Classic Beer Battered Fried Fish

There’s something incredibly nostalgic and comforting about Classic Beer Battered Fried Fish—golden, crispy, and satisfying all those cozy cravings for fish and chips. It’s simple, straightforward, and always a hit at my house.

While I typically serve it with air-fried potatoes, you could definitely level up the experience with thick-cut steak fries or rustic hand-cut chips—something that reminds me of the traditional British version.

My kids are obsessed with those crispy air-fryer potatoes, and honestly, the homemade version is miles better than anything you can grab in the frozen aisle. They’re golden, crunchy, and have that perfect, imperfect look that screams “made with love.”

Tips to Make This Dish Even More Tasty:

• Use cold beer and cold flour for the batter – keeping the ingredients chilled helps achieve that light, crisp coating.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan – fry the fish in small batches so the oil stays hot, ensuring a golden crust.
• Rest the battered fish for 5-10 minutes before frying – it helps the batter cling better to the fish.
• Season the fish AND the batter – a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, or even smoked paprika inside the batter can make a huge difference.
• Serve with tartar sauce, lemon wedges, and malt vinegar – these add brightness and cut through the richness of the fried fish.
• Leftovers? Make sandwiches! – That’s what my youngest and I did the next morning, and let me tell you, brunch never tasted so good. A bit of toasted bread, a spread of tartar or aioli, crisp lettuce, and a piece of leftover fish? Heaven.

Honestly, this dish doesn’t require a fancy technique—just patience, fresh ingredients, a good piece of fish, and a love for classic comfort food.

I’m so excited to share that I’ve partnered again with Sitka Salmon Shares, a company I love and trust. If you’ve followed me for a while, you might remember our partnership last year, and I’m thrilled to continue working with them.

Their story, mission, and boat-to-doorstep model are amazing… and their fish? So fresh and flavorful, it’s unreal.

👉 CLICK HERE for more tasty seafood recipes
👉 Learn more about Sitka Salmon Shares here

If you give this Classic Beer Battered Fried Fish a try, I’d love to see it!
📸 Tag me on Instagram @sandraseasycooking and use the hashtag #sandraseasycooking so I can feature your creations.

Thanks so much for your continued support, and happy cooking, my friends! 💛

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EASY FISHERMAN PIE

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Yield: 6 to 8

Classic Beer Battered Fried Fish

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An easy and simple recipe for Fish & Chips.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 6-8 thick cod fillets
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 egg whites, whipped
• 1.5 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp turmeric powder (for the color)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 170ml dark beer (6oz)
• Sea Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil for deep fryer
• Lemon wedges and tartar sauce

Instructions

1. Prep fish first. If the fillets are long and seem larger then slice into smaller fillets. Lay the fish fillets on a couple of kitchen towel sheets and pat dry very well. Season fish fillets with sea salt. Just a good pinch for each fillet.
2. Add cornstarch to the plate and dip each filet on both sites into cornstarch, shake off any excess. Set aside.
3. At this point turn the oil to heat. It should be at the oil temperature is still 350 degrees.
4. Mix 2 egg whites with your electric mixer until you see peaks; set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, a good pinch of salt, turmeric. Mix it well to combine dry ingredients.
6. Add beer to the flour mixture and continue mixing until you have a thick, smooth batter.
7. Fold egg whites into the batter. Beaten egg whites give this batter its leavening strength as well as its structural quality. It forms fluffy, tender pouches around the fish.
8. Carefully, drop each fillet into the hot oil. Fry for approximately 10 minutes, or until the batter is crisp and golden, turning the fillets from time to time with a large slotted spoon.
9. Once cooked, remove the fillets from the hot oil and drain on kitchen paper.
10. Transfer fish to a large baking pan, then place it into 350 degrees preheated oven. This will finish the fish and keep the beer batter crispy. This is also how you will reheat your fish. 350F for 10 to 15 minutes.
11. Once ready, sprinkle fish of sea salt and serve with lemon slices and tartar sauce.

For the Chips:

2 pounds of potatoes

1 quart/1 liter vegetable oil (or use air fryer)

POTATOES

AIR FRIER METHOD:

1. Cut the potatoes a bit thicker. they should look more like steak fries.
2. Place the chips into a colander and rinse under cold running water.
3. Pat dry potato slices and add to the air fryer basket.
4. Cook at the pre-setting or like me at 375F for 17-20 minutes depending on potatoes, as well as air-fryer.

*You can fry them your skillet, in batches with 1/2 cup of oil, or deep fryer with 30+ oz of oil or like me, you could use your air-fryer. Note that it is not the same as deep frying but it does the job if you wish to avoid fried potatoes.

Notes

Your Questions:

Can I air fryer for the last step instead of my oven?

YES! You can certainly use your air fryer.

I don't use beer, what else I could use as a substitute?

You may use nonalcoholic beer or seltzer water.

Did you make this recipe?

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