Cajun Seasoned Beer Battered Fried Fish

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 05/21/21
Fish tacos with fried fish and slaw

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

These fish pieces are fried with a Cajun batter made with Cajun seasonings plus beer, eggs, and milk. We didn't have the corn flour called for in the recipe, so we put plain yellow cornmeal in our blender and processed it until it was very fine and flour-like. Rice flour may also be used in place of the corn flour.

We also dipped the fish in plain flour before we put it in the egg mixture, but you can skip that step if you want to keep the batter low gluten or gluten free. We used chunks of haddock fillets in the pictured dish. Catfish, cod or pollock would work all work well in the recipe.

Serve this fried fish in soft corn tortillas for fish tacos or serve them with coleslaw, french fries, lemon wedges, and homemade tartar sauce, or rémoulade sauce.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs, slightly beaten

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup beer

  • 3 tablespoons mustard

  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

  • 2 tablespoons salt, divided

  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 3 cups fine yellow corn flour

  • 2 pounds fish fillets

  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Steps to Make It

  1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, beer, mustard, Tabasco, and half of the salt and peppers.

  2. Put the all-purpose flour in a plate or wide, shallow bowl.

  3. In another bowl, combine the remaining salt and black pepper with cayenne pepper, and the corn flour; stir to blend thoroughly.

  4. Cut fish fillets into bite-sized chunks or nuggets. Drop several chunks in the all-purpose flour and then put them in the egg mixture to coat.

  5. Drop the fish into the corn flour mixture, turning to coat thoroughly. 

  6. Place the coated fish on a rack to dry slightly.

  7. Preheat oil in deep fryer to about 370 F.

  8. Working in small batches, fry the fish nuggets until they are golden brown and float to the surface, about 3 to 5 minutes. Take care not to overcook.

  9. With a slotted metal spoon, remove the fish nuggets to paper towels to drain. Pat them gently with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.

Tips

  • Use this batter to fry shrimp, oysters, and other shellfish.
  • If desired, serve fried fish with cocktail sauce, rémoulade sauce, chipotle mayonnaise, or tartar sauce.
  • If you can't find corn flour, process cornmeal in a blender or food processor until quite fine. 

Recipe Variations

  • Replace the cayenne pepper with a salt-free Cajun-style seasoning, or use a Cajun seasoning with salt and reduce the salt accordingly.
  • Replace the corn flour with rice flour.
  • For a gluten-free batter, omit the first dip with the all-purpose flour and use a gluten-free beer or more milk.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
729 Calories
31g Fat
64g Carbs
46g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 729
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 237mg 79%
Sodium 2440mg 106%
Total Carbohydrate 64g 23%
Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 46g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 85mg 7%
Iron 5mg 29%
Potassium 1109mg 24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)