Fish Batter Help

David_121972

I have been working on a fish batter for fish and chips for my restaurant. I am a little stumped though. Here is my recipe that I am experimenting with.

1 cup ap flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

salt & pepper

cold water

I mix these ingredients and make a batter. I mix the batter medium consistency (not too thick and not too watery). I am using cod and I salt and pepper the cod first. Then I dredge lightly in plain flour and dip in batter and fry. The texture is crispy and the taste is fine but the problems I have are.

1. my batter stays white and not yellow-light brown like other fish n chips I've had

2. my fried batter is really really thin and I noticed is too much like a tempura (has that tempura crunch and is paper thin!)

A friend told me to add an egg yolk, but I can't seem to tell the difference. Does anyone know what the egg is supposed to do in a batter? Also, any advice on how I can fix the color and get a thicker batter when fried? Thanks in advance!

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Comments

sjelms

There are two variations of batter I've used in the past with cod to great success. Both involve beer. When you mix them you'll want a consistency of a semi-whipped heavy cream. Do continue to add the salt and pepper before dipping them in the batter as this will help remove some of the excess water. Rather than dredge them in the flour first, just give them a light dusting. You don't want too much on the fish.

For the first:

1 cup flour
1 cup beer (a pilsner works well)
2 egg whites
salt

For the second (this makes a bit more batter but I'm sure you can scale as needed):

2 cup flour
1.25 cup beer
3 heaped tablespoons of baking powder

The oil should be at 375ºF and you'll cook for about 4 minutes. The batter should golden and crisp.

Good luck.

SteveM_20803

Ditto what Stephen said. One additional comment, in some recipes you can substitute seltzer water instead of beer.

Jens_11562

This batter works very well for me:

1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
150 ml cold water
2 tsp baking powder
65 gr corn starch
105 gr regular flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Add the ingredients from top to bottom, and mix after adding every ingredient. Also, you could swap out the cold water for beer :-)

Andy_Parrott_66285

This is a recipe which has been online for Marco Pierre White's fish & chips, which I've made a few times and tastes great. The turmeric will help with the colour. Also, you could try skimmed milk powder or dextrose would help as the sugars caramelise during frying giving a golden colour.

There are videos of Marco making this on YouTube.

FOR THE BATTER

330ml bottle of bitter beer
330ml cold water
20g fresh yeast
300g plain flour
1dssp ground turmeric

METHOD

First, make the batter by mixing the beer, water and yeast together in a large bowl, then whisk thoroughly. Slowly add the flour and ground turmeric, and whisk again until smooth.

Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes to allow the yeast to ferment - bubbles will rise to the surface when it does. Whisk well before using the batter.

Place the oil in a deep-sided saucepan (it should come about halfway up the pan) and heat to 180C. Pass the fillets of haddock through the seasoned flour. Pat off any excess flour and then dip them in the beer batter. Drop into the oil and cook for about six to seven minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until hot in the centre and golden on the outside. Drain on kitchen paper and keep hot.

Hope that helps !

Pic attached - triple cooked chips, with mushy peas and "scraps" (pour left over batter into the oil to form little crispy bubbles)

ryan_gialanze_124485

i have used this recipe for over than 7 years with cod ,plaice and sweet water fish .always having brilliant results golden brown ,very crispy and light .

· 560g flour

· 40g baking powder

· 400ml water

· 200 g ice cubes

· 70 ml white wine vinegar

salt

the batter has to be fresh everyday ,cannot keep overnight ..goodluck

J_Heinritz_122300

David, you might try adding a teaspoon of sugar to the batter you describe. The sugar will caramelize without making your batter too sweet.

Robert_Barnett_105826

I was given a recipe for beer batter from a local fish and chip place. It is really simple and very good. You might want to try it. It is...

1 Bottle Good Beer

2 Eggs

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

All-Purpose flour to make the batter consistency you wish.

You mix this up using enough flour to make the batter the consistency you want it to be.

Robert

ttpoker

Nothing I have tried to date can compete with aerated batter from a siphon. I believe this technique can be mimicked in a strong vacuum chamber by unplugging the chamber and letting the vacuum remain for an hour; but I have never tried it. I have made similar recepies myself, and just this past weekend I had the fish & chips at Heston's Perfectionist Cafe at Heathrow Airport... it was gold medal winner for batter fried cod. I believe our own esteemed @Chris_Young_80640 had a hand in making this recipe, is that right Chris? http://www.insearchofheston.com/2014/04/how-to-make-hestons-perfect-fish-and-chips-recipe-from-in-search-of-perfection-2nd-attempt/

InSearchOf_Heston_11061

Wow! Thanks for the link man.

I've seen both Tom Kerridge on TV and my Chinese mother-in-law in her own kitchen use very lightly whipped egg whites to give a mega-crunch to batter. Worth trying?

ttpoker

Eggwhite flavored with Kombu + Panko sounds delish!