Beer Battered Fish and Chips

Just about everyone has tasted delicious beer-battered fish and chips. This recipe is much like other beer-batter fish recipes, but it uses Guinness beer, giving it a darker color and a distinctive (but not strong) flavor.
The key to getting your fish just right is in the batter. If you like thinly battered fish, use less flour. If you like thick batter, use more flour.

This recipe makes about 6-8 pieces of fish.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of Beer
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Salt and pepper to taste
• All-purpose flour (how much you need depends on the consistency of the batter)
• 6-8 fillets of cod, haddock or halibut
• ½ gallon of vegetable oil

Direction

Heat the oil in a large pot or deep fryer to a temperature of 375 F.

In a large bowl whisk the beer, egg, baking soda and salt and pepper. Whisk until well-combined. Start adding the flour and whisk until it starts to thicken and sticks to the whisk. You will probably use about ½ cup of flour, but add it slowly, so you get the right consistency.

Coat the fillets with flour before dipping them into the batter. Then dip the fish, piece by piece into the batter and let the excess drip off and ensure the fish is fully coated.

Once you have coated a piece of fish, put it into the oil before moving onto the next piece, but work quickly to ensure even cooking of all the pieces. Using a fork, gently dip the fish into the oil and hold there for a few seconds before letting go. This will keep the fish from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Then repeat the process with the rest of the fillets.

Cook the fish for about 5-6 minutes until nicely browned and it reaches an internal temperature of 140 F. Place the fish on some paper towel to remove excess oil.

Serve with French fries, tartar sauce, malt vinegar and a wedge of lemon.