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Crispy Beer-Battered Fish Recipe for Perfect Frying

Beautiful, tender, creamy white fish in the crispiest golden batter. This chip-shop style fish is delicious and surprisingly easy to make at home. Visit your fishmonger for extra-large fillets (supermarket portions are often small) for an authentic chippy-fish experience.

A tall, overhead shot of beer-battered fish. There is one beer-battered fish fillet, topped with flakes of salt, on a bed of chips. The food is on top of a newspaper. To the left of the fish and chips are two wedges of lemon. In the top left of the image, there is a black bowl of mushy peas, with another wedge of lemon to the right of it. In the top right of the image, there is a grey dish of tartare sauce. This is all on a wooden board. On the bottom right of the wooden board, there is a clear dish of sea salt. This is all placed on a white marble background.

Now that we live in a seaside town in the south of England, fish and chips are everywhere. Our local fishmonger is excellent, so we can get large, fresh fillets—perfect for that authentic chip-shop feel.

The combination of a golden, crunchy coating and flaky, tender fish is unbeatable. Serve with mushy peas, chippy-style chips and plenty of tartare sauce for a proper treat.

Table of Contents

  • 📋 Beer Batter Ingredients
  • Overview of recipe steps
  • Pro Tip
  • 🍽️ What to serve it with
  • 🍲 More fantastic fish recipes
  • Beer Battered Fish Recipe

📋 Beer Batter Ingredients

An overhead shot of the ingredients for the beer batter is laid out on a wooden board. They are as follows: self-raising white flour, IPA (beer), baking powder, and cornflour.

Beer – Use a light beer, pale ale or lager for a light, crisp batter. It must be very cold. For a no-alcohol version, use soda water, sparkling water, or alcohol-free lager.

Fish – We recommend large white fillets (about 250g / 8.8oz each) for a proper chip-shop portion. Smaller supermarket-packaged fillets (around 130g / 4.4oz) will work but won’t feel as authentic; they cook in roughly 3 minutes.

Overview of recipe steps

Full recipe with detailed steps is in the recipe card below.

  1. Combine the dry ingredients for the batter, then whisk in the cold beer until smooth.
A wide, overhead shot of the finished beer batter. The batter is in a clear, glass bowl with a whisk wooden handle in the batter. All this is laid on a wooden board.
  1. Chill the batter in the fridge until needed (up to 2–3 hours).
  2. Pat the fillets dry, dredge them in seasoned cornflour to help the batter stick, then dip into the batter to fully coat.
  3. Deep-fry carefully in hot oil until golden and crisp, about 3–4 minutes per batch.
  4. Drain on a wire rack so the fish stays crisp, then serve immediately.
  5. Full recipe with exact quantities and step-by-step instructions is in the recipe card below.
A wide, close-up shot of three fish fillets, battered in the beer batter. There are three golden battered fish fillets laid side by side on a copper wire rack. They are topped with flakes of salt. The wire rack is on a white marble background.

Pro Tip

Draining on a wire rack lets air circulate around the fish so the batter stays really crispy. Draining on paper towels can trap steam and soften the coating.

A wonderful summer dinner, ready in under half an hour.

A tall shot of three fish fillets, battered in the beer batter. There are three golden battered fish fillets laid side by side on a copper wire rack. They are topped with flakes of salt. The wire rack is on a white marble background.

🍽️ What to serve it with

  • Classic chippy chips (thick-cut fries).
  • Mushy peas, tartare sauce or curry sauce.
  • For a northern twist, serve with gravy alongside chips.
A tall, close-up shot of beer-battered fish. There is one beer-battered fish fillet, topped with flakes of salt, on a bed of chips. The food is on top of a newspaper. In the top middle of the image, there is a black bowl of mushy peas, with another wedge of lemon to the right of it. This is all on a wooden board. On the bottom middle of the wooden board, there is a clear dish of sea salt.

🍲 More fantastic fish recipes

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Curries

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Three golden battered fish fillets on a copper wire rack topped with sea salt flakes.

Beer Battered Fish

By Nicky Corbishley
Beer Battered Fish – tender white fish in a crisp golden batter. A chip-shop classic that’s simple to make at home.
Prep Time:15 mins
Cook Time:8 mins
Total Time:23 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Beer Batter:

  • 120 g (1 cup) self-raising flour
  • 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 240 ml (1 cup) refrigerated pale ale (must be cold) — or cold soda water/non-alcohol lager

Fish:

  • 4 extra-large white skinless fish fillets (cod, haddock or pollack)
  • 4 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • Oil for deep frying

Instructions

  • Combine the flour, cornflour and baking powder in a large bowl and mix together.
  • Whisk in the refrigerated pale ale until the batter is smooth. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the fish (batter can be made 2–3 hours ahead).
  • Set a wire rack over a tray and place a couple of pieces of kitchen roll underneath to catch drips. This is where the cooked fish will drain.
  • Cook in two batches. Heat oil in a deep, heavy-based pan to 180°C / 350°F. The oil should be at least 7.5 cm (3 in) deep.
  • Mix 4 tbsp cornflour with the salt and pepper on a plate. Pat the fillets very dry with paper towel.
  • Dredge each fillet in the dry cornflour mixture, then dip into the beer batter to coat fully. Let excess batter drip off.
  • Carefully lower the fillets into the hot oil (use tongs). Fry 3–4 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove and drain on the wire rack.
  • Repeat with the remaining fillets and serve straight away with chips and mushy peas if you like.

Notes

Note 1 – fish size:

We used large fillets (~250g / 8.8oz each). You can use smaller supermarket fillets (~130g / 4.4oz), which will still taste good but cook faster and feel less like a chip-shop portion.

Using a frying basket?

If the fish sticks to a frying basket, lower the fillet with tongs and hold it in the oil for 20–30 seconds to seal the coating before releasing.

Flour swap:

If you don’t have self-raising flour, use plain (all-purpose) flour plus 1 tsp baking powder in place of the self-raising, and still add the extra ½ tsp baking powder called for in the batter.

Beer swaps:

Use lager or cold soda water/non-alcohol lager for a no-alcohol batter—just ensure the liquid is cold.

Why a wire rack?

Draining on a rack prevents steam from softening the batter and keeps the fish crisp.

Make ahead?

The batter can be made ahead and refrigerated, but frying ahead and reheating will reduce crispiness, so it’s best to serve freshly fried.

Nutritional information is approximate per 250g fish and will vary.

Nutrition

Calories: 595 kcal | Carbohydrates: 35 g | Protein: 48 g | Fat: 26 g

Nutrition information is an approximation.

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