Beer Batter

Simple, tasty batter. I added just a little salt to enhance flavor. I use it to make fried shrimp with onion rings on the side. It helps to dust your fish, shrimp, etc. with flour first, then dipping in the batter. Some people have said this batter is too thin; add a little more flour if you like, but note that a heavy batter will fry up very dense and retain a lot of oil.

This was an excellent recipe, except for the fact that the fish got very soggy when it cooled. My oil was plenty hot, I dried the fish first (as someone else had suggested) and drained them real good. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to keep the fish crispy?

The batter seemed too thin so I followed another reviewers advice and dredged walleye in flour before the batter. It turned out perfect. Nice light crispy coating. I fried two pieces at a time and kept them in a warming drawer as they finished. A 200 degree oven would do the same.

I made this to batter Alaskan Whiting. As a family from the UK, we were missing our traditional fish and chips so I went on the search for a good batter recipe. We liked this batter very much. It had a good flavor and covered the fish beautifully. The only thing we found was that it was a bit flat and didn't bubble out the way we like it. This was easily remedied by the addition of a tspn of baking soda. The key to making perfect fried fish is the temperature of the oil. If it is too hot, the batter will burn and the fish will be undercooked. If it is too cool, it will take too long to cook and the fish will be greasy. If it's cooked at the correct temperature (320f), the batter will be golden and crispy and the fish will be cooked through but won't taste greasy. Effectively, the fish is steamed by the heat of the oil cooking the batter, but should be cooked before the oil actually soaks through the batter, which is why the temperature of the oil is so crucial. This is a good recipe and definitely reminded us of home.

I used two cups of flour, two and a half cups of beer and a bit of cayenne to use as my batter for blooming onions. Absolutely delicious!

I had to start over after initially following the recipe exactly. This is way too much beer - it makes a soup of the flour mixture. I suggest pouring about 1/3 cup into the flour mix to start, and to slowly pour beer from the bottle if you need more.

We are big fish eaters in my family. I am always looking for new ways to dress it up and the recipe went over big. I loved that there was almost no prep time

Loved it, added some salt. Used the batter for some onions rings and thin slices of potato, for the little one. Definetly will use again.

My husband and I tried this recipe with shrimp for our anniversary and it was excellent!!!!!!!!

I was looking for a better batter to make monte cristo and I have found it!!! Absolutely delicious.

I have tried this recipe a many times and it is excellent!! The trick is to put enough beer into the recipe to make it a little on the loose side. When deep fried, it gives a very light and crispy coating. The thicker the mix, the thicker the end product, which is too much. The beer you use makes a difference also. I have used Sam Adams Boston lager and Pabst Blue Ribbon. I liked the PBR better as it made the batter lighter. Dredge whatever you are frying and the batter will stick like glue. I fried onions, okre, zucunni, green peppers, potatoes, tilapia, and lake Erie perch. All were just awesome. The batter is simple and easy to make. Make sure the fryer is at 350 before you start frying as a cooler temp takes longer and absorbs more oil. Drain on a paper towel and let cool before eating.

I used this to fry chicken. It was really easy and the family enjoyed it very much. Thanks!

I am giving this 5 stars with my additions: Floured the haddock befor putting into the batter. I added old bay,onion powder and some hot sauce to the batter for additional kick. I used a really nasty tasting IPA that my son left us with from christmas this year. When I tasted the uncooked batter I thought it was disgusting and hoped with the frying it would palatable. It sure was delish. I salted the finished fish and shrimp immediately after taking it from the oil. What a wonderful surprise. Thank for the basic recipe, I would def use again.

This worked perfectly for my onion rings last night. It made me sad to give up my beer for this but it was worth it. Besides, I have more beer. ;o)

Great base recipe. Only used 3/4 beer, otherwise would have been too watery (I prefer thick batter, more southern). Since everyone was complaining about seasoning, I used creole seasoning in replace of the pepper. Turned out great!

Here's what my fiance had to say about this recipe: "Awesome recipe! Better than what I've had at most restaurants. Beer batter has got to be cooking's greatest innovation. It has all the charm of beer with the practical greatness of deep frying. The batter bound to the shrimp and created a well integrated taste. The meal was further improved with Booming Onion dipping sauce." He especially liked that he got to drink the rest of the can of beer that I opened to make this. :D I added some cayenne powder and a little chili powder to give it a little kick. Definitely use the sauce from the recipe "Blooming Onion and Dipping Sauce" here on AR!!

This is a great recipe. My husband is Samoan and is a tough judge of seafood! This batter (we use it for everything from fish, shrimp, scallops, even mushrooms!) has garnered praise from everyone. I add an extra 1/2 cup of flour as well as a teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning, just because my family loves that stuff. Overall, I highly recommend this batter.

I used this to make homemade chicken nuggets and it was so delicious! Even my son who is picky kid ate them and that is saying something if he its it! My husband loved them as well. The batter made the nuggets so crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I did use flour on them before i put them in the batter. Thanks for the simple and tasty recipe

I fell in love with cheese curds on a trip to Minnesota visiting a friend. Don't have those here in Pittsburgh, PA so after purchasing some fresh curds online and finding this batter, in about 10 min. I had fresh fried curds that were every bit as good as what we bough at the fair, for a fraction of the price (thank goodness for the internet!). Thank you, great recipe. Easy to make and use. I only used about 1 1/4c of beer and added a 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning salt. As already stated, make sure you flour your food first before you dip and make sure your oil's hot enough for a good fry. The popcorn method's always worked for me if you don't have a candy/fry thermometer. (Drop a kernel in the oil, once it pops, remove and you're ready to fry). Make sure you don't overcrowd your pan and the oil's the right temp (if it's taking too long to cook, falling to the bottom of the pan or sticking try adjusting by not adding so much at once, letting your oil rest and recoup its temp between batches and making sure it's hot enough to start). If your food's burning or your oil's turning brown, your fire's too high and the oil's too hot. burnt oil = burnt flavor so Start with fresh oil and turn down the heat. Also, make sure you have a good oil for high temp. I like grapeseed oil (light, no trans fats and great for skin and hair :) ), peanut or vegetable oil (least fav. is the vegetable but it works)...

VERY simple and quick batter that is so versatile. I was drawn to this recipe because of the few ingredients required. It crisps up nicely & has a light texture to it. I tried it with potatoes, zucchini, onions, and jalepeno peppers (w/ cream cheese) and everything turned out great!

This worked great for fried cod. I added a teaspoon salt to the batter. Perfect with it, I really think it would have been bland without it. All I had in the house was a light beer which really didn't lend any beer taste to the batter, which was ok with me, even though we do enjoy the beer taste in the batter. So use a regular/stout beer if you enjoy the taste or a light beer if you prefer not to taste that. The batter seemed quite thin so I added a couple tablespoons more flour to thicken up just a tad. I suppose cutting back on beer would have worked as well. I followed others advice on dredging the fish in flour prior to dipping in the batter. Not sure if it made a difference or not but the batter stayed put on the fish and finished up with a nice golden coating when fried. This was a light, crispy batter even after sitting, and was not greasy in the least.

A nice basic batter. I use when deep frying chicken. I first dip the chicken in flour then in batter and deep fry. Really good.

This is an awesome batter. I've tried to fry fish before with little to no success. This was easy and a household hit. I made the batter as directed. I used cod and blotted it dry with paper towels then add lighly salted and peppered prior to dipping in the batter. Because the batter was thin, I kept it refrigerated. If you like the consistancy of temperura batter, you'll love this. I also used this batter and seasoned it a bit for onion rings.

I have used this recipe repeatedly to cook for large parties and everyone keeps asking me to cook some more. This is great.

Good basic recipe, but needs some salt (we add 1/4-1/2 tsp), we also add some paprika and cayenne for a little extra flavor!

I use this recipe when i fry zucchini with a side of soy sauce is delicious!

When my kids heard "beer" batter, they said "yeuck!", but when they tasted the finished product, they said "YUM!" I thought this may be a waste of beer, but it isnt! Yummie!!!!

This was my first time battering anything! I really love french fried veggies from the festivals and so I came looking for a batter to make them for myself. This was PERFECT! It was very light and crunchy and not at all too heavy for bell peppers or onion rings. I battered broccoli, cauli, onion rings, bell pepper rings and shrimp...and they all turned out perfectly. I did at a little more salt, but still feel like I could have kicked it up a notch. Maybe try adding some Cajun or other spices to it. I will use this again for sure!!

It was a semi-decent start but lacked a LOT of flavor. Couldn't really taste the beer; so I need more practice on this because it just didn't work as well as I thought as it would. Oh well.

Absolutley fantastic, especially with the barramundi, trevally and coral trout we get here in the Northern Territory of Australia.

I used this for my first beer battered fish (used tilapia) and it was great! Simple, reliable recipe.

fantastic - light, crispy, and not at all greasy. just make sure the oil is hot enough, and use lots of oil!

This batter cooked up nice and crisp. However, it needs salt!! I added 1 tsp to the batter the second time around and it was MUCH better.

Love how this uses commen household ingredients (yeah I always have beer haha). Omitted the garlic as I dislike it. DH actually did the work I just found the recipe for him and it turned out great. I live on Lake Erie and fish a lot so another way to make perch is always welcome, as is another reason to hget more beer LOL ;-) Thanks for posting this!

With the addition of a little salt this is the best light crispy batter we have ever found. It was heavenly for our Canadian Walleye dinner tonight. My husband used Labatt Blue, a Canadian beer, in the batter and seasoning salt for more flavor. It was wonderful and will be our family favorite from now on.

This recipe is so simple and tastes great. This is the fourth time I've used it. Something that I've learned from running my own bar, any beer will do, but Miller High Life seems to give you the best flavor. I don't preffer it as a drinking beer, but it is great to cook with. I make this recipe just as explained and it comes out great.

This batter is the business! I didn't change anything, and the flounder pieces I fried for fish tacos came out light and crispy with lovely little lacy edges. Several reviewers have mentioned that the batter needs salt - I usually sprinkle my batter-fried foods with salt as soon as they come out of the oil, so I didn't have any trouble. We are full and happy people tonight - and I'm considering adding some cornmeal to the leftover batter and frying up some hushpuppies. Thank you so much for posting this simple and excellent recipe.

Perfect batter for those who love to taste the fish, not the batter. I did not dredge in flour before dipping in batter. Fried up crispy and flavorful. Sprinkled Old Bay seasoning on flounder filets while thawing. Served w/ Chinese Broccoli Slaw (from this site). Spectacular!!!

i used this on some catfish, very flavorful and easy to use

Quick easy, I used this for 400+ people of a ship! After scaling it - and frying it with commercial fryers - but here's the best part...I couldn't obtain the beer because it was still held in a container on the dock...so I replaced the beer with sherry we had on board and a few glugs of white vinegar (WARNING-Batter tastes awful with the sherry) but after the sherry is literally fried out of it, it was fantastic!!! I have the whole crews word on it, the English & Irish people we have on board couldn't believe I produced such 'Fish & Chips' (we are a Mission NGO organization on a budget). OH, ONE MORE THING - if its too thick water it down with the beer or sherry you are using to pancake batter consistency then chill it, IF the first fish or too look to smooth, or to bready, give it a few more goes because after the first one or too it straighetened right out to perfect consistency. 5 STARS because of ease, minimal ingredients, and I haven't even used beer with it yet!!!

Wow. That was great! I've never deep fried before and it turned out very well. I dried the fish, dredged in flour, dipped into the batter, with a little salt as another reviewer mentioned, and "deep" fried in about 1.5" canola oil in my stock pot. Worked very well. I used sole and Sleeman Cream Ale.

I like using this recipe with shrimp. They taste very good.

Luv, luv, luv this recipe !!!! We were craving long john's but did not want to go out and I had some tilapia in the freezer, did a quick search and found this recipe. Although it did need salt but no big deal the next time I will salt my fish before battering and I also, dredged in flour before dipping in the batter and frying. I had no trouble whats so ever with the fish getting soggy when they were ready. The next day we ate the leftovers and they were a bit soggy but still delicious!!!! I cant wait to try this on onions, shrimp and other veggies! This is a keeper and extremely easy! Will definitely make again and again and again! Thanks for sharing Letty !!!! YUM YUM !!!

This is so good! I cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into strips and used those. Dredged in flour first, then the batter. They turned out crunchy-crispy and not oily at all. Next time, I think I'll try adding some herbs to the batter. I also fried some battered zucchini spears. They turned out okay, but not as crispy as the chicken. I made a dipping sauce with mayo, horseradish and mustard, and we had a fun dinner last night! Another keeper...thanks!!

Easy, simple, delicious. Most beer batters will become soggy when cooled. To crisp up, reheat in oven around 375degrees for about 7-10 minutes or so (microwaves will make soggier). If the batter is too thick, thin it out with more beer for a thinner coating.

Batter didn't stay on shrimp after cooking and was very greasy. Would have been better off using cornmeal.

I added some Old Bay for some extra flavor & it turned out great. I used Tilapia an even my husband liked it - he doesn't like that 'fishy taste'.

I've read all these reviews...I see nothing wrong with this simple basic recipe. I have made everything from shrimp to onion rings..and all inbetween.. and keep referring to this recipe. AS IS! Yeah..the batter gets soggy if you let it sit...but doesn't All batter? (we are not talking breading here). Anyway..this recipe is great.. perfect! the only thing i do different is give the family a salt shaker...if they prefer it salty er than what it is..they can shake it! lol I never measure spices..so maybe a do a little more garlic? or maybe less... The basics to this recipe is fine..no need to add...no need to flour more..etc. I LOVE this recipe..its my backbone of my batter !! Great Job to the Chef!

Thanks for the recipe. We always had beer batter fish and "chips" when young but I lost the specifics. Cant wait to make it. Enjoy all

We made this with Perch. It was fantastic! I did add a pinch of salt, dried the perch off with paper towels and coated each in some flower before dipping. Wonderful!

Great for shrimp.

Seemed to have the same sticking problem as others. Good flavor, though, so I'd probably give it another try.

I used this batter for Fish 'n Chips for my husband - whose is British - and he LOVED it! Even told his mom that my recipe was better than hers. I added a bit too much beer so I upped the flour to get the right thickness. Turned out great - not to thick - and tasted great!

This batter does not "batter" fidh. It all fell off and was a greasy mess.

awsome

Great recipe. My family loved this. You don't even need to use a lot of oil.

This was good. You got to pick a good beer though, none of that light stuff! It was a good consistansy that coated chicken and shrimp really well. Makes good chicken fingers!

Awful. The batter was too thin & flavorless. Will not use this recipe again!

This is a good, basic beer batter recipe. A couple of tweaks, and it's excellent. 1. I found 1 Cup of beer made the batter too thin. Instead, I would gradually pour beer into the four mixture until the desired consistency is achieved. 2. This recipe needed salt. I'd say 1 to 2 tsp. You can always salt them after you fry though. 3. I would recommend, in accord with other reviewers, to dredge in flour prior to battering. One could even mix some paprika or chili powder with the dredging flour. 4. Making sure you do not over batter your food will help to ensure that it doesn't get soggy. Otherwise, this is a really good basic recipe with a lot of room for creativity.

Did the dredge in flour and then dip...it was SO GOOD!

This is fast to make but it totally needs salt. At least 1/2 t. It was light and crispy but lacking flavor. I used it on rock fish we caught and dh and I both went and got different bottles of sauces for dipping to perk it up. Will probably try again w/that change. For Krystal, who said the batter came off...I've made the mistake of not drying off fish/chicken before adding a coating or not having the oil hot enough. It really helps.

I've used this recipe a few times now to make deep fried mushrooms for my kids and they love it! I usually wash them off and dredge them in flour then dip them in the batter and put them in the deep fryer for about 3-4 minutes and they come out perfect. Now they want me to make chicken fingers with it next.

Perfect beer batter for Halibut, I am from Alaska and I know good beer batter, I have my own recipe but thought I would give this a try, it was really good!!

I dipped some pre-cooked shrimp into the batter and fried them up. It was excellent! My husband said it was as good as any finer restaurant would serve. With some good sweet and sour sauce, it makes a great main dish with rice or chow mein

Very good recipe but you need more like 2 cups of flour, not one. I also added onion powder and season salt. I liked the batter though.

This beer batter is the best. I used Corona beer because it is our favorite, and next time I will cut back a little on the garlic. I used with chicken breasts and the chicken was so juicy and tender. Had a bunch of batter left over, so I dipped home-made curly potatoe fries into it before frying (in Smart Balance oil) and it was soooo delicious!!! Husband went crazy over it!

Excellent recipe though 1 cup of (good) beer works way better. I suggest spicing the batter up with whatever you have on hand. I used paprika and garlic powder.

Excellent recipe!! Thanks a million,my wife came home with catfish said the kids wanted catfish nuggets I didn't have any batter in the house ,but I had a beer... So thanks again.

Perfect! We dredged them in flour before the beer batter, added some Old Bay seasoning, a dash of cayenne pepper, and fried 'em on the deck to keep the smell outside. We LOVED this recipe!

Used this for catfish it was really good.

First class!!! Used recipe for deep fried green tomatoes and they were absolutely fabulous! Added a pinch of salt and only used 1 cup of the beer. So much better than the traditional fried green tomatoes!!!

It was good, but I had the same problem as some others in that the breading didn't stick very well even though I dried the fish fillets thoroughly. It also wasn't as thick as I'd like it. Next time I'll dredge lightly in flour. I also added 2 tsp of (Paula Deen's) house seasoning (garlic powder, salt, pepper) to the batter as well as seasoning the fillets prior to dipping. The flavor was really good. I had left over batter so I threw in some zucchini slices ... same deal ... I'll dredge in flour next time. Yummy though.

Makes a great all-purpose batter. Works with anything. Don't add all the ingredients at once. Different beers and different grades of flour don't mix the same. Start with half the mix and add as you need to. Once you get the proportions down, use the same beer and flour each time and you won't go wrong

So easy! This is wonderful!

Love it! I added some other seasonings but it was great!

I have made this for 1/2 year. this is what we used in the bar I work in.

Found this recipe and made it tonight. Though, I did forget to include the egg, the batter worked out anyway. We battered chicken that came out so juicy and crunchy. After he tasted the first piece, my BF said, "Just deep fry the batter, why put anything in it?!" We really liked it and will definitely try it again, this time with the forgotten egg. BF said he wants to try using Hornsby's Draft Cider. He thinks it may give a hint of apple flavor to the batter. Just finished eating dinner and had to come on here to say that this is a great recipe! Thank you, Letty!

I seasoned the fish with a little sale and pepper and dredged in flour before battering. The fish was excellent, but did become soggy as it cooled. Any suggestions to keep the fish crisp?

Terrific! Nice and light and tasty. I used this for shrimp and dredged in flour prior to dipping in the batter as some suggested. Definitely going in the recipe box! Might add a pinch of cayenne to the dredging flour next time for a little extra kick.

Great recipe. The whole family of 6 loved it and that is hard to do. Thanks for making dinner easy!

Definietly roll items in flour before dipping. We fried cauliflower and pickles. Tasted good (better the next day as the garlic got stronger), however there was something missing from the overall flavor. Maybe salt?

A great, traditional mix for my dad to fry his catch of walleye. Everyone loved it!

This was the 1st time I have ever done a fish fry in my turkey fryer, and I used this recipe. It worked great with catfish nuggets. I added a little salt and cajun seasoning. Everyone raved! Thanks for making my 1st fish fry a success.

good and simple. to keep the fish from getting soggy use a cooling tray and your fish will stay nice and crispy!

This a really nice recipe!!! it came very crunchy and delicious, I used some flour on the fish before the battering and add some dill and paprika powder to make it more flavorful, We will make it again.

Being born and raised in Wisconsin, Friday Fish Fries are just a normal part of life . . . and something that I miss dearly since moving to the South. This recipe brought me back home! So delicious! I followed the recipe, but didn't need the full 1-1/2 cups of beer (I used Bud Light Lime) to reach the consistency that I was looking for (probably just slightly more than 1 cup). I used cod, as that is what is available to me, but I was dreaming that it was haddock (my favorite, but not something you can find in Georgia). This would be a great batter for onion rings too! Will make again!

Loved it! Super easy. Used it for chicken and it came out perfect :-)

I doubled the flour and lightly salted the fish when finished!

Easy and delicious! I will use this one again

I had to add more beer to my recipe. The trick to know the batter is good is when you stick a fork or something in and then let the batter drizzle. If it leaves a trail of batter that slowly disappears on top of the rest of the batter, it's perfect.

Dredge in flour, use garlic salt instead of garlic powder, and add a pinch of sugar to help make the batter crispy.

easy and good

It was very light in flavor. I added a dash of paprika and dill. I used the tip about dredging in flour first. I used this recipe because I didn't have the breading I normally use. I will definitely use this one again.

Tried three times now and execellent every time

I wanted to try a beer batter receipe for my family since they had never had it, and this was the easiest and most tasty I found. I subed my on spices to kick up the flavor a bit, and made chicken finger and chees sticks.

This is a great recipe, went by the recipe and added 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, we use this on chicken, deep fired green beans and shrimp. Thank You!

Was ok..I would prefer more flavor though. Definately a very plain recipe that is easy to use. Will have to tweak it a littler w/ some salt before I will try it again.

I added cayenne pepper to make spicy chicken, we loved it!

It was easy to make, and I had all ingredients on hand. It needed some salt though, and if you didn't eat the food right away, it got soggy. Other than that it was just alright. I added extra garlic powder and pepper, but it was still bland. I think I'll stick to the one I buy in the box.