Beer-Battered Fish

Method

1. Check the fish with clean fingertips for pin bones and remove them. Cut into eight pieces of similar thickness, about 1.5–2 cm. Pat very dry and season with the fish salt and pepper. Keep chilled until the oil is ready.
2. Put dusting flour in a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl whisk batter flour, cornstarch, baking powder and batter salt. Prepare a wire rack over a tray and a slotted spoon before beginning to fry.
3. Heat oil to 175–180°C in a deep stable pan, leaving generous empty space above it. For a narrow pan, fry only one or two pieces at a time; adding all the fish at once makes the coating absorb oil.
4. Pour cold beer or sparkling water into the dry batter and whisk just until no dry pockets remain. Small lumps are acceptable. The batter should flow in a thin ribbon; do not beat it smooth for several minutes or make it hours ahead.
5. Coat a fish piece lightly in dusting flour and shake off surplus. Dip in batter, let excess drip for a second and lower carefully into the oil. Repeat with only enough pieces for one uncrowded batch.
6. Fry for approximately 4–6 minutes, turning once, until crisp and evenly golden. Check the thickest centre reaches 63°C and separates into opaque flakes. Adjust time for actual thickness and let the oil return to temperature between batches.
7. Drain on the rack, not under a lid, and serve promptly with lemon wedges. Discard batter that has touched raw fish. The beer version is not guaranteed alcohol-free after cooking; use sparkling water when avoiding alcohol.