The Best Beer Battered Fish (walleye)
Some people are intimidated when it comes to making beer battered fish for the first time, but it's easy and there is nothing like fresh, homemade fish and chips, especially when you've caught the fish yourself. On a recent fishing trip to Lake Erie, Ontario, I had the pleasure of catching some beautiful walleye with an experienced angler. I learned a lot about fishing for walleye, and now I'm excited to share my recipe for making fluffy, crispy and savoury beer battered fish and chips.
This recipe is versatile enough for any fish you prefer, whether it's bass, pike, or crappie. I have also included my basic fish brine recipe and my homemade tartar sauce recipe. The tartar sauce recipe is at the bottom of this page.
The more you can make yourself, the better... right?
It is essential, in my opinion, to brine your fish. This basic fish brining recipe is what I use to brine my fish before using it in any recipe. It's pretty simple, and uses basic household ingredients.
Brining the Fish
Brining your fish before cooking is a crucial step for flavour and enhanced texture. This is my go-to brine recipe, but you can add a few spices in there to make it your own.
Brine Ingredients:
- 4 cups of cold water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh or from a bottle
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp salt
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the cold water, lemon juice, brown sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved and the water looks almost swampy. Yum.
Just like most of the things I make, you can really customize this and add whatever other seasoning you may want the fish to lightly taste of. I do not add anything other than the ingredients you see above when I am preparing fish for fish and chips of any sort, but I will sometimes add different spices if I am preparing it for something else!
Submerge your fish fillets in the brine. If you need to add a significant amount of water to do this, be sure to add more salt, lemon, sugar and whatever alternative seasoning you may be using. This really does not have to be down to a science, just add what looks right if you have to add more water.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Yes, this is a beer battered fish recipe, but if you are smoking your fish you must brine the fish for at least 6 or 8 hours. I brine my fish for 12 hours before cooking it on the smoker.
After brining, remove the fish fillets and pat them dry with paper towels. This step ensures the batter will adhere properly to the fish and they come out crisp and perfect. You can event rest your fillets on a paper towel to absorb excess water while you're making your batter.
Beer Batter Recipe
The secret to perfectly crispy and fluffy fish lies in the batter. Here's a simple yet delicious beer batter recipe:
Batter Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 16 oz beer (any light beer works well)
In a large mixing bowl or cake pan, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. I have made the mistake of using bread flour and less cornstarch because I had limited ingredients, and I do not recommend. The fillets turned out pretty lousy with minimal coating.
Gradually whisk in the beer until the mixture reaches a pancake batter consistency. The batter should be smooth and free of lumps. You will most likely have some beer leftover. You don't want your batter to be too runny.
Now it's time to fry your fish to golden perfection. Heat oil in a frying pan, cast iron pan, or deep fryer to 365°F (185°C). It's crucial to ensure the oil is hot enough before adding the fish; this helps achieve that perfect crispy coating.
Coat each fish fillet thoroughly in the beer batter, ensuring both sides are well covered. You can even double dip them. As you can see from the photos below, they will be dripping a bit. This is okay! If your oil is at a proper temperature it will instantly solidify the shell of the batter so it doesn't run off the fish and make a mess.
Carefully place the coated fish fillets into the hot oil. Fry for about 5-8 minutes on each side, depending on the size of your fillets. The fish should be golden brown and crispy on the outside, and tender and flaky on the inside.
Remove the fish from the oil and let them drain on a paper towel-lined plate to remove any excess oil. You can keep the fish warm in the oven at 250 degrees F while you are preparing the other fillets!
Don't forget to serve the delicious beer battered fish with fries and a homemade tartar sauce. You can also add some coleslaw and fresh salad as a side.
Reminder, I have included my easy and yummy tartar sauce! Let me know what you think of all of these recipes.
Beer Batter Fish
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour all purpose
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 16 oz beer any light beer works well
- 4 fillets fish walleye, crappie, bass, pike
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
- Gradually whisk in the beer until the mixture reaches a pancake batter consistency. The batter should be smooth and free of lumps.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, cast iron pan, or deep fryer to 365°F (185°C). It's crucial to ensure the oil is hot enough before adding the fish; this helps achieve that perfect crispy coating.
- Coat each fish fillet thoroughly in the beer batter, ensuring both sides are well covered.
- Carefully place the coated fish fillets into the hot oil. Fry for about 5-8 minutes on each side, depending on the size of your fillets. The fish should be golden brown and crispy on the outside, and tender and flaky on the inside.
- Remove the fish from the oil and let them drain on a paper towel-lined plate to remove any excess oil.
Okay, now for that yummy tartar sauce I mentioned earlier.
Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe:
This recipe is pretty simple... you just mix all of the ingredients and enjoy.
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp parsley
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp pepper salt
Making your own fish and chips at home is easier than you might think, and the results are incredibly rewarding. Whether you're using walleye from Lake Erie or another type of fish, this recipe guarantees a fluffy, savoury, and satisfying dish. Happy cooking and even happier fishing!
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