This has got to be the best and easiest fish batter for deep frying. I’ve tried many other batter recipes but I keep coming back to this one. How do I describe this amazing and might I add simple batter. Well let me try. It’s crispy, light, fluffy (depending on how thick the batter is) and delicious. You can cut the fish into little bite size pieces or into serving size pieces like in my picture.
This batter is so good I also use it to make chicken balls and onion rings with very slight variations.
Check out my onion rings recipe and my chicken ball batter recipe, you’ll love them too.
Don’t let this batter sit too long after you make it, or it will lose its leavening punch. If you need to reactivate your batter, sprinkle a bit of baking powder over the batter and whisk it well.
The amount of batter needed depends on how many small pieces the fish is cut into.
Ingredients for Batter:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup ice water
2 large fillets of any fish (cod, haddock, halibut etc.)
1/2 cup extra flour for dredging
Directions:
Cut fish into desired pieces. Dredge fish in plain all-purpose flour, this helps the batter to stick to the fish and it also keeps the batter from sliding off the fish during and after frying.
Set your deep fryer to between 350 and 375 degrees F. Test your first piece. A thermometer is the best way to determine the desired degree of doneness. USDA recommends an inside doneness temperature for all fish and seafood of 145°F.
Mix batter to a thick pancake consistency, the thicker the batter, the puffier the batter will be on the fish.
Dip fish pieces that have been dredged in the all-purpose flour into the batter to evenly coat, then carefully lower the battered fish into the hot oil.
Deep frying at 350°F is the ideal temperature, fry a small piece of fish as a test first. Fish should be a golden brown in about 7 minutes. If fish gets too dark too fast just lower the temperature. Remove the test piece and cut in half to check for doneness.
Cooking times will vary, depending on how thick the fish is.
Deep frying and safe cooking tips
- Never heat oil or shortening for deep frying in a pot on top of a burner.
- Use only a thermostatically-controlled deep fat fryer which is properly designed for safe cooking with oil.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for care and cleaning. The Office of the Fire Marshal and your local fire department urge you to use ONLY thermostatically controlled deep fat fryers.
