British-style Beer Battered Cod

I love beer battered fish. I'll never forget the fish (and chips) Stacy and I had at this little family-run place in England (near Stonehenge) called The Bell - amazing! That was the moment I fell in love and I've been thinking about making my own ever since. Well with a little persuasion from my fish monger I found myself in possession of a pound of Alaskan cod today. I knew this was the time. Beer battered fish is traditionally made with cod but haddock is also common. When you buy cod please do not buy Atlantic cod - it is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species. I recommend buying Alaskan cod or haddock.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil for frying (I don't have a deep fryer so I shallow fry in my cast iron skillet, you want enough oil to cover at least half the fish. Also, battered fish needs to cook at 370F for the batter to stick to the fish and prevent the oil from seeping under the batter, which is what makes fried fish soggy. This means you need to use a refined oil with a high smoke point. Refined oils include: safflower, soybean, sunflower, cottonseed, and peanut.) 

1 pound Alaskan cod fillets, deboned

1/4 cup corn starch (can substitute flour)

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder (or soda, if using baking soda add an extra teaspoon of vinegar)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup Guinness (or your favorite dark beer, lighter beers work too but don't impart as much flavor)

2 teaspoons malt or white wine vinegar

Tartar sauce, lemon wedges, and malt vinegar for serving.

Start by bringing the oil to temperature. You want the oil to be at 370F each time you add a new batch of fish.

While the oil is coming up to temperature toss the cod in the cornstarch, coat thoroughly and set aside.

To make the batter whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Add the beer and vinegar and combine trying to leave as many air bubbles as possible. The carbonation is what makes the fish light and crispy.

Transfer the fish to the batter and coat fully. In batches fry the fish until golden brown on both sides. Drain the fried fish on a wire cooling rack to help prevent sogginess.

Serve with your favorite tartar sauce, lemon wedges and malt vinegar. And of course your favorite fried potatoes, I personally prefer French fries over English chips.

Bon appetit!