This post contains affiliate links.

If you are looking for a delicious Crispy Beer Battered Fish recipe, this crispy fish won’t disappoint. You can make the best Crispy Beer Battered Fish right in your own kitchen without any fancy tools or ingredients!

We don’t eat a ton of fish at my house, but every year when I start seeing the fish sandwich specials pop up on commercials and billboards I’ve got to have it!

This crispy fried fish recipe is made with pretty simple ingredients. It’s crispy, flaky, salty, and perfect for enjoying with family and friends.

Disclosure: Cooking in the Midwest participates in affiliate advertising programs. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through my website.

Fish Ingredients

Cod (or fish of choice)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika
All purpose flour
Corn starch
Baking powder
Lemon, juiced
Beer (ice cold)
Peanut Oil

Homemade Tartar Sauce Ingredients

Mayo
Dried parsley, salt and pepper
Lemon, juiced
Dill relish
Dijon mustard

Let’s Talk Tartar Sauce

Store bought tartar sauce is okay, but homemade is even better!

We don’t eat enough fish to keep tartar sauce year round, but it’s made from simple pantry staples.

Just grab a bowl and add 1 1/2 cups of mayo, 1 teaspoon each dried parsley and Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, 1/3 cup of dill relish and the juice from half a lemon.

Whisk that together until everything is combined and place in the fridge to chill while you cook the fish!

Make Crispy Beer Battered Fish

To start making the fried fish, slice fish into about 16 fillets and pat them dry with a paper towel. Drying the fish well with a paper towel will help the batter stick to the fish.

I like to use fresh cod for this recipe, but Haddock or Pollock will also work well. Any thick, mild, white fish fillets will be best for this recipe.

Season on both sides with 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Place the seasoned fish in the refrigerator while gathering the rest of your ingredients.

Next, grab two large bowls to set up your batter station.

For the wet mixture mix together 1 cup of all purpose flour with 1/4 cup corn starch, 1 tsp baking powder, the juice from one lemon, 12 ounces of ice cold beer, and a teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika.

Whisk together until incorporated, but be sure to leave some small lumps in the batter.

For the dry mixture combine 1 cup of flour with 1/2 cup of corn starch and a pinch of salt.

Heat your oil to 350 degrees F in a large pot or deep fryer allowing it to heat up while you batter the fish.

One by one place each filet into the dry mixture, turning it over to coat both sides. Shake off any excess flour and cornstarch before dipping into the wet mixture.

Lightly press each filet into the dry mixture coating both sides one final time before shaking off excess and carefully placing into the hot oil.

Allow the fish to fry for about 4 minutes on each side until crispy and golden.

Cod should temp at 145 degrees F with an internal meat thermometer when fully cooked.

Place your crispy fish on a wire rack to cool sprinkling with a pinch of salt immediately after removing from the oil!

Any salt you already have in your pantry will work, but I like using Maldon Flaky Sea Salt from Amazon.

Crispy golden fish topped with salt on a wire wrack

Serve Crispy Beer Battered Fish

Once all of your fish is fried and topped with a little salt, it’s time to eat!

I like to serve mine with homemade tartar sauce, lemons, crinkle cut French fries, pineapple coleslaw, and of course a couple hush-puppies.

Plated fish, fries, coleslaw, hush-puppies, lemons, and tartar sauce

This is the perfect crispy and flaky fish for sandwiches or chopped up for festive fish tacos!

You will love this recipe because it’s made with simple ingredients, but packs great flavor. This fish turns out super crispy on the outside with tender flaky fish on the inside.

Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

I used Cod, but you can use your favorite type of fish for this recipe. Cod, Haddock, or Pollock are all great choices for beer battered fish.
Cod should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F with an internal meat thermometer.
After breading the fish, let it rest on a wire wrack to help drain the grease and immediately add a little flaky salt. Any salt you already have in your pantry will work, but I like using Maldon Flaky Sea Salt from Amazon.
I prefer to fry in peanut oil, but any frying oil will work for this recipe. Be sure to heat your oil to 350 degrees F before adding the fish into the oil.
The beer needs to be ice cold when making the wet mixture. The cold beer will help the end result be a crispier fish.
When mixing up the batter the flour should be incorporated, but there should still be some lumps. This will help the fish have the little crispy bits.
If you don’t want to use beer in this recipe you can use seltzer (sparkling water) instead. The carbonation is what helps the fish get crispy.
This recipe makes about 16 little fillets depending on how big you slice the fish.

If you make this recipe, I hope it’s a hit! If you enjoy it please leave me a comment or pin this recipe to your Pinterest account to save it for later.