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The Best Fish and Chips
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5 from 2 votes

The Best Fish and Chips That Stay Crispy

The perfect British style beer-battered fish and chips recipe with a puffy stay-crisp texture, crunchy with every bite.
The fries are oven-baked with a secret technique that ensures they are incredibly crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Oven Fries30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 12 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Mallory Austin

Ingredients

Beer-Battered Fish

  • 1.5 lbs halibut, skinless and boneless or similar white fish fillets: sea bass, cod, snapper, etc.
  • 5 cups peanut oil for frying or vegetable oil
  • Ponzu sauce or malt vinegar for serving
  • lemon wedges for serving
  • Flaky finishing salt for sprinkling

Cornstarch Dusting

  • 1/2 cup cornstarch

Ultra-Crispy Beer Batter

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 cup very cold beer IPA/pale ale or similar. Avoid dark beers

Tartar Sauce

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 3/4 cup dill pickles, finely chopped and patted dry
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped OR 1 tsp horseradish optional

Crispy Thick-Cut Oven Fries

  • vegetable oil non-stick cooking spray
  • 4-5 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, skin left on about 4-5 large potoates. I prefer the long and flatter ones to get straight fries rather than wedges
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup water
  • sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Prepping

  • Prepare fish by cutting to your desired size, I do a variety of long pieces and shorter square pieces: 5" by 1.5" and some 3" x 2.5".
  • In a medium bowl whisk together: flour, cornstarch, baking powder and seasonings. Set aside until oil is heated. DO NOT add beer at this step.

Dust Fish & Prepare Oil

  • In a shallow dish, add the 1/2 cup of cornstarch for dusting the fish.
  • Prepare frying station by heating oil to 375 degrees in a fry-safe pot, with thermometer attached. Place a wire rack nearby for draining. **See notes for when to start your oven fries.
  • While oil is heating, coat the fish pieces in cornstarch on all sides to dust them.

Beer Batter

  • Remove beer from the fridge and whisk into the flour mixture slowly until just combined but still a little clumpy. Do no overmix. The batter should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but not too thick and not runny. Add beer a splash as a time to get the batter just right. Use immediately!
  • Working in batches of 3-4 pieces at a time, dunk fish pieces into the batter, fully coating them. Allow excess to drip off and then place into the hot oil. Keep an eye on the oil temp as it usually drops once fish is added. Adjust as needed to keep it at 375 degrees.
  • Fry for a total of 3-4 minutes, flipping half way through. They should be a deep golden brown.
  • Place finished pieces on cooling rack with paper towels placed under the rack to catch falling oil. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Oven-Fries

  • Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425°F. Generously spray rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Pour oil into prepared sheet and tilt until surface is evenly coated with oil.
  • Trim off the rounded edges on all four sides to creat a flatter potato. Halve potatoes lengthwise and turn halves cut sides down on cutting board. Cut into fries to your desired thickness; about 1/4-1/2" thick slices.
  • Whisk together water and cornstarch in large bowl, making sure no lumps of cornstarch remain on bottom of bowl. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from microwave and continue to stir until mixture thickens to the ideal pudding-like consistency. Add 1-2 tbsp of water if it gets too thick.
  • Transfer potatoes to bowl with cornstarch mixture and toss until each plank is evenly coated. Arrange planks on prepared sheet, leaving small gaps between planks. Cover sheet tightly with lightly greased aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Remove foil from sheet and bake until bottom of each fry is golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Use a metal spatula to carefully flip each fry, rotatoe pan and continue to bake until second sides are golden brown, 10-15 minutes longer.
  • When fries are perfectly golden crispy on both sides, remove from oven and add to a large paper towel lined bowl. Toss fries around, patting them with paper towels to remove excess oil and sprinkle fries with salt.

Tartar Sauce

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust if needed to your liking. Refrigerate until ready to use. Lasts in the fridge for about 5-7 days.

Notes

Oven-Fries: If making oven fries, I prepare those before heating oil and before adding beer to the batter. Prep and place fries on the pan. Then place into the oven once your begin heating your oil.  This will ensure both items finish cooking around the same time. 
Tartar Sauce: prepare the tartar sauce ahead (even a few days ahead). It lasts 5-7 days in the fridge and gets better as it sits and the flavors meld. 
Reheating: To reheat these, bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping half-way through.