Oven-Baked Beer-Batter Fish

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Who doesn’t love a good Fish Fry?

I know I do, but I also know, that you don’t always want to fry your fish, but still want that amazing crispy goodness. Well… Enter… the baked version of my Beer Batter Fish Fry. Just like my beer batter recipe, this recipe can be used on shrimp or chicken. I’m honestly not sure if this recipe would work in an air fryer, but if you try it, please let me know!

Also, I have a tartar sauce recipe that goes great with this Beer Batter Fish Fry.  Enjoy!

Beer Battered Fried Fish Tips & Notes

• You might need more beer than 12oz, it does depend a might on how you measure it’s the downfall of using cups vs weighing.
• Light Colored Ale is a MUST! If you use a darker-colored or strong-flavored beer such as a stout or IPA it will NOT taste good. The beer will get thrown off with the garlic.
• I like New Glarus® Spotted Cow however, this is ONLY sold in Wisconsin. is another good one Blue Moon® that is more accessible to those of you not in Wisconsin. If you have a favorite, that you like, use it!
• It’s important that your fish are all the same size. You’re baking them in the oven and you’ll end up with some dry and some not done, especially if the size differences are extreme.
• For something fun… into 1-inch cubes. the Cubes cooked really quickly and my younger kids LOVED having the bite-sized pieces to eat vs a larger piece.
• If you do not want to go through the process of pat drying the fish, you can take a 1/4 cup of flour and dredge the fish before putting it in the batter. I don’t do this, but I’ve had a couple of people say the batter wouldn’t stick, only to find they did not dry the fish first. So if you don’t want to dry, dredge. If you skip both options, the batter won’t stay on the fish.
• You can mix all the dry ingredients, then store the mixture in an airtight container in your pantry for a quick and easy fish batter at any time.
• You can also use this beer batter for other things like onion rings, shrimp, and chicken.

Items to help you succeed:

1. A frying pan. I use the All-Clad D3 Stainless Cook War 12″ Fry Pan
2. Bamboo Spoon for mixing up the panic crumbs.
3. A sheet pan and cooling rack for excess oil. The Sheet Pan with Stainless Steel Oven Safe Cooling Rack set is great because the cooling rack fits perfectly inside.
4. Mixing Bowls. I love these Pyrex glass bowls. In fact, my set is actually a hand-me-down and is almost 20 years old!
5. Tongs will help you minimize mess! I LOVE the Rachel Ray Silicone Tongs.
6. Whisk, it helps mix the batter better than a spoon.

How to Make This Fish Recipe

You’ll love how this recipe comes together. Find the full recipe below. Here’s the gist:

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
2. Cut the fish into similar size fillets³ (or strips for “fish sticks”) you’ll want to lat them on some paper towels to dry⁴ as you make the batter.
3. In a medium-sized bowl put all of your dry ingredients (flour, black pepper, salt, garlic and onion powder, baking powder, and cayenne pepper) in and whisk them all together.⁵
4. Poor in the beer of your choice/mineral water (slowly), stirring it in as you go. Start with 1/4 of the bottle/can, and whisk. If it looks too thick slowly add more, whisk, and keep going until it’s where we want it. You’re looking for a thick pancake batter-like consistency.
5. Coat the fish in the batter, it can sit in the batter while you prep the crust.
6. Cook butter in a 12″ fry pan over medium-low heat, swirling the pan often for about 2 minutes. Add panko and salt; stir to coat evenly. Cook, stirring often until panko is a light golden brown, about 4 minutes.
7. Transfer to a bowl/pan for coating (I actually coat in the pan, but please note… the pan is still hot, so be careful). Pick up chicken/fish with tongs and place it into the panko. Sprinkle the surface with more panic until covered.
8. Next, press down to adhere. (This should minimize mess). Transfer onto a wire rack inside a baking pan. using the wire rack will help get everything crispy, not just the top.
9. Bake 25 for minutes (or until everything is crisp and a little darker in color. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, with your homemade tartar sauce.

ENJOY and Share! 

Let me know what you thought! Your star ratings with your comments are tremendously helpful! I love seeing friends and family come together over food.

If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram or Facebook! Use @alwaysjennsmith & #alwaysjennsmith. Or share it on this post’s Pinterest Pin!

Here are a few of my favorite dishes that go perfectly with this Oven-Baked Beer-Battered “Fried” Fish Recipe

• Patatas Bravas with Remoulade
• Homemade Tartar Sauce
• Basic Coleslaw
• Asian Cucumber Salad
• Beer Battered Cheese Curds

Baked Beer Batter Fish

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• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 7 people 1x

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Description

Oven-Baked Wisconsin Beer Batter Recipe for those days when you don't want to use a fryer.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

batter/"marinade"

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 1/4 cup Light Colored Ale beer¹
• 4 lbs white fish

Crust

• 2 cups plain panko bread crumbs
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. preheat oven Preheat the oven to 425° F.
2. cut fish Cut the fish into similar size fillets³ (or strips for "fish sticks") you'll want to lat them on some paper towels to dry⁴ as you make the batter.
3. make batter mix In a medium-size bowl put all of your dry ingredients (flour, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, baking powder, and cayenne pepper) in and whisk them all together.⁵
4. add beer Poor in the beer¹ of your choice/mineral water (slowly), stirring it in as you go. Start with 1/4 of the bottle/can, and whisk. If it looks too thick slowly add more, whisk, and keep going until it’s where we want it. You’re looking for a thick pancake batter-like consistency.
5. coat fish Coat the fish in the batter, it can sit in the batter while you prep the crust.
6. toast panko Heat butter in a 12" fry pan over medium-low heat, swirling the pan often for about 2 minutes. Add panko and salt; stir to coat evenly. Cook, stirring often until panko is a light golden brown, about 4 minutes.
7. cover fish Transfer to a bowl/pan for coating (I actually coat in the pan, but please note… the pan is still hot, so be careful). Pick up chicken/fish with tongs and place it into the panko. Sprinkle surface with more panic until covered.
8. transfer Next, press down to adhere. (This should minimize mess). Transfer onto a wire rack inside a baking pan. using the wire rack will help get everything crispy, not just the top.
9. bake Bake 25 for minutes (or until everything is crisp and a little darker in color. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, with your homemade tartar sauce.

Notes

¹ You might need more than 12oz, it does depend a might on how you measure it’s the downfall of using cups vs weighing.

² Light Colored Ale is a MUST! If you use a darker-colored or strong-flavored beer such as a stout or IPA it will NOT taste good. The beer will get thrown off with the garlic.

• I like New Glarus® Spotted Cow however, this is ONLY sold in Wisconsin. is another good one Blue Moon® that is more accessible to those of you not in Wisconsin. If you have a favorite, that you like, use it!

³ It’s important that your fish are all the same size. You’re baking them in the oven and you’ll end up with some dry and some not done, especially if the size differences are extreme.

• For something fun… into 1-inch cubes. the Cubes cooked really quickly and my younger kids LOVED having the bite-sized pieces to eat vs a larger piece

⁴ If you do not want to go through the process of drying the fish, you can take a 1/4 cup of flour and dredge the fish before putting it in the batter. I don’t do this, but I’ve had a couple of people say the batter wouldn’t stick, only to find they did not dry the fish first. So if you don’t want to dry, dredge. But if you skip both, the batter won’t stay on the fish.

⁵ You can mix all the dry ingredients, then store the mixture in an airtight container in your pantry for a quick and easy fish batter at any time.

Other things you can do with this Beer Batter

You can also use this beer batter for onion rings, shrimp, and chicken.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Bar Food, Dinner, Wisconsin Supper Club Dinner
• Cuisine: American, Wisconsin

Nutrition

• Calories: 853.22
• Sugar: 1.57
• Sodium: 1253.33
• Fat: 18.58
• Saturated Fat: 9.38
• Carbohydrates: 95.03
• Fiber: 3.91
• Protein: 74.43
• Cholesterol: 181.3

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Photo, Prop Styling, and Food Styling by Jenn Smith © 2021 Always Jenn Smith; Jenn Smith, LLC

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