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Close-up of beer-battered halibut in a taco.

Beer-Battered Halibut

This beer-battered halibut recipe has a golden-brown, crispy exterior, moist interior, and flavorful batter that makes it perfect for fish tacos, fish and chips, or a fish fry! This recipe doesn't use a deep fryer, so you can make it at home in your own kitchen.
5 from 3 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 401kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces halibut cut into 2–2.5-ounce strips, see note 1
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 lime zest of
  • ⅔ cup cornstarch
  • ⅔ cup cake flour
  • ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • ½ tablespoons paprika
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup light beer cold
  • 2 cups neutral oil like canola, peanut, or rice bran oil

Instructions

  • Pat fish dry on both sides and season with salt and lime zest. Reserve in the fridge.
  • Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl until well-incorporated.
  • Add the beer slowly, stirring with a spoon or chopsticks just until the batter comes together. The batter should be thinner than pancake batter, but thicker than crêpe batter (about the consistency of heavy cream). It will also have some lumps. Do not over mix.
  • Heat 1 inch of oil and a frying pan to 350°F.
  • Once oil is hot, dip the fish one at a time in the batter and shallow fry in the oil. Fry in small batches to avoid crowding. Fry until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
  • Place on a wire rack to drain.

Notes

General
  1. You can also use another firm, flaky white fish like cod or haddock.
Storage and Reheating
  1. Fridge: I recommend only cooking as much fish as you intend to eat. If you do have leftovers, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, but the texture will not remain crispy. 
  2. Freezer: I do not recommend freezing leftovers.
  3. Reheating: To revive some of the texture of the fish, you can place it in an air fryer at 325°F for 4-5 minutes or until heated through.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1567mg | Potassium: 606mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 516IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg