I’m a fried fish fanatic. I love a good Fish and Chips meal and seek it out whenever we travel. But I’m finicky when it comes to fish. If the fish is not fresh or has been improperly handled, the meal will be a noticeable disappointment and likely taste fishy. Fresh fish should never taste fishy.
Here’s a tip from a fisherman: Fresh fish should not smell like fish. It should be completely orderless. Whenever I buy fish, my main test is to smell it. Yes, I smell the fish at the store. If it smells fishy, I’m not buying it. But the absolute best way to acquire fresh fish is to catch it yourself!
For years, I owned a fishing boat that was the primary source of my fresh fish supply. But sadly, the boat is gone, and now I rely on fishing charters to catch my family’s fresh fish.
I recently went on a fishing trip out of Miami Beach with Captain Ralph Mayans. We were lucky enough to have a productive day of fishing. We had an absolute blast on the water and brought home several nice mahi filets for dinner and a few more for the freezer. There is nothing like fresh fish caught and prepared on the same day.
As often happens, our conversation aboard the boat turned towards cooking, and the captain shared his secret for the ultimate crispy fish recipe. His secret is quite simple—rice flour. Using rice flour produces a longer-lasting crispiness to the fried filets. I couldn’t wait to give it a try.
Whenever I cook fish for the family, I do it in batches because, without a commercial fryer, there is simply no way to cook all the fish in one batch and serve it. So, when it’s fish and chips night at our home, I prefer my family and guests to serve themselves as the fish comes out of the fryer. It’s a more casual dinner, and I keep cooking fish until everyone is satisfied—then we break out the Key Lime pie.
On the way home from our fishing trip, I stopped at the market and picked up some rice flour. I planned to incorporate some rice flour into my tried-and-true beer batter recipe. The plan worked, and the result was an extra-crispy fish batter. At the end of the evening, there were a few leftover fish pieces, and they remained crunchy substantially longer than usual. Success!
Recipe Tips
This recipe calls for white fish. As noted, I prefer fresh-caught fish. My local favorites—in order—are grouper, snapper, or mahi. If you have to go with a store-bought fish, cod is a great choice for beer-battered fish that has been a very reliable go-to.
The beer should be a light-colored pilsner. My favorite is Stella Artois because it has a high degree of carbonation, which helps keep the batter airy and crispy. The beer should be ice cold when the batter is prepared.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. white fish (grouper, snapper, mahi or cod)
- 1 cup of cornstarch
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Canola oil for frying
The Beer Batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups light beer
Instructions:
Cut fish into sticks or flats, making sure they are no more than 1″ thick. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge all sides of the fish in the cornstarch and shake off the excess.
Combine the flour, rice flour, baking powder, and salt in mixing bowl. Add the ice cold beer and whisk until combined. Use the batter immediately; do not let it rest for more than 30 minutes. If you are frying a large quantity of fish, make another batch of batter every 30 minutes.
After dredging in cornstarch, dip the fish into the beer batter to coat all sides, allowing the excess batter to drip off, but not too much!
For frying the fish, you can either use a deep fryer (preferably) or a large skillet filled with oil to a depth of about an inch. Use a thermometer to heat the oil to between 350 F and 375 F. Carefully drop the fish into the oil. Fry the fish for 6-8 minutes or until light golden brown.
Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.