Beer-battered fish

Doug Sherring

I used snapper, but any firm white fish such as terakihi, gurnard, or cod would work well. This recipe was taught to me by Jimmy Gerard, who used to have a fish shop in Ponsonby called Jimmy the Fish. He explained adding water to the batter makes it lighter and less porous, so it doesn't soak up as much fat when cooked. The result is a lightly coated and crisp batter.

Ingredients

1 cup	Beer (Main)
½ cup	Water
1 cup	Flour
500 g	Tarakihi, sliced long ways down the fillet into about 3-4 pieces (Main)
250 ml	Canola oil, for frying

Directions

1. Place beer and water in a large mixing bowl. Add flour and whisk well until smooth.
2. Pour the oil into a medium sized, deep-sided frying pan - about 2cm deep. Heat on medium high heat. You'll know it's ready when you drop a dollop of batter into the oil, and it turns golden and rises to the surface.
3. Dip each strip of fish into the batter, and lift out, letting excess drip away.
4. Carefully place into the oil, you can do 2-3 at a time. Cook for a few minutes until golden, then carefully flip using tongs and a fish slice, and cook the other side.
5. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve immediately. Serve with salad, homemade chips, and fresh lemon.

Try serving Delaney's

caper and lime aioli

with pan-fried fish