Lightly battered, beautifully crisp fish filets can be made at home with just a few simple steps and thanks to two common pantry ingredients, my one step batter creates the best coating that is flavorful, thin and shatteringly crisp.
Let’s get started…
Begin by combining a cup of all purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper in a wide shallow bowl.
Whisk in a cup of sparkling mineral water or beer until you no longer see dry ingredients. Transfer the batter mixture into the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the fish.
Using a sharp knife, slice your cod, halibut, haddock or mahi into strips that are about 4 inches long and 1 inch wide. I like to try to get fairly thick pieces of fish, but any size with ultimately work with this batter.
Pat the fish pieces dry with paper towels and season all sides with sea salt and black pepper.
Once the fish is all portioned out, place a large skillet over medium to medium high heat and add about 3 inches of a neutral oil. Once the oil reaches between 350 and 375 degrees, you are ready to start frying the fish.
Note: If you have a candy thermometer, use it to help maintain a good frying temp, but if you don’t have one, you can simply drop a little bit of batter into the oil and when it begins to sizzle as soon as it is dropped in, the oil is ready.
Grab your chilled batter and dip a single portion of fish into it on both sides. Allow the excess batter to drip off and carefully drop the fish into the hot oil.
If you are not super confident with deep frying, use a dry fork to set the fish into the hot oil and be sure to aim everything away from you. If you set the fish down into the oil towards your body, any hot oil that splashes up with hit you and thats no fun, so lay the fish into the oil away from you and you’ll remain unscathed.
Allow the fish to fry for 4-5 minutes, turning each piece over a few times as they fry. Once all sides are crisp and golden brown, use a slotted spoon or a spider strainer to transfer the fish onto a cooling rack.
Letting the freshly fried fish sit on a cooling rack while you fry the other batches will help to keep it nice and crisp.
If you place anything that has just been deep fried onto a plate, the heat will get trapped underneath it and instantly begin making the coating soggy. A cooling rack will allow airflow all around the batter letting it cool slowly and allowing the heat to dissipate keeping it perfectly crispy.
I also like sprinkling the freshly fried fish with a little extra sea salt to add another layer of flavor to the batter.
The combination of baking powder and the bubbly sparkling water (or beer) creates a wonderfully thin and airy batter that fries up perfectly. It holds onto the fish well and tastes amazing!
Whether you are making fish tacos or fish and chips, this batter will create that light crisp coating that you are looking for. All you need is a great tartar sauce and you are in business…
Crispy Fried Fish
Ingredients
- about 2 pounds of thick cut fresh fish (cod, haddock, halibut, mahi)
- 1 cup of all purpose four
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- a pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 cup of sparkling mineral water or beer
- neutral oil for frying (about 48 ounces)
Instructions
- Cut your cod into strips about 4 inches long and 1 inch wide, pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper
- Whisk a cup of all purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper in a large bowl
- Slowly add the sparkling mineral water or beer, whisking as you go, until a thick, but whiskable batter comes together (this should take about 1 cup). Transfer the batter into the refrigerator until your oil is ready for frying
- Place a large heavy bottom skillet over medium to medium high heat and add 2 inches of a neutral oil
- Once the oil is between 350°-375°, dip a piece of cod into the chilled batter until all sides are coated
- Carefully dip the batter coated cod into the hot oil repeat with 2-3 more pieces (avoid crowding the oil with too many pieces of fish)
- Once the batter is golden brown and crispy, carefully remove the fried fish from the oil using a large slotted spoon or spider strainer and transfer them onto a cooling rack
- Season the freshly fried fish lightly with salt
- Repeat the process until all of the fish is fried
