Better Beer Batter

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Slight update to the recipe I posted here a few months ago. This is straight out of the Joy of Cooking. It called for some milk in with the recipe, but I was all out, so I just increased the beer by the ½ cup.

1 cup All-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 12 ounce bottle cheap beer (I used Rolling Rock)
2 eggs, slightly beaten

  • Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or a fork.
  • Add the beer and the beaten eggs, and stir to combine.
  • Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.

This recipe was written to coat butterflied shrimp, but I used it to coat a pound of fresh halibut fillet, cut into 5 inch pieces. Any white fish would work — like catfish, cod, or tilapia. Just dip it in the batter so that it’s well coated, and drop it in the hot oil. I had plenty of batter left over, so I also used it on sliced onion rings that I dredged in flour first. I fried both up in about an inch of hot (365°) canola oil in a cast iron skilled, turning after 2 or 3 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious.