Description
Oven-Baked Wisconsin Beer Batter Recipe for those days when you don't want to use a fryer.
Ingredients
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
Instructions
- preheat oven Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- cut fish Cut the [wprm-ingredient text="fish" uid="8"] 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.
- make batter mix In a medium-size bowl put all of your dry ingredients ([wprm-ingredient text="flour" uid="0"], [wprm-ingredient text="black pepper" uid="1"], [wprm-ingredient text="salt" uid="2"], [wprm-ingredient text="garlic powder," uid="3"] [wprm-ingredient text="onion powder" uid="4"], [wprm-ingredient text="baking powder" uid="5"], and [wprm-ingredient text="cayenne pepper" uid="6"]) in and whisk them all together.⁵
- add beer Poor in the [wprm-ingredient text="beer¹" uid="7"] 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.
- coat fish Coat the fish in the batter, it can sit in the batter while you prep the crust.
- toast panko Heat [wprm-ingredient text="butter" uid="10"] in a 12" fry pan over medium-low heat, swirling the pan often for about 2 minutes. Add [wprm-ingredient text="panko" uid="9"] and [wprm-ingredient text="salt" uid="11"]; stir to coat evenly. Cook, stirring often until [wprm-ingredient text="panko" uid="9"] is a light golden brown, about 4 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
