# Beer batter for fish & chips



## cascadecatering (Feb 10, 2010)

Hi,  I'm after some ideas for a recipe for beer batter for fish & chips.  I'd like something with a twist to make it somewhat unusual.  I'm trying to create a menu item that sells as a signature dish, so I'm open to anything from the beer, to flours or changing the type of fish itself.

Any and all ideas welcome.
Thanks all.


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

krusteaz tempura batter mixed with Guiness or other dark stout and onion Powder. not too much. 

fish should be Halibut, Cod, Pollock or  Tilapia.   Have tried Salmon, I didn't care for it, but friends loved it.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

You're welcome to take a look at the batter in my recipe for fish and chips. After all, your question here got me to edit, rewrite and post it on my site today.

I'm not sure that it's particularly "different," but the second dip in thinned, chilled batter makes for a very light crust.

BDL


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## coulis-o (Jan 23, 2010)

definitely use Self Raising Flour. for the Beer i suggest 1 part Tetley's to 1 part Soda Water, then mix in the sifted flour with a whisk until you get the required Batter consistency, not too thick or too thin, and then season, mix and leave to rest half an hour in the fridge before using.

additionally add some chopped fresh Dill and Parsley to the batter and maybe some chopped Capers too. 
most white fish should be suitable including plaice, scollops would work well also.

if you wanted to add spices to the batter to go with salmon and create a tempura chilli salmon dish maybe, then by all means go for it


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Hi BDL, I watched a Food show a few weeks, some one was doing a demo on English style Fish & Chips. What caught my attention was, he said he triple cooked the potatoes for the fries. I was thinking how the heck do you triple cook the potatoes. He boils the cut fries, then blanches in the  lowered temp oil until about done, then finishes/ browns the fries in higher degree oil. I never saw, nor heard of, this process before. I always Cut, soak in water over night, blanch in a 300 degree oil, and then brown to finish in 375 oil. Have you ever heard of anyone boiling the cut potatoes ???????????????????????........................Chef Bill


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Not until now.  Like you, I'm a twice-cooker when it comes to chips/fries. 


I'm wondering about Coulis-o's "Tetley's."  Tetley's is a tea company.  I wonder what they make which could go into a fish and chip batter -- and if it's available here in the US of A.

BDL


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

Im with Coulis-o with the dill and parsley.It looks good too.

Good fish, good batter, well cooked...All you need now is a fabulous tartare sauce. Sometimes it's the accompanyments that make a dish. And a home made tartare sauce can be the added WOW factor


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

A little bit of finely minced parlsey or dill in the batter could be a very nice touch.  Add not only taste, but a bit of visual interest as well.  I've never seen it done with a light, tempura type batter but don't see why it wouldn't be great.  I'll try the dill next time I fry fish.

Capers won't work, though.  Much as I like the taste, they'd make the crust lumpy and soggy. 

BDL


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

Tetleys is also an English bitter... I'm not a huge fan of it but I suppose it can be good in the batter.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Tetley's Bitter!  Of course!  It's not one of my favorite English beers, but I've certainly had it more than a few times.  How stupid.  Don't know what I was thinking about.  We should start a thread on English beer, but it would just end up as a list.  

Tell you what, I'll go have a few.  How would that be?

When it comes to cooking with beer, I usually go with what's on sale rather than a particular brand.  If a recipe calls for something really distinctive like a stout, I'll go with that but I haven't found Tecate to cook much different from Fuller's, Stella or Warsteiner.  Just cheaper.

BDL


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## marmalade (Sep 29, 2003)

I'm with BDL on no capers unless you want soggies.   

Will this be for catering gigs?  Why not get your basic batter down pat, then spin off different seasonings depending on the event you're catering?  IE, a chili powder in the batter w/ a BBQ sauce dip; Mexican seasonings w/chipotle mayo; Italian flavors with lemon/rosemary/garlic dip?  

If you want to make it your signature, you could go with 'Fish & chips - Your way!'.


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## cascadecatering (Feb 10, 2010)

Thanks everyone.  I've settled on a beer batter, that we spiced up with coriander seeds, a little polenta for color and added crispiness, fresh dill and lemon thyme.  The herbs contrast well against the yellow of the batter and compliment the fish.  We use a dark strong beer.

Thanks again.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

This may be too late but I have found good success with Rice flour and beer. The resulting crust is crispy, and light  even after the product is stone cold.


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## cascadecatering (Feb 10, 2010)

I'd been using some corn flour for texture in addition to the SR flour, but I can see how rice flour would yield a crispier result.  Thanks.

It's never too late, we are very flexible, and nothing is set in stone.  I like to have that ability to swap and change according to whats in season, and what I feel like making.

Cheers


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## guysmiley54 (Jul 13, 2011)

Sorry to drag up an old thread...

I own a cafe and we have had fish and chips on the menu since the beginning of this year.  Let me start off by saying I am not a chef and only have been in the industry for a year now.

Our chef preps up a reasonable portion of beer batter in advance.  We don't always sell more than a few dockets of this dish per service and the batter is reused for many days until used up.  As the days pass, the batter puffs up less and less... Could this be remedied by adding more beer/soda water? (and a little flour to keep the consistency)  Or is it better practise to make up less and use it straight away?  We are a lunch only venue in a growing area, we are not always that busy.  I'm not sure it's practical to make it everyday considering there are plenty of days we don't sell any at all.

Any thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated.


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

The leavening goes out of it if it's around too long. We use a mix as it's consistent from person to person making it. We make it as we go, so there's never much left. We use Fry Crisp. There are several brands of  batter mix on the market. I have even seen people use really thin pancake mix. What's nice about a mix is you can make as much or as little as you need, and you can mix it as you need it, so if you don't sell any fish, you don't mix any batter. Left to my own devices, I would cut out the beer and use water instead as I don't like the beer taste. It's my opionon only, and I'm sure I will be in the minority here, that beer competes with and masks the flavor of the seafood. It seems to me that beer batter never really gets crisp and gets soggy faster than batter made with water. I hate to think how many tons of fish I've batter fried in my lifetime. I have used mixes and secret recipes, with and without beer. Overall I prefer a mix made with water. You can always tweak a mix if you want and add whatever you want. Believe it or not, years ago everybody used to add yellow food color to their batter. I remember when Fry Crisp used to be sort of orange (from paprika, I think) now it's white.  Be careful about adding salt. Salt will trash you fryer oil, and as expensive as it is now you want it to last as long as you can.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Basic  Beer. Flour, s&p to taste, Egg, a little cornstarch (helps stop any oil penetration) ( drop of sugar aids in quick browning)

some people also add a teaspoon of baking powder to help blow up and make product look bigger, and a drop of yellow food color for eye appeal.

For a lighter batter use rice flour


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