Beer Battered Fish + Chips!

Let me tell you a little secret.

Jereme has been hounding me to make fish + chips ever since we started catching fish on this sailing trip! …Which would be, um, close to 3 months ago. ;)) I’m not sure why it took me THAT long to cook up some fish + chips because beer batter is one of my favorite ways to prepare fish.

Even though it’s fried, it’s really a fairly light coating. And honestly, if you put a light and fluffy fried coating on just about anything, I’m a happy camper.

We’ve been cooking fish just about every other way, so it was about freaking time for me to fry some up!

And since we have a few potatoes on board, why not fry those up too! :))

This is really two recipes combined into one delicious post. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t put the two together? I mean, it’s fish AND chips for crying out loud! You can’t have one without the other.

Although the recipe involves multiple frying steps and messy battering, it’s really quite simple. Just make sure you leave enough prep time to let the potatoes soak in water before you fry them up! It really does make a difference.

Oh and make sure you have at least one beer on hand! (Although I highly suggest more than one on hand bc it sure is nice to enjoy a cold beer alongside this finished recipe.) The beer for the batter mix doesn’t need to be a top shelf selection or anything, any old can or bottle will do. :))

Happy cooking! And eating! (recipe below.)

Beer Battered Fish

Ingredients:

• 2 (8-ounce) fish filets cut into thick strips (we used mahi mahi)
• 1.5 cups all purpose flour (set aside 1/2 cup)
• 1 (12-ounce) beer
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Vegetable oil (enough to fill your skillet about an inch deep)
• Tartar sauce (for dipping) *we have Trader Joe’s brand on board…it’s awesome!

Directions:

• In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add the entire bottle or can of beer and continue mixing until a smooth batter forms. Set batter aside until ready to use. It’s actually better if it sits for about 15 minutes or so. (I usually move on to frying the french fries at this point.)
• Pat dry the fish filets and cut into thick strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Dip each piece of fish into the batter and coat it completely. Then drop the fish into the additional 1/2 cup of flour and dust each battered piece.
• Heat large skillet (I prefer cast iron) over medium heat and add enough oil so that there is about an inch-deep worth in the skillet. Once hot, add the coated pieces of fish and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and let drain on a paper towel and repeat in batches as needed.

Double-Fried French Fries

Ingredients:

• 2 large russet potatoes
• Vegetable oil (enough to fill your skillet about an inch to an inch and a half deep)
• Salt

Directions:

• Cut potatoes into skinny fry slices. The skinnier the better in my opinion.
• Fill a large bowl with water and soak potatoes, submerged for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours). This helps remove the excess starch.
• Heat a large skillet over medium and add enough oil so that there is about an inch-deep worth in the skillet.
• Remove potatoes from the water and pat dry on a paper towel to remove excess water. Add two handfuls of potatoes to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the skillet or they will not have enough room to cook properly. I find they stick to the bottom when there are too many in the pan. Par cook the potatoes until they are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes per batch. Remove potatoes from oil and set on paper towel lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat until all of the potatoes are par cooked.
• Raise skillet oil heat to medium-high. Add more oil if necessary. Cook potatoes again (in batches) until golden brown and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Remove from oil and set on paper towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle hot fries with salt. Repeat until all potatoes are fried. I keep fries warm in a preheated oven while I move on to cooking the fish.

Serve beer battered fish and french fries with favorite dipping sauces. In our case, we love tartar sauce with the fried fish and ketchup with the fries.

Enjoy!

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