Beer-Battered Halibut with Tartar Sauce

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Total: 30 min
  • Active: 30 min
Beer-battered halibut is all about the crisp, crunchy exterior, and this easy recipe shows you precisely how to get it. This 30-minute recipe delivers moist, never-greasy fish with a wonderful crust. Creamy tartar sauce brightened with tarragon and parsley is its ideal foil.
Advertisement

Ingredients

Tartar Sauce

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon Chopped tarragon

1 shallot, minced

6 Cornichons, minced

1 Hard-boiled egg

1 t white wine vinegar

Pinch salt

1 t Dijon mustard

1 cup mayonnaise

Hot sauce to taste

Halibut

2 cups cake flour

1 t baking soda

12 ounces Good beer of your choice

4 cups Vegetable oil (more or less depending on pan size)

6 Skinless halibut fillets, about 2 oz each

1 t salt

Flaky sea salt to finish

Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions

  1. For the tartar sauce: In a bowl, add the parsley, tarragon, shallot, and cornichon. Chop the hard boiled egg by removing the yolk and crumbling it, then dice the white. Add both yolk and whites to the bowl. Add vinegar, salt, mustard, mayonnaise, and a few dashes of hot sauce (or more to taste). Stir to combine and set aside.
  2. For the beer batter: In a large mixing bowl, mix the cake flour and baking soda with a fork. Slowly pour in the beer, stirring the entire time (it's okay if there are a few lumps). The batter should be thin, falling off the fork easily so it coats the fish, not heavy like pancake batter. Set aside.
  3. Fry the halibut: Fill a deep heavy-bottomed pan with oil—don't go higher than 2 inches from the rim—and heat to 350 degrees F. Season the halibut with salt on both sides. Test the oil by cooking a few drops of batter; they should float to the surface when the oil's hot enough. Remove these "tester crunchies" with a slotted spoon. One piece at a time, drop the fish into the beer batter, then remove it, letting the excess drip off. Then place it halfway into the oil, letting a crust form for 10 seconds, then releasing it gently into the pan. Repeat with two more pieces (three at a time), so the pan isn't overcrowded and cook each for 3–4 minutes. Remove the fish to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack to drain any excess oil. Season with flaky sea salt and serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

Let's Get Cooking!

Sign up for the Recipe of the Day newsletter to receive editor-picked recipes,tips and videos delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

Thanks for subscribing to the Recipe of the Day newsletter. Check out all our other great newsletters from Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos.

We're sorry, there was an error signing you up. Please try again later.

Advertisement

chantellemariewatson

I was cooking for fishing guide off NWBC, got some fresh halibut. I made this with a Stanley Park Pale Ale, and I made my own cake batter with 50/50 corn starch and AP flour. Friggin phenomenal. Best beer batty Hali I've ever made.

See All Reviews