Recipe for extra crispy fish batter

dex · ‎03-09-2010

I have some halibut that I want to fry in a batter.I have tried a few recipes but none of the batters stay crisp for long.Any good recipes or tips would make my day...thanks.

IamMrsG · ‎08-29-2010

@dex Following is the recipe I use for cod fillets.

My Crispy Fried Fish
For 2 servings:
2 Wild caught Atlantic cod fillets (1/3 lb. per serving is sufficient)
~ 1 pint Buttermilk
~ 1/4 cup cornstarch
~ ½ cup all-purpose flour
pinch salt
~1/4 - ½ teaspoon baking powder
~ 6 oz. Lager beer, chilled
Crisco Vegetable Oil

Cover thawed cod fillets with cold buttermilk, keep chilled about an hour. Discard buttermilk. Dry fish with paper towels.

Heat 3/4 - 1" of vegetable oil in a deep skillet until a piece of white bread dropped in it turns golden brown within a minute or two. (Thermometer = 375º)

Meanwhile, dredge both sides of fillets in cornstarch.

Batter: Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a pie plate. Stir in cold beer to form a batter. Add cod fillets, turning to coat both sides.

Carefully place away from you, the battered cod into the oil. Fry, turning once, about 7-8 minutes total time.

Drain on paper towels.

Edited to fix wonky spacing.

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dex · ‎03-09-2010

Thanks I will try it...does the beer make it crispy?

lork · ‎03-10-2010

I sometimes add some dry potato flakes to my seasoned flour & corn meal mixture. I first dip the fish in a mixture of egg and milk, then in the dry ingredient mixture before frying. I have also added panko crumbs to the seasoned flour/cornmeal mixture.

KingstonsMom · ‎03-09-2010

I agree with adding panko (Japanese bread crumbs) to your breading mixture.

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

AuntG · ‎03-09-2010

The beer would give flavor, but I'd say the crispy part comes from the flour and proper temperature of the oil.

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

I use the classic breading method rather than a batter. I start out with the fillets as dry as I can get them, then dust them lightly with flour, then they go into an egg dip of a beaten egg with salt and pepper added to taste. From there they go into a dish of finely ground panko breadcrumbs. (I find the panko straight from the box is a bit coarser than I like, so I grind it up in my Ninja to a finer texture. It still retains the crispness and gives a better coating.) After being thoroughly coated in the panko I then place it in the fridge for 45 minutes to an hour or more for everything to set up. If you want an extra crispy coating you can repeat the egg dip and panko a second or even a third time, but one coat is adequate for me.

If you go for the multiple coatings, refrigerate

the fish a bit between coatings to let the first layer set up before adding additional layers, otherwise you may have the first layer get pulled off by the additonal layers. I've been intrigued about the idea of using different coatings on multiple layers in the past, but I've never tried that approach. In addition to the panko I like the OTC ground oyster cracker crumbs as a coating (hard to find locally these days) and having one layer of cracker crumb and a layer of panko might be pretty neat and give a super crunchy texture. Corn flake crumbs might also work in that context. A multilayered coating could be interesting to see as well as taste.

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