A pub meal at home.
If you’re Australian, New Zealander, Canadian, Irish or British it’s almost a certainty you have visited a pub for a meal. While there, chances are you’ve had one time beer batter fish & chips.
Let me explain what is a pub to those not familar with it. Pub is short for Public House is often a place that brings people together within the community. There are pubs in every town. In the cities they are prolific. It’s common to go there for a dinner but often a pub is a popular lunch spot either in the week days with colleagues from work, or during the weekend with friends and family.
Pubs typically sell beer and cider amongst other alcohol. Pubs commonly sell food too and not just bar snacks, full meals too. There are some core menu items – chicken schnitzel, bangers & mash, steak with fries, and of course fish & chips. A pub is not a pub if they don’t have fish and chips! If you’ve ever ordered fish & chips, you’ll know that it’s commonly made with beer batter.
When choosing what type of fish to use, go with one that has a firm white fillet. In Australia you’d probably go with Barramundi, Whiting or Flathead. In New Zealand it’s likely to be Hoki, Dory or even Terakihi. Personally I prefer mild flavoured fish rather than any that have a real fishy taste. Of course, whatever you choose make sure your fish is fresh. Frozen fish is OK but it loses a lot of flavour. If you’re going to the effort to make this at home, you should go with the best quality of the fish variety you choose.
The beer you use is the next essential ingredient. Not all beer is created equal. The perfect beer adds carbonation to crisp up the batter and a slight amount of flavor for a little extra something. Some of the most common beers used in beer batter for fish include stouts or ales. The colour of the beer and flavour are both important to get the best beer batter for your fish meal.
Once cooked, serve up your beer batter fish with homemade oven baked chips, tartare sauce and either peas & corn, or a garden salad. Yes this is deep fried. It’s a treat. Just like when you choose to eat it when dining out.
Want another delicious recipe?
If you like this recipe, you’ll also love others available here. From pastas to risottos, cookies to desserts, and bliss balls to gluten-free options with everything in between. There is truly something here for everyone. I have developed this website to provide family-friendly recipes where I maximise both fresh produce while minimising cost.
Beer Batter Fish
Ingredients
- 1½ cups self-raising flour
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
- 1½ cups chilled light beer
- salt
- black pepper
- vegetable oil
- 8 white fish fillets, about 120g each
Instructions
- In a large pot, add enough vegetable oil to deep fry. Heat on stovetop to a medium-high temperature.
- Sift flour into a bowl.
- Add egg, beer, salt and pepper. Whisk together.
- Cook fish in batches of two at a time. Dip fish into batter mixture and add into pot to fry. Turn fish halfway through the cooking to ensure an even colour in the batter. Once golden brown, remove and drain fish on a plate with absorbent paper towels. Serve while hot.