If you think you need to go to the coast to have the best Fish & Chips you've ever had, then you're about to find that you've been totally mistaken.
Will & I have been vacationing up to Newport, Rhode Island together for over 6 years now; it's been a family tradition that his mother, (my amazing mother-in-law-to-be!), started over 30 years ago! One of the first places that they took me for lunch was Flo's Crab Shack- a legendary Fish & Chips joint that has survived multiple re-builds after being destroyed time and time again by devastating hurricanes. I'd never had Fish & Chips before, and the first two summers we went to Flo's I was actually too nervous to try it. So, both visits I got a opted for crappy hot dog instead of the fish. I couldn't have felt more ashamed of myself when the third year back I FINALLY tried the Fish & Chips and was absolutely blown away. I was HOOKED (much like the fish I was eating, LOL).
These beer-battered cod is my ode to Newport and to Flo's (their batter doesn't have beer in it, but I like the extra special flavor that it gives!) PLEASE do yourself a favor and try this out, even if it's for the first time, and let me know how much you love it!
Ingredients- Beer Battered Cod
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Non-Light Beer (I use Blue Moon!)
Fresh Cod Fillets
Salt & Pepper to Taste
8 Cups Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Directions:
1. Add your vegetable oil to your frying vessel (I mimicked a deep fryer by using a large pot), and heat the oil to ~350°F.
2. While the oil is heating up, rinse and pat dry your cod fillet.
3. Cut into the size fillets that you would like to serve, or if you're working with a smaller fillet or you just prefer to, you can fry the fillet whole.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper on your cod fillets (I put about 3/4 tsp. of salt over the pieces of a medium/large fillet, and just a light sprinkle of pepper).
5. Prepare the beer batter by combining 1/2 cup beer with 1/2 cup of flour. If the beer was foamy, you may need to add more beer to the mixture. The batter should be slightly thinner than the average pancake batter (you will be able to slightly see the fish through the batter).
6. Once the oil has been heated, cover both sides of the fillets with the batter and gently drop into the oil. Don't overcrowd the oil with your fillets to ensure that they cook evenly. Place 2-3 fillets in the oil at a time to avoid overcrowding.
7. Let the fillets fry for at least 3-4 minutes on the bottom side; you may even be able to see the fish cooking through to the top of the fillet. Once the bottom side has browned to your liking, gently flip the fillet over to finish cooking. Let fry another 2-3 minutes on the bottom side, then remove from the oil and place on a plate covered in paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
8. BEFORE SERVING: Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (or a little regular salt works too) for an AWESOME level up on flavor!
9. Serve with French Fries and Tartar Sauce and enjoy!!! (I baked thinly sliced sweet potato lightly coated in olive oil and sprinkled with salt in the oven at 375°F, turning every 15-20 minutes, and let those serve as our healthy french fries!)
Notes: If you're not wanting to use a Beer Batter, then you can follow a basic dredging technique by placing a bowl or plate of flour next to a bowl of beaten eggs. Dredge the fish (after washing, patting dry and seasoning with salt and pepper) in flour, then in the eggs, and then back in the flour. You will place the fillets into the hot oil just like that.
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