Beer Battered Catfish Fry - Catfish is covered in a flavorful, zesty, and slightly spicy beer batter, then deep fried to golden perfection.
Beer Battered Catfish
We live in a small, rural, river town, and this week we had our local town festival, Catfish Days! Even though, we're not huge fish eaters, I wanted to get into the spirit of things and try my hand at frying up some Beer Battered Catfish. I will admit, I was skeptical at first. But the results were so amazing that I just had to share! I made 2 pounds of fish and we had NO leftovers. The kids loved it. The grown-ups loved it. It even made the baby smile! I don't often break out the fryer because I just don't like dealing with an extra appliance. But it was definitely worth it. It was fast and easy and the result was amazing. I'm so pleased that we can have an awesome Beer Battered Catfish Fry here at our own house now!
If you're looking to substitute the fish, consider pollock, cod, grouper, haddock, or halibut. These are all considered white, lean, and firm fish, like catfish. For more on substituting fish, you can read this article about fish with similar flavors.
I typically don't have any pre-mixed spices on hand, so I made my own Cajun seasoning (which you can find the recipe for below. You can just dump everything right in the bowl. The recipe will come to 2 tablespoons, as called for.). But if you do have Cajun seasoning, you can just use the 2 tablespoons as called for.
I cut some of the bigger pieces of Beer Battered Catfish into bite-sized bits for the kids. They were pretty pleased and dubbed them "fish nuggets."
Beer Battered Catfish Recipe
Beer Battered Catfish
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 pounds catfish or substitute fish
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 2 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning see substitute below if you don't have any on-hand
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup beer room-temperature
- vegetable oil for frying
Cajun Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and all your spices. Add your beer and egg, and mix well, until everything is incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 30 min to help everything set.
- When ready to cook, pour vegetable oil in a fryer or deep skillet to a depth of at least 3 inches, and heat to 375°. Stir batter, and fold in catfish.
- When oil is hot, lift fish strips with tongs, draining excess batter, and place in the oil, being careful not to over-crowd the fryer.
- Fry until browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove to paper towels to drain excess oil, and repeat with remaining fish.
- Serve warm with chips. To keep warm while you fry the rest of the fish, place on a baking sheet and keep in a low, warmed oven (150°-200°)
Did you like this Beer Battered Catfish recipe? Find more on my Dinner Ideas and Salads & Side Dishes boards on Pinterest!
Need some sides to go with your Beer Battered Catfish Recipe? Try these!
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Mrs. C says
This recipe looks easy and delicious.
We do not use alcohol. Do you have an alternative to the beer?
Mrs. C
Michelle says
There are quite a few non-alcoholic beers you could use. Beck's is probably the most widely known. But usually when I sub alcohol out of recipes, I use chicken broth, so you could go that route too.
Stan Smith says
You can substitute seltzer water or club soda for beer, I've also used diet sprite or 7up
Russell from Chasing Delicious says
Loving the idea of changing it up with a beer batter. Yum!