Cooking at Home: Family Fish Fry

Long before my family became the fish fanatics they are today, the only fish I could get any of them to eat was beer-battered cod. All fish lovers start somewhere! These days, I only fry fish at home once or twice a year. Even for me, the process is a little overwhelming. Going in, I just have to accept that I'll be able to smell the cooking oil for a day or so afterward, and I'll have to deal with the unpleasantness of disposing properly of said oil. I'd argue these small inconveniences are totally worth it.

There are three keys to a great fish fry. First is a light, crispy coating. Don't open your beer (or other bubbly liquid) until just before you use it to maximize the air bubbles in the batter. Second is temperature control (with a thermometer!). Oil that's too hot is likely to burn fried food; too cool and that same food will be greasy. Finally, there's the choice of fish. I like the big flakes and clean taste of wild-caught Alaskan cod, but you can get equally good results with this recipe for Beer-Battered Cod using other similarly textured white fish, such as catfish or tilapia.

View the Recipe

Warmly,
Rachael

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