in half. OPTIONAL: If you like, you can toast the buns, either in a hot pan with a little olive oil for a couple of minutes, or drizzle the cut sides with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place them, cut side up, under the grill at 250C/480F for 4 minutes.
Prepare the fish. Pat dry the fish fillets with paper towels and slice each fillet into about 4 smaller pieces. Sprinkle a little salt over the pieces and set aside.
Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a high-sided pot – you want it to come about ⅓ of the way up the sides. Place it over high heat. Leave it to heat to 180C/360F. PRO TIP: It’s easiest to do this with a thermometer if you have one, but if you don’t, you can do the wooden spoon test. Place the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil – if it’s hot enough, little bubbles will form around the spoon.
Finish the batter. Once your oil is at the right temperature, set a wire rack over an oven tray and get ready to fry the fish. Just before you’re ready to go, add the ice-cold beer to the bowl with the flour, and whisk to combine into a thick batter, a bit similar in consistency to pancake batter.
Fry the fish. Lower a piece of fish into the batter to coat it fully, then holding one end of the fish, carefully lower it into the hot oil. The batter should puff up beautifully as it hits the hot oil. Hold the edge of your fish as it’s in the oil for about 10 seconds – this will let the batter puff up and prevent the fish from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You can do this with tongs if you like. Repeat with another piece of fish. You should be able to cook about 4 pieces at a time, depending on the size of your pot. Don’t crowd your pot with too many pieces – this will lower the temperature of the oil and give you soggy batter. Use a spatula to carefully turn the fish over after 2 minutes, then fry for another 2 minutes until the batter is looking super golden. Remove from the oil and place on the wire rack, and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt. Repeat with the rest of the fish.
Assemble the sliders. Spread a little tartare sauce onto both cut sides of a slider bun, then top with the lettuce and scallion mix. Place a piece of fish on top, then place the top bun on top of it. Serve the sliders right away, with lemon wedges on the side.

Notes

The secret to perfectly crisp, fluffy batter is for it to be ICE COLD. To go the extra mile, pop your bowl with the dry ingredients in the fridge with the beer while you prep everything else. It’s also important to add the ice-cold beer right at the last minute so that you don’t lose any of that aeration with it sitting out for too long.

You could make regular-sized burgers with this recipe – just cut your fish fillets in half, and use regular burger buns.

INGREDIENT NOTES: Skip the paprika and ground turmeric if you like – they add flavour and colour to the batter, but it will be equally delicious without them.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Fish and chips is a classic combination, so you could serve these sliders with a lovely, crispy, potato-based side. Crispy oven chips, dukkah-crusted potatoes or skin-on roast potatoes would be great options.

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 16
Category: fakeaways
Method: deep frying
Cuisine: new zealand

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2 sliders