Ingredients
- 2 lbs fish – any firm white fish will work, but I recommend haddock, cod, or halibut
Please see my note at the bottom of the recipe about cutting the fish. - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour – reserved for dredging the fish
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
(I used smoked paprika for this recipe, but regular or other varieties work fine too) - ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups (16 oz) *COLD* club soda OR beer
Serve with:
- Homemade “chips” – recipe coming soon!
- Coleslaw
- Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
Prepare the Fish
- Remove any extra moisture from your fish before battering it by patting each portion with paper towel. This step is important to ensure that the batter sticks to the fish.
Prepare the Fried Fish Batter
-
In a mixing bowl, using a whisk combine 1 ½ cups flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.
- To the dry ingredients, add the club soda OR beer and mix until just combined. The mixture should look a little bubbly!
Cook the Battered Fish
- Before frying, make sure to preheat your oil to 375°F.
- Put the reserved ½ cup of flour in a shallow dish.
- Dredge the fish pieces in the reserved flour one at a time, then dip them into the batter. Let excess batter drip off and back into the mixing bowl. Drop the battered fish piece into the hot oil and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden.
- Once cooked, place the fish on a wire rack over a baking sheet. This is important to maintain the crispness of the fish. IMPORTANT: DO NOT lay the fish on paper towel as this will make them greasy and lose their crispness. While frying the remaining fish, you can keep the finished fish pieces in the oven to warm (at 200°F) while on the wire rack.
To Serve
Serve immediately with a side of classic “chips,” some coleslaw, tartar sauce, and lemon wedges.
Notes
Cutting the fish:
The fish pieces may be cut to whatever size is most convenient for you and the capacity of your deep fryer. I prefer to fry one large whole piece at a time because, while my deep fryer can hold several small pieces, a big piece of fried fish on my plate reminds me so much of the type you get in restaurants! Looks and tastes impressive! It’s entirely up to you how big you want your fish to be!
Frying:
You may use a deep fryer or you can cook them in a large, heavy bottom pot with at least 3 inches of oil on the stove. Make sure that your oil is preheated to 375°F before frying your fish.
To prevent the fish from sticking to the bottom of the fry basket while cooking:
When frying, sometimes your fish will sink to the basket’s bottom and adhere to it!
Tip #1: When dropping your battered fish into the deep fryer, hold it in the oil with your fingertips for a couple of seconds to fry it lightly, then allow it to fall in. This will allow the batter a chance to fry for a little before sinking down and becoming trapped on the basket’s bottom.
Tip #2: Make sure the fry basket is fully immersed in oil before adding the fish. If you put a piece of freshly battered fish in the fry basket and then submerge it, the fish will stick to it.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: English
