ALMOST as vital as green beer, Beer Battered Fish and Chips is next up on the list. Be inspired this St. Patrick’s Day with Chef Agnew’s Beer Batter for Fish!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups cornstarch
- Two 12-ounce beer (ale, larger or dark beer if preferred )
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour or cornstarch for dredging
- For the Batter: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, beer, egg, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Cover bowl and place in fridge for at least 20 minutes, and up to 3 hours before batter will be used.
- Tips:
- Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream, don’t be afraid of trial and error
- Dredging : Always pat dry fish fillets or other items you may be frying before dredging into all purpose flour or cornstarch. Also tap off excess dredging flour before dipping into batter.
Frying Oil and Temperature:
Optimal temperatures should range from 360-380 degrees Fahrenheit
Safflower or Peanut Oils are great for frying for higher smoke points.
If your looking for more flavor focused oils try lard or beef tallow.
Draining: When removing fried fish or any fried item for that matter, it’s been to place on an oven rack or grate as to allow the crispy coating to cool without trapping steam underneath to cause the coating to get soggy.
Paper towels will drain the fat from the fish but can still trap steam causing excess moisture on the coating.
If you are going to season with salt or other spices do so immediately after removing from fryer onto draining rack.
Lastly don’t over crowd your fryer with too much at one time. Overcrowding will cause a steep decrease in temperature and cause crispy fish to be greasy.
Pour yourself a Guinness and give Chef Agnew’s Recipe a shot! You won’t be disappointed.
May you sail a gentle sea.
May it always be the other guy
who says, “this drink’s on me.”