Beer Battered Fish

 Welcome to another addition of the Secret Recipe Club!

I cannot believe that another month has come and gone so quickly. Where do the time go?

I was assigned the blog, Lavender and Lovage to cook or bake from this month. Karen's blog is full of delicious French and English recipes.With St. Patrick's Day falling in March, I had my heart set on finding a dish that would work to celebrate the holiday and complete my SRC recipe. While skimming over several recipes from Karen's blog, I came across her recipe for Real English Fish and Chips - what could be more perfect than pub fish for St. Patrick's Day?!?

Let me tell you, if you enjoy beer battered fish -either on a plate or a bun - you must try this recipe. I chose haddock as my fish of choice and with just a couple of steps in the breading - flour and beer- this dinner comes together rather quickly. I couldn't find a traditional dark Irish lager so I chose Yuengling, a beer from my hometown area off Pittsburgh, Pa.

For the chips, however, I took the easy way out and cooked frozen fries. ;)

Beer Battered Fish

6 haddock fillets
1 c. flour for batter
extra flour for dredging the fish
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 can of Yuengling beer - at least 8 oz.
1 tsp. baking soda
juice of 1/2 lemon + the other half for garnish/to
squeeze on fried fish
malt vinegar - optional but a favorite of mine.

I cooked the chips (fries) ahead of time and kept them warm in the over.

To Prepare the Fish:

Pour some extra flour + 1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning into a large, flat container that will allow you to lay the fish fillets flat to dredge them.

In a large bowl mix together the 1 cup of flour,  the baking soda, salt and pepper. Slowly stir in the beer until you have a batter that resembles pancake batter. Add the lemon juice, if desired. Set aside until ready to use.

Prepare hot frying oil - either in a heavy frying pan or in a deep fryer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels to hold the fish when it has finished frying. I served our fish on sheets of newspaper lined with waxed paper to give it a pub look. My kids got quite a kick out of that!

Working with one fillet at a time, dredge each piece into the flour, making sure to completely cover each fillet. Dip the fillet into the batter, turning to cover it completely. Immediately drop the fish into the hot oil.

Watch the fish closely so not to over cook it. Each fillet will cook for about 3-4 minutes. The color of your fish will vary from light to dark depending on the beer that you use. Using Yuengling resulted in a darker colored fish.

Remove the fish and place it on the baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Serve with lemon wedges and/or malt vinegar.  Delicious!