Cookbook Club Recipe #10 | Variation #3

The key to this hybrid tempura-fried fish recipe is double-dipping.

I want to be clear up front: This is not the world’s greatest fried fish.

If I were starting from scratch in an empty kitchen with nothing but raw ingredients, I'm much more likely to follow the instructions in the fried fish sandwich recipe from my first book, The Food Lab (a version of that recipe is available up on Serious Eats, too).

So what's the point of this particular recipe? It's a shortcut. I often have a batch of dry mix for tempura batter already made and ready-to-go in my kitchen. And if I've already got that made, then I'm just a cold beer (or non-alcoholic beer) and a fish filet away from a fried fish dinner. Beer works very similarly to the cold club soda in my original tempura recipe. The carbonation keeps the batter light and craggy, while the sugars in the beer encourages considerably more browning than plain soda water. That extra color is exactly what I’m looking for here. Unlike delicate Japanese-style tempura, where I want a pale, wispy coating, fried fish filets benefit from a heartier crisp crust.

There’s one other little trick that I pull from my original fried fish recipe: After dipping the fish into the wet batter, I dredge it briefly back through the dry tempura mixture before frying. As you toss the wet, battered fish through the flour and starch, the coating wrinkles and bunches up on itself, producing a wavy, folded surface that always reminds me of my old Shar-Pei, Jamón. More surface area means more places to puff and crisp.

As for the frying, vegetable tempura is generally a hot-and-fast affair. Thinly sliced vegetables cook very quickly, and because I want the batter to remain pale and delicate, I can fry them at temperatures closer to 375 to 400°F. Fish is thicker, which means heat needs more time to work its way to the center. And unlike vegetable tempura, here I actually want some browning. Frying at around 325 to 350°F gives the fish time to cook through while the beer batter gradually turns golden, craggy, and crisp.

The result is something that isn'y quite tempura and isn't quite traditional beer-battered fish, but it's its own thing, and a very delicious and easy thing at that.

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Recipe: Quick Beer-Battered Fish Using Tempura Batter Mix

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

What I love about this recipe:

It turns one batter into a new style of meal. A few small tweaks transform my basic tempura formula into a crisp, craggy coating for fried fish.

Beer adds flavor and browning. Swapping beer for soda water keeps the batter bubbly and light while helping it develop a deeper golden color.

A double dredge creates waves of texture. Dipping the wet-battered fish back into the dry mixture creates wrinkles and ridges with lots of extra crispy surface area.

It’s a shortcut, not a compromise. This isn’t meant to be the ultimate fried fish recipe—it’s an easy, delicious variation when you’re already in tempura mode.

Yield: 4 servingsActive Time: 20 minutesTotal Time: 30 minutesNotes: Any light-colored beer will work, including non-alcoholic beers.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (80 g) potato starch

1/2 cup (80 g) cornstarch

1 large egg

1/4 cup (60 ml) vodka

About 1/2 cup (120 ml) very cold beer, such as lager, pale ale, or IPA, plus more as needed

1 pound (450 g) skinless cod or other firm white fish fillets, cut into roughly 2- to 3-ounce pieces

Neutral oil, such as canola, vegetable, or peanut oil, for frying

Kosher salt

Lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or malt vinegar, for serving

Method

Add enough oil to a large Dutch oven or wok to reach a depth of about 2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat to 350°F (175°C).

In a medium bowl, make the dry mixture: Whisk together the flour, potato starch, and cornstarch. Transfer about 1 cup of the mixture to a shallow bowl or pie plate and set aside for dredging the fish.

In a second bowl, whisk together the egg and vodka. Add the cold beer and stir briefly to combine. Add the remaining dry mixture and mix rapidly just until it comes together. Don't worry about getting it smooth. The finished batter should be lumpy and frothy, not smooth like paint. Add another splash of cold beer to get a looser batter consistency if necessary.

Working with 3 or 4 pieces at a time, dip the fish into the wet batter, turning to coat completely and allowing the excess to drip off. Transfer the battered fish to the reserved dry mixture. Toss gently to coat, then bounce the pieces lightly between your hands to knock off excess flour and encourage the coating to form wrinkles, ridges, and craggy bits. Don't try to make the coating perfectly even—the irregular surface is what gives the finished fish its extra crunch.

Carefully lower the battered fish into the hot oil. Fry, turning and separating the pieces as necessary, until the coating is golden brown and crisp and the fish is cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain an oil temperature of roughly 325 to 350°F (165 to 175°C).

Transfer the fried fish to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet or to a paper towel-lined tray. Season immediately with salt. Allow the oil to return to temperature before frying the remaining fish.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, malt vinegar, or your fried-fish condiment of choice.

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