Recipe: Beer battered fish burgers

Beer batter is a great way to get a light and crunchy coating on your fish. You can serve it as burgers like this or on its own with homemade chips.

Make sure you use oil with a high smoke point, such as rice bran or canola oil, for deep frying. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too hot, and turn it down between batches if necessary.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 burger buns

4 tbsp tartare sauce

4 lemon wedges

¼ iceberg lettuce, shredded

Beer Batter

1 cup self-raising flour

1 egg, whisked

1 tsp salt

330 ml beer

1 litre oil, for deep-frying

2 tbsp plain flour

400 g firm white fish fillets

1. To make the Beer Batter, place the self-raising flour, egg and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the beer and whisk to combine.
2. To cook the fish, heat the oil in a large cast iron dish over a medium-high heat.
3. Place the plain flour on a plate. Coat a fish fillet in the plain flour, then the Beer Batter. Allow the excess batter to drip off, then place the fish in the hot oil.
4. Cook 2 pieces of fish at a time for a few minutes on each side, until the batter is golden and crispy and the fish is cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining fish, reducing the heat if the oil gets too hot.
5. To assemble the burgers, warm the buns then spread them with tartare sauce. Divide the fish pieces between the bun bases and drizzle with juice from the lemon wedges. Finish with the lettuce and bun tops and serve immediately.

Images and text from Summer Favourites by Vanya Insull. Photography by Melanie Jenkins (Flash Studios). Published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $39.99.