Crispy Battered Halibut Recipe with No Beer (2024)

FAQs

What can I use instead of beer in fried fish batter? ›

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. PICK YOUR BUBBLY: Any of these carbonated drinks will lead to a light, tender batter-fried crust.

Stir in enough club soda to make a batter about the consistency of thin pancake batter. You don't want it too thick, just thick enough to nicely coat a spoon. Season the batter to taste if desired with seasoning of your choice.

The acidic quality of beer prevents the batter from turning tough while limiting the amount of gluten that can form.

Use any brand of non-alcoholic beer. This would probably be awesome for shrimp, veggies and anything you want to batter and fry. Trust me, this is delicious and some of the best fried fish. (and I have had some good fish frys on the east coast.)

Anything else is just there to add flavor or improve texture, and with frying, the whole point is crispiness. Beer in fish batter is mainly there for the carbonation bubbles to aerate the batter, allowing it to fry into a lighter and crisper coating than without them, but it is not a requirement for the dish.

Beer Batter Ingredients

Egg: An egg creates a more delicate crust and helps seal in moisture. Seasonings: Season the beer batter with garlic powder, black pepper, and seasoning salt. Beer: Of course, you'll need beer! A light beer will give you a milder flavor, while a dark beer will have a richer taste.

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 co*ke instead of dark beer.

The use of beer is recommended as the fizz in the beer is what lends the batter its light, airy texture. If you really must substitute for a non-alcoholic version, use soda water or carbonated drinks such as Sprite instead.

Yes. Completely. All the alcohol cooks out in the depp frying process and the remaining malt products are the same malt that all baby foods contain. The flavoring in beer comes from hops.

Can you use Sprite for fish batter? ›

A lot of people use beer for this, but I suggest you use a lemon-lime soda like Sprite or 7 up. Thicken it up just a tad using some flour, until it's thicker than water but thinner than pancake batter. Set aside and it's time to get the oil hot.

Vodka adds extra crunch to the classic battered fish and chips. Our beer and vodka battered fish recipe is adapted from Heston Blumenthal's book In Search of Perfection', it seems he has elevated the humble fish and chips to greater heights.

What do beer battered fish, Bolognese sauce and tiramisu have in common? The answer is their recipes contain alcohol. Most people know that alcohol is not Halal for Muslims to consume.

You might want to add a small amount of baking powder to the mix to improve the bubbles in the batter. The bubbles are what give fried food its crunch, which is why, for most other recipes, adding a carbonated beverage, like beer, makes food crunchy.

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.

Ginger ale, with its citrusy, sometimes even sour tang, is a great option if you need something akin to a pale ale. For dark or ruby beers, the molasses-adjacent taste of the sassafras in root beer works really well as an alternative. Of course, there's no reason why you can't use other sodas.

Acidulating bottled water with lemon juice is the simplest way to recreate the effects of sparkling water in baking.

When a savory recipe calls for light beer, vegetable or chicken broth or stock can be excellent substitutes. And instead of dark beer, try beef broth or mushroom stock. Stock and broth can be used interchangeably when substituting for beer.