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beer battered fish sandwich
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5 from 3 votes

Beer Battered Fish Sandwich

A classic beer battered fish sandwich! Served in a potato bun with homemade tartar sauce, lettuce & pickles.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: English
Servings: 4 People
Author: Ben Racey

Equipment

  • Deep Fat Fryer
  • Frying Pan
  • Digital Food Probe

Ingredients

Tartar Sauce

  • 200 g Mayonnaise
  • 1 Lemon Zested
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 3 Gherkins
  • 3 tsp Capers Drained
  • 2 tbsp Finely Chopped Dill

Beer Battered Fish

  • 4 Thick Cod Fillets Skinless & Boneless
  • 300 g Plain Flour
  • 50 g Cornflour
  • 1½ tsp Baking Powder
  • 250 ml Beer Cold

To Serve

  • 4 Potato Burger Buns
  • 2 Little Gem Lettuces Washed
  • 4 Gherkins

Instructions

  • First up, the tartar sauce.
    Roughly chop the capers & finely dice the gherkins then place into a bowl along with the mayonnaise, chopped dill, lemon zest & juice. Season with salt & pepper & stir to combine. Set aside.
  • Preheat a deep fat fryer (or pan of oil) to 180°c/350°f.
  • Place the cod fillets onto a tray & season both sides lightly with sea salt.
  • Next, for the batter, weigh 150g of the plain flour into a large mixing bowl then add in the cornflour & baking powder.
    Pour in the beer & whisk to combine. Season with salt & pepper.
  • Place the remaining 150g of plain flour into a bowl.
  • To cook, take a cod fillet & dredge it in the flour, making sure that it is fully coated.
    Shake off any excess flour then dip the fish in the batter.
    Allow any excess batter to drain off then carefully lower into the deep fat fryer.
    Repeat with the remaining fish*.
    If you dip the fish into the hot oil halfway (carefully!) & hold it there for a couple of seconds (or until it starts to float), it won't stick to the basket!
    *Depending on the size of your fryer, you might need to cook the fish in several batches. Make sure not to overcrowd the fryer basket.
  • Cook each cod fillet for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown & crispy. A digital food probe should register an internal temperature of at least 75°c.
    Once cooked, drain the battered fish on a wire rack then season with sea salt.
  • Sandwich time.
    Cut each little gem lettuce in half lengthways, trim the bottom off from each half then shred the lettuce finely with a sharp knife.
    Place into a bowl with half of the tartar sauce then mix to combine.
  • Thinly slice the gherkins, lengthways.
  • Next, cut each potato bun in half then toast in a frying pan set over a medium heat.
  • To assemble, divide the dressed little gem between each bun then top with the sliced gherkins & the beer battered fish. Spoon extra tartar sauce over each piece of fish then top with the top halves of bun.
    Serve immediately.

Notes

The beer batter needs to be used immediately after being made.
Feel free to use a different white fish. Haddock, hake or pollock would work well.
Make sure that the beer is cold before using. This is the secret to super crispy batter!
For a light, crispy batter I'd recommend using either a lager or a pale ale.
Make sure to salt the fish for no longer than 5 minutes. Any longer & the texture will be affected.