Beer-battered fish with wasabi mayonnaise

Using beer in batter for deep-frying offers a light and crispy texture to your fried goods. The carbonation and CO2 in the beer create tiny bubbles in the batter that puff up and expand during the frying process. The result? Delicate, crispy, golden batter, creating the ultimate crunch!

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups beer (lager), room temperature
• canola oil, for deep-frying
• 1 kg skinless coral trout fillets (or deep-sea perch)
• 120 g rocket leaves, to serve
• 2 limes, cut into cheeks

For the wasabi mayonnaise 

• 1 cup good-quality whole egg mayonnaise
• 2 tsp wasabi paste
• 1 tbsp lime juice, to taste
• olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste

Resting time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk the plain flour, self-raising flour, salt and enough beer to create a batter with a similar consistency to tempura batter using a fork, chopsticks or whisk. Take care not to overmix the batter, a few lumps of flour are preferable to a smoother texture. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, to make the wasabi mayonnaise, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Refrigerate until required.

3. Heat enough oil to deep-fry in a large, heavy-based saucepan or wok. While the oil is heating, cut the fish into 5 cm x 10 cm pieces and pat dry with a paper towel. Transfer to a plate.

4. When hot enough to fry, dip the fish pieces in batter and deep-fry in batches until golden brown and cooked through. Take care not to overcrowd the pan as too many pieces will lower the temperature of the oil, causing soggy, not crisp battered results. Transfer the cooked fish to a paper towel-lined plate.

5. Divide the beer-battered fish between plates and serve with a dollop of wasabi mayonnaise, rocket leaves and lime cheeks.

Note

You will need approximately 2-3 litres canola oil (depending on the size of your pan) to deep-fry for this recipe.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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