How to beer batter halibut is easy, deep fried and crispy. If you love our air fryer fish and chips but want to make fried fish in a pan on the stove for dinner this is great. With a sprinkle of salt, pepper, parmesan and a squeeze of lime it is the best way to cook seafood at home.
Beer battered fish is killer. We chose this white variety but really you can use the same steps for any seafood you love inside there. If you love cod, salmon or catfish more then mix it up and see which is your favorite protein. (affiliate links present)
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Beer Batter Halibut Recipe
You could use our easy recipe for Tempura Batter and use beer instead of cold water. You want the liquid to be like, COLD for the best results here. The consistency is somewhat subjective. If you want a thick coating then just add less liquid. For a lighter fluffy coat then add a bit more.
The biggest and best tip ever for battered foods overall is to make sure the outside of your food is dry. All you need are paper towels to get this done. Think about it, if you have moisture remaining it won’t stick well and will slide off, no good. Served with Beer Batter Fries to make this fish and chips is killer!
Best Way to Fry Halibut
You really do want to coat the outside do it doesn’t dry out and stays moist inside. Do not add battered fish until the oil reaches the ideal temperature of 155-160F first. Coat, let the excess drip off and gently lower into the hot oil until it’s golden brown.
If your kiddos aren’t so sure about eating things out of the sea, start slow. Make Tempura Chicken Nuggets with the same mixture but with chunks of breasts instead. Mix one of these in their basket with fries and you never know, they may be surprised at how much they like them all!
How to cook wet batter in air fryer
If you wanted to cook via our Air Fryer Beer Battered Fish you’ll need to make the batter thicker as we explain in that post, so it can’t drip. There is a trick to this method. If you wanted to double this for a larger crowd, no worries. Make as much or as little as you’d like but these measurements are great for half of a pound of fish.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. fish but a great fish we love are halibut fillets
- you literally can follow the same steps and make Beer Batter Chicken Tenders for the kids if that is all they will eat.
- Flour and baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Paprika, pepper and granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
- 1/3 c beer
- Oil for frying, vegetable is best
Many times I will whip up a batch of our 3 Ingredient Beer Bread and stick that in the oven to bake while I am prepping this. You want all of these to be fresh for best results so time it so everything is done at the same time.
Can You Beer Batter Frozen Fish?
You really need fresh or defrosted pieces to make this. I show you how to cook frozen fish here but this isn’t really possible for those. Thaw white fish in fridge overnight, or in a bag submerged into cool water for an hour or so.
How to deep fry beer battered fish
- Dry the halibut fillet to remove excess moisture, cut into squares or strips. Mix half the flour in a bowl, as well as paprika, salt and granulated garlic.
- Mix the remaining flour in another bowl with pepper and baking powder, add beer and stir until the batter reaches a thick consistency.
- If the batter is too runny, add a little flour. Should resemble pancake batter consistency.
- Before coating the fish, heat the oil to 350 F.
- If you remove the skin (recommended), I would make Fish Skin Chips when this is done.
- Roll the fish pieces in flour with spices. Dip the piece of fish pieces into the batter until they are completely covered.
- If you want fried fish in a pan, then add about 1/2 inch of frying oil and fry for 3 minutes on medium heat on one side.
- Once the cold batter hits the hot oil it should immediately begin to sizzle for a crispy coating.
- On the other side, fry for another 3 minutes until golden browned. You can use these same steps for different meats.
- Like this is How Long to Deep Fry Chicken Wings with French Fries which we love too.
- Place the fish on napkins to absorb excess oil. For deep fried fish fry, transfer the battered fish into hot oil. Cook for about 6-7 minutes total, turning to ensure even cooking. Place the fish on napkins or wire rack to minimize excess oil.
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper once removed and enjoy immediately for crispy best results. You can of course have ketchup and/or homemade tartar sauce to offer with it as well but I don’t feel that is necessary. A lemon wedge and malt vinegar is all I need.
How to Make Battered Fish Without Beer
You do not have to use alcohol at all if you are opposed to that. You do want something carbonated though so choose something like club soda if you don’t want to add any flavor or really any soda will do but will take on the flavors of whatever you choose.
Yes and no. If you don’t use a liquid with some sort of carbonation in it, it will be very thick and not light and fluffy as you’d expect. It would be the difference between a tempura chicken tender vs. one just coated in flour that is much more dense.
You want the outsides to become a deep golden color with fresh or thawed seafood inside to cook at an even rate. Check further by breaking the piece in half. If the center is flaky white vs. opaque with clear juices running from it then it is done.
Have some leftover batter and want to make a dessert with it? Why not? Add a pinch of sugar into that mix and make Banana Tempura bites out of them!! Now I would use a different batch of oil or it will taste off but a fun treat to make a finger food dinner everyone will surely love.
As you can tell, this batter can be made sweet for treats or more savory for this or Beer Batter Shrimp for dinnertime. Any seasonings can be whisked in there depending on which you like.
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Beer Batter Halibut
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven or deep pan
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. halibut fillets
- 1 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp paprika
- 1/3 tsp pepper
- 1/3 tsp granulated garlic
- 1/3 c beer
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Dry the halibut fillet to remove excess moisture, cut into squares or strips. Mix half the flour in a bowl, as well as paprika, salt and granulated garlic.
- Mix the remaining flour in another bowl with pepper and baking powder, add beer and stir until the batter reaches a thick consistency. If the batter is too runny, add a little flour. Should resemble pancake batter consistency.
- Heat the oil to 350 F. Roll the fish pieces in flour with spices. Dip the fish pieces into the batter until they are completely covered.
- If you want fried fish in a pan, then add about 1/2 inch of frying oil and fry for 3 minutes on medium heat on one side. On the other side, fry for another 3 minutes until golden browned.
- Place the fish on napkins to absorb excess oil. For deep fried fish, transfer the battered fish into hot oil. Cook for about 6-7 minutes total, turning to ensure even cooking. Place the fish on napkins to absorb excess oil.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper once removed and enjoy immediately for crispy best results.