Best Fish Batter Recipe for Battered Fried Fish
on Jul 09, 2022, Updated Jan 14, 2025
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This is the best Fish Batter Recipe for making battered fried fish! It’s quick and delicious and is the perfect fried fish recipe when making fish and chips.
Fried fish is a crowd-pleaser for any season. It is great for busy evenings or when you need something substantial but quick. You will love how simple it is to fry up some delicious fish.
From simple fish tacos to perfect grilled fish fillets, fish for a quick and delicious dinner is always a great choice. This battered fish is so crispy and everyone loves the flavor. It’s also super simple to make and needs to find its way to your dinner table soon!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy Recipe: All of the ingredients are pantry staples so it is easy to throw together any time.
- Use Your Fave Fish: It works well with any firm white fish.
- Lots of Side Choices: It goes well with so many side dishes. I especially love to serve this dish with some creamy coleslaw and perfect oven fries.
Recipe Ingredients
- Firm white fish: Pick your favorite, fresh or frozen!
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Spices: Smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt
- Eggs
- Milk: You can use beer instead if you’d like.
- Oil for frying: Use a light oil suitable for high temps, like lard, vegetable, canola, or peanut.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Battered Frid Fish
1. Prepare your fish: Make sure it’s fully thawed and pat it dry to help the batter stick.
2. Make your batter: Mix the flour, egg, milk, and spices together.
3. Heat the oil: Put the oil in a pan and heat until 375 degrees. (I like to fry in a Dutch oven because it holds the heat of the oil well.)
4. Dip the Fish: Dip the dry fish into the batter.
5. Fry: Carefully add the battered fish to the hot oil and let it cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
Recipe FAQs
You want to fry a fish that is firm and holds up well. I have found success in frying tilapia, cod, haddock, and bass. I’ve also fried catfish with this recipe, though I usually like it better in a cornmeal batter.
Canola oil is a great oil for frying fish because it has a very neutral flavor. You can also use lard, shortening, vegetable oil, peanut oil, or corn oil for this recipe. Be sure you have an ample amount of oil in the pan that covers the bottom completely, or you will risk the fish sticking to the pan.
Fried fish will last in the fridge for 3-4 days when properly stored in an airtight container.
If you have an air fryer, I recommend reheating it in there for about 6 minutes at 375 degrees. You can also heat them in an oven of the same temperature for about 15 minutes.
Of course, this all depends on if you are feeding adults or children and appetite sizes but generally plan on 1/2 pound to 1 pound of fish per person. If you are serving a lot of sides, you can do less.
You will know when the fish is done because it will not be translucent anymore and will flake easily with a fork. If you have a meat thermometer, fish needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees to be fully cooked.
Expert Tips
- The type of fish matters when you are frying it. I have had the best results when I use a firm white fish. Something like tilapia, cod, bass or haddock works the best.
- Batter sticks best to dry fish fillets. Make sure you lightly pat each fillet down with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
- Make sure you preheat your oil before adding any fish. (You want it to be between 350°F and 375°F.) If you add the fish before the oil is hot enough it will too greasy. Also, don’t crowd the pot for the same reason.
Should I Use a Deep Fryer for Fish?
You don’t have to use a deep fryer for this recipe, but the T-fal 3.5-liter deep fryer is a great choice if you do.
It has a super handy oil filtration system that ensures your oil is always clean and easy to clean up and has a temperature range of 350 to 375 degrees F (this recipe calls for the latter!).
I also like that there’s a locking lid (no splatters here!), viewing window, automatic shut-off, and cool-touch handles, all of which ensure you’re easily able to fry up your fish.
More Seafood Recipes to Consider
Seafood Recipes
Tuna Patties Recipe
From Scratch Recipes
Simple Shrimp Fajitas
Seafood Recipes
Baja Fish Tacos
Seafood Recipes
Butterfly Shrimp
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Battered Fried Fish
Equipment
- medium mixing bowl I love these because they have lids and double as serving bowls.
- baking sheet These are a go-to that every kitchen should have.
- paddle thermometer This is great for all-things frying!
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds firm white fish
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2-3 quarts oil for frying, (such as canola, vegetable, or peanut)
- Lemon wedges and tartar sauce for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, cast iron fryer, or heavy bottom pan add the oil and start preheating it over medium to medium high heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs and milk.
- Stir to combine and until no dry bits remain and a smooth batter forms.
- Prepare the fish by patting it dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel.
- When the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (I like to use a paddle thermometer to monitor my oil temperatures when frying) dip a piece of fish in the batter and place the battered fish in the hot oil. Repeat with a few more pieces, taking care to not crowd the pan.
- Allow the fish to cook until deep golden brown, about 3-4 minutes before flipping and then allow to cook on that side for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or a spider strainer and place the cooked battered fish on a plate or rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the extra grease.
- Repeat until you’ve used all your fish
- Serve right away and enjoy hot. Serve with fresh squeezed lemon on top and tartar sauce if you’d like. We love fried fish with hush puppies and coleslaw on the side.
Video
Notes
- You can keep your first batches of cooked fish warm in a 200 degree F oven while you are cooking the others.
- I like to salt the fish right after it comes out of the hot oil, if you like salt, I’d consider doing that.
- This recipe makes a pretty big batch of fried fish, so feel free to cut the recipe in half if you need to. This is the recipe I make when my family gets home from a fishing trip, and we want to cook up a lot. The leftovers reheat great in the air fryer. (The fish in the photos are Stripers from Lake Powell.)
- Remember that the trick to frying is to use the right kind of oil and to keep the oil’s temperature in the right range (350-375°F) so the food comes out crispy and delicious instead of greasy!
I made this tonight for my hubby and I. It was one of the best battered fish we have ever had! I can’t wait to use the batter on veggies next.