Crispy Beer Batter Fish and Chips At Home

Craving pub-style fish and chips without leaving the house? This crispy beer batter fish and chips recipe delivers everything you love about your favorite pub: golden, crunchy batter, flaky tender fish, extra crispy fries, and a creamy tartar sauce on the side. The secret is in the beer. It creates tiny bubbles in the batter that fry up into an impossibly light, crunchy coating that store-bought and frozen fish could never compete with. And the best part? It comes together with just a handful of simple pantry ingredients. Make this crispy beer batter fish and chips at home for amazing pub-style food.

Why You’ll Love This Beer Batter Fish and Chips Recipe

• Beef-Batter: Light, crispy, and golden — the beer creates bubbles in the batter that fry up into a nice crunchy texture
• Simple ingredients, incredible results. The fish stays perfectly tender inside. While the outside crisps up, the inside stays flaky, moist, and never rubbery.

Ingredients

Fish

• Cod fillets
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 can of cold beer
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt
• Black pepper

Fries

• 1–2 large potatoes
• Salt

Tartar Sauce

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp chopped pickles
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt, to taste

Click on the images for the direct link to the ingredients/tools I used:

Instructions

Peel and cut potatoes into fry-shaped slices. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and pat completely dry.

Heat oil to 325°F. Fry potatoes for a few minutes until softened but not browned. Remove from oil and let rest. Increase oil temperature to 375°F, then fry again until golden and crispy. Season with salt.

Pat cod dry and season both sides with salt and black pepper.

In a shallow plate, add flour for dredging.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Slowly pour in cold beer and whisk until smooth.

Coat the cod in flour first, then dip it into the beer batter. Let excess batter drip off.

Carefully deep fry the fish until golden brown and crispy. This takes around 4-6 minutes.

To make the tartar sauce, combine mayonnaise, chopped pickles, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and salt. Mix well.

Serve hot with crispy fries and tartar sauce.

Crispy Beer Batter Fish and Chips At Home Tips

Use completely cold beer for a light and crispy batter.

Pat the cod dry before battering so the coating sticks better.

Double-fry the fries for extra crispy texture.

Do not overcrowd the pot when frying.

Place the fish and fries on a wire rack to keep them crispy.

Storage Tips

Store leftover fish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, and the tartar sauce separately for up to 5 days.

Reheat the beer-battered fish in the air fryer at 375F until crispy.

Ingredient Substitutions

Cod –> Polluck, tilapia

Beer –> Club Soda

Mayonnaise –> Greek Yogurt

If you enjoyed this fish and chips recipe, you might also like my healthy potato wedges recipe.

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, we may receive compensation from purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate, I can earn from qualifying purchases.