Creole Beer Battered Fish Fry
Even if you’re iffy about eating fish, I imagine just about everyone is up for a fish fry. I mean what more is there to say about this? Don’t we all have a soft spot in our hearts for deep fried food? (Yes!) For this version, I made a Creole-spiced beer batter that was really strong, spiced, and flavorful, making for a very enjoyable indulgence in what is really simple, summery, Southern-styled comfort food.
I really enjoyed this–the fish was tender, moist, meaty, and fresh while the batter was zesty, spicy, crunchy, and just…well, really damn good! I used a good bit of coarse cornmeal so that the end result would have a really solid grit and crunch about it while the spices have a distinctly Creole flare about them. Underneath all of this is another major player in the beer batter: the beer! I chose to go with an IPA (India Pale Ale) as I love the hoppy, strong character of this style of beer and I thought it would have the body to stand up harmoniously with these strong flavors, and it worked perfectly. Plus, you get to drink the leftovers, so you better like it. 
- 1.5 pounds red snapper
- Dijon mustard
- A good bit of canola oil (for frying, so enough to cover the fish)
- Creole flavored Beer Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/4-1/2 cup creole seasoning
- 2 cayenne peppers, minced finely (or 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cayenne)
- ground mustard
- dried oregano
- ground chipotle
- ground coriander
- 12 ounces (1 bottle) cold beer, plus more to thin the batter if necessary (I used an IPA and had to use about 1.5 bottles to thin the batter out)
In a large bowl, begin by making the beer batter. Simply mix everything except for the beer, whisking the beer in last. If the batter is really thick and clumpy (more dough like and not drippy), thin it out with some extra beer as you need, whisking it all together.
Skin, debone, and portion out the fish however you see fit. I sliced up some arbitrarily sized filets. Coat each piece with a light amount of dijon mustard and rub it all over. Preheat a sturdy pan with a good amount of oil up to about 350-375 °F (figure somewhere a bit over medium heat on most stove tops), giving it a few minutes to warm up before you proceed. You can also test that the oil is hot by dropping in a small plop of batter–it should start bubbling and frying right away.
Now, dip each piece of fish in the beer batter. Dip it in and out and ensure that its well covered all over with batter. Let any major excess drip off (but don’t wait too long or it will all just slough off eventually) and then transfer this right into the hot oil, taking great care not to drop it and splash yourself with hot oil.
Depending on the thickness of your fish pieces, figure that each one could take somewhere around 5 minutes. Flip each piece once during the middle of frying to ensure both sides are well exposed to the heat. Don’t crowd the pan with too many pieces at a time as you’ll drop the oil temperature with each piece of fish you add, which would yield a soggy batter and a sad looking fish fry. Sad is bad.
As each piece finishes frying, remove it from the oil with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a layer of paper towels to drain for a few minutes (pat the tops as well when they cool a bit) to get rid of any excess oil. Also, if you have leftovers, obviously fish doesn’t keep for very long, but most importantly, don’t go reheating this in the microwave. Your best bet is to simply refry the leftovers again in oil–you’ll avoid a soggy batter and most importantly, that reheated, one-day-old fish stink.
Now a fish fry is by no means fancy food, so I simply had a side of baked beans with some ketchup for dipping (really, any sauce your heart desires) with, most importantly, a cold beer. Enjoy!
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August 2nd, 2008 at 5:19 am
Mike all three of us at home just love fish like this. I do not make it half as often as I would like to because of the frying - but hey we all need a good fish fry! I love this!
August 2nd, 2008 at 7:18 am
What could be more “summer” than this? Fried fish is a rare treat in our house. I’d try it with catfish or our local New England cod, too. The batter sounds delicious. Oh, and I might have to add a bit more cayenne, just because I love it!
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:41 am
Wow i can smell the delicious aroma coming from that plate of fried fish.
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 am
Now this makes me miss my rural upbringing - growing up surrounded by rivers and lakes, attending a different fish fry every week was just part of life. While I’ve never thought about hosting a fish fry since moving to the city, this post makes me want to go out and buy a giant outdoor fryer and get to busy!
August 2nd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
What a great idea to coat the fish with mustard before battering it. I can’t wait to try this!
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Well, your method sounds great, and we’re gonna try it out.
So, I broke out the DeLonghi, filled it with Peanut Oil (We never use Canola - don’t trust it).
I am going to substitute fresh catfish instead of the snapper.
We will try it tonight, and I will report back how ours turned out.
Thanks for the idea.
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Hey Mike this looks perfect…I think I can taste it from here! Crunch-crunch.
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
To tell you the truth Mike, you had my mouth watering with those photos!
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Oh my gosh! I have been craving a good fried fish lately!
August 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
wow! this looks delicious! and i don’t even like fried fish! this might make me a believer, though
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:16 am
My mouth is watering……I just love the crunch, especially when it’s spicy!
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:37 am
Mike - I love that creole seasoning of yours!
That fish looks so lovely and crunchy.
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:47 am
aha! perhaps the way for me to get over my distaste for fish is to spice it up and fry the heck out of it! we shall see…
August 3rd, 2008 at 5:47 am
Nom nom nom! I love crispy fried fish. I also use cornmeal to coat things like fishcakes - the best crunch ever!
August 3rd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
That fish looks nice and crispy and sounds tasty!
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Oh wow, that looks too good to be true! Luckily it is too hot to even attempt frying so I am safe for now!
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Mike,
We did it last night. Only changes were we fried in peanut oil, and we used fresh catfish fillets (large ones) instead of red snapper.
The fish was delicious.
By the way, for deep-frying, a DeLonghi is HARD to beat! Controlled odor, very little mess, easy recycling of oil. We have the older model, the one without the stirrer mechanism, and have been using it for 6 or 7 years no. Good investment.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:21 am
I made beer battered fish a while back and it was delicious and light. I must try this spicy version, though!
August 4th, 2008 at 3:33 am
I’ve never had spiced batter like this before but the photos made me salivate (which is always my main test for whether I’d like a recipe)
August 4th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Soft spot for deep-fried food? Hell, YES!
The spiciness of the batter really appeals - think I’m going to give this one a try…
August 4th, 2008 at 7:07 am
Damn. It even LOOKS crispy. Very enticing photos!
August 4th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Mmmm….. deep fried… crunchy…. spicy….. fish….ummm…..!
August 4th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Looks great. I’m always afraid to do my own fried fish (except for fish tacos) but I’ll let you make me some!!
August 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Oh my, oh my . . . I’m thinking hushpuppies would go REALLY well with this!
August 6th, 2008 at 2:06 am
[...] If you’re even a semi-regular at Blue Kitchen, you know we love spicy here. And as much as we try to take it easy on fried food, when it’s done right there’s nothing better [in small doses]. Mike over at Mike’s Table does it right, with his Creole Beer Battered Fish Fry. [...]
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