Crunchy Batter Fried Fish (No Beer) Recipe - Food.com (2025)

FAQs

What can you use instead of beer for fish batter? ›

Found among the beer and wine, but lacking the alcohol, is the perfect swap for beer battered fish: club soda. Full of bubbles due to its carbonation, club soda can give the same lightness to a batter as beer would.

Rice flour and cornstarch work particularly well because they fry up crispier than wheat flour. They also absorb less moisture and fat during the frying process, making the products less greasy. This is why rice flour is often used when making tempura because it produces a very thin and crispy, dry crust.

In sum, carbonation and pH are the biggest factors in delivering a better batter-fried crust, so feel free to use bubbly substitutes such as nonalcoholic beer or seltzer water.

Rice flour – Key for a fish batter that doesn't go soggy before it hits the table! If you use only wheat flour, it will only stay crispy for a few minutes. Why not use all rice flour? Because rice flour doesn't go golden when cooked.

Easy Substitutions

You can use chicken broth, ginger ale, white grape juice, or white wine if your recipe calls for a light beer. Use beef broth, chicken broth, mushroom stock, apple juice, apple cider, root beer, or coke instead of dark beer.

The alcohol in the beer also plays an important role in moderating the internal temperature and crisping the crust. Alcohol evaporates faster than water, so a beer batter doesn't have to cook as long as one made only with water or milk. The faster the batter dries, the lower the risk of overcooking the food.

Baking powder is better for recipes that contain little or no acid ingredients. Baking soda helps make fried foods crispy and light. It is also useful for cleaning and removing stains.

Along with a hearty dose of cornstarch, the rice flour became the base of my breading. Because rice flour doesn't absorb as much oil as all-purpose during the frying process (if you're frying at the right temperature, of course!), it results in a less greasy final texture.

Use Cornstarch or Rice Flour

Michael says that cornstarch or rice flour in combo with flour will give you the crunchiest batter. Even cake four will cook up crunchier than all-purpose flour because it doesn't have a high gluten level.

Beer makes a better base for batter because it simultaneously adds three ingredients—carbon dioxide, foaming agents and alcohol. Each of these ingredients contributes a different aspect of physics and chemistry resulting in a light and crispy crust.

What alcohol for cooking fish? ›

Keep in mind that red wine will affect the color of the seafood as it cooks. Or use white wine as a simple way to add even more flavor to poaching liquid for fillets and portions like halibut, salmon, or bass. Replace up to half the broth or water with white wine, and simmer just until the fish is flaky.

Vodka – Adding a bit of vodka is the key to a crunchy exterior. Vodka evaporates more quickly than water which makes the crust perfectly crispy. Beer – A simple light beer or lager (it can be cheap) is best for beer batter.

The carbonation produces a lighter, airier batter that crisps up beautifully. Because it contains alcohol, beer also evaporates from the batter more quickly than water or milk would. This means it requires less time to cook overall, which reduces the chances of over-cooking the fish.