Crispy Beer Batter Fish & Chips

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Description

Serve Chef John's beer-battered fish with salt and vinegar chips and enjoy a crispy crunch with every bite, thanks to a super cold beer batter.

Ingredients

1 cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons rice flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup lager-style beer, or more as needed
4 (6 ounce) cod fillets, fully thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons rice flour, or as needed
salt to taste
vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1 Start the batter: Whisk self-rising flour, rice flour, and baking powder together in a bowl. Freeze until ready to use.
2 Make the fish: Pat cod as dry as possible, then cut lengthwise into eight 1-inch-thick strips. Place rice flour on a plate and season with salt. Dust cod lightly with the rice flour mixture and shake off any excess. Cover a plate with crinkled foil to make a quick drying rack; place cod on top.
3 Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4 Finish the batter: Remove flour mixture from the freezer. Pour in beer and whisk until batter is the consistency of a thick pancake batter, adding more beer as needed.
5 Dip floured cod into the batter to coat; lift out and let excess drip off.
6 Fry cod in batches until golden brown, dunking occasionally if needed, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.