Being the good Alaskan girl I am, I couldn’t let all my gluten-free peeps down by not providing you a killer beer battered halibut recipe.
I grew up eating fried halibut, but my mom would bread it with whatever was in the Krusteaz package (you know the one I’m talking about?); she would make a batter out of it. This Gluten Free Beer Battered Halibut is my take on my mom’s recipe – just without the junk.
Since this is the first cassava flour recipe I’ve posted, I wanted to give you my take on two different brands of cassava flour. Otto’s Naturals Cassava Flour is probably the brand you see most often around the internet.
True honesty here – I have not tried Otto’s Naturals brand. I use Moon Rabbit Premium Cassava Flour. Otto’s Naturals is roughly $19 on Amazon, while Moon Rabbit is about $10 for the same amount of flour (based on the prices listed on 01/30/2016, subject to change).
I can’t, in clear conscious, promote a flour that is $9 more expensive. I know many of you (like me) have a family to support and provide for. The price difference is why I currently use and recommend the Moon Rabbit brand.
I’ve ordered several packages of the Moon Rabbit Premium Cassava Flour. All of the packages have been consistently good. The grind is good, the smell is good, I haven’t had a problem with any of it. That said, since I have not tried the Otto’s Naturals brand, I can’t tell you how (or if) they compare much.
I grew up halibut fishing on Kodiak Island with my family. Dad had a skiff (pictured below in the background), so we would go fishing often. Mom would feed us halibut and salmon several times a week, since it was fresh and available. I
n my teens I developed an aversion to eating halibut; I avoided eating it whenever mom would let me get away with it. Finally when I was pregnant with my first daughter, I craved it… bad! But I no longer had access to it like I did; I finally realized then how lucky and blessed we were growing up.
This is my dad, in the middle, with two family friends and his 387 pound halibut (I think this picture was taken in the late 90’s). Dad had to use his backhoe just to hold up the fish! These days, I don’t get to enjoy fresh halibut often, but when I do, this Gluten-Free Beer Battered Halibut is one of my favorite ways to eat it!
This Gluten-Free Beer Battered Halibut recipe makes crisp pieces of tender halibut.
I cut my halibut into small chunks, but feel free to cut your fish into larger pieces if that’s your preference; you’ll just need to adjust the frying time accordingly. Since we are very health conscious, I use and recommend organic coconut oil for frying, but feel free to use whatever oil you prefer.
My girls enjoy dipping their halibut pieces in ketchup, while my husband and I enjoy this Lemon Caper Sauce. If there’s an allergy-friendly tartar sauce available, that would also be a great choice!
If you avoid alcohol, please feel free to substitute club soda for the gluten-free beer.
All my love,
Megan
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cassava flour, divided
- 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 12 ounces gluten-free beer, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 pounds halibut (or another firm white fish), cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch pieces
- coconut oil for frying
- In a large Dutch oven or deep fryer, preheat the coconut oil to a temperature of 350 degrees (F). If using a Dutch oven, use enough coconut oil to fill the pan by 3 1/2 to 4 inches. If using a deep fryer, use the amount of oil suggested in the fryers directions. I use a refined coconut oil; since the refined variation does not give the food a coconut flavor (I use Aunt Patty’s Organic Coconut Oil).
- Blot the fish with paper towels until it’s as dry as possible.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup cassava flour, 1 teaspoon sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper, baking powder and cayenne pepper. Taste it. If you’d like to increase the sea salt, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper, feel free to do so.
- Whisk in the large egg and the gluten-free beer; continue to whisk until no lumps remain. The batter will be bitter, but this bitterness will not be present in the final product. Add a piece of fish to the batter, and then pull it out. The batter should coat the fish, but it shouldn’t be too thin or thick. If the batter needs to be thickened up, add an additional tablespoon of cassava flour and whisk until blended. Test the thickness of your batter again, and add another tablespoon of cassava flour only if needed.
- Add all of the fish to the batter bowl, and then fry the battered fish in small batches for 2-3 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Remove the fried fish to a cooling rack sitting inside half a sheet pan (these are similar to the cooling racks I have). This will help keep the fish crispy. Serve immediately with ketchup, tartar sauce, or Lemon Caper Sauce.
If the halibut is tough, that means it was either cooked for too long, or it’s old (not fresh) fish.
If the fish is sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven, or to the deep fat fryer basket, make sure the oil is being kept at a consistent 350 degrees (F); a candy thermometer will help with this. Also, using a set of tongs, hold half of a single piece of battered fish in the oil for a few seconds to heat it through completely, before dropping completely into the oil.
You absolutely can fry larger pieces of fish, you'll just have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
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This looks crazy good!! Also, I had no idea halibut would be that huge! What a neat photo!
Thanks, Michelle!
Megan,
I like that you showed us a picture of your dad and his friends! I knew halibut were big, but this picture puts it in real perspective!
When my husband visited Alaska, he went halibut fishing, but didn’t have any luck. But it was memorable for him.
This recipe looks so tasty and so doable. I’ve never had much success frying fish, but with your instructions I will try it. We can’t get very good halibut, but we can get other fresh fish I’ll substitute. My husband loves fried fish, and really, really wish this was something I could do well. This may be the recipe!
Joanne
Hi Joanne!
Thank you! I hope this will be the recipe! 😉
Big, big hugs!
Megan
I bet we should use a set of tongs, not thongs, to remove the fish. ha ha. I love you girl!
Jerre,
Oh my goodness!!! I’m snort-laughing! Thank you so much for catching my… dicey error. Thongs and hot oil are not recommended. HA!
Is cassava flour the same thing as tapioca flour??? And that fish is amazing!!!
Thank you, Juliet! No, tapioca flour/starch is the extracted starch of the cassava root; while cassava flour is the whole root, just peeled, dried, and ground.
Would this recipe work with a flax egg or egg substitute?
Hi Lisa,
I can’t say for sure (because I haven’t tried it myself), but my gut says this recipe would do just fine without the egg. Cassava flour is very absorbent and sticky. Maybe leave the egg out altogether and sub another 2-3 tablespoons of water. Please let me know if you try it and what your results are! 😉
Love this! It looks so perfectly crispy and flaky!
Thanks, Jessica! It definitely is! 😉
I think these would be a family favorite. Anything “mini” works with my daughter.
I totally get that, Michelle! My girls like mini, too! 😉
Each little fish bite looks so crunchy and delicious
They sure are! 😉 Thank you!
These look like the most delicious little bites! Perfect for an at-home Friday night fish fry!
I totally agree! Thanks Cathy!
Love that photo of the fish that you shared – that’s amazing! – and these gorgeous battered chunks of halibut look equally amazing!
Thank you, Melanie!
My word on that halibut, Megan!!! I had no idea they were huge like tuna. I can see your dad was so thrilled with that catch! Nothing is small in Alaska, right? Maybe you do bite-sized pieces to have some balance? 😉 I’m a big fish lover so I’m sure I’d go crazy for this recipe. Love that last photo!
xo,
Shirley
Ha ha ha! You’re so right, Shirley – nothing is small up here! This picture is one of my favorites. 😉 Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
xoxo,
Megan
I love the picture of your dad! These look perfect for the upcoming Lent season!
Thank you, Debra! I do too.
These look fantastic! Halibut is not readily available in Florida, but I’ll try it with one of our local fish. Thanks for the info on the cassava flour, hadn’t bought any yet, because I just couldn’t get past the price! Will be ordering some of this. Love the halibut pic.
So, cassava flour doesn’t exist in Fairbanks. Tonight I adapted your recipe by using sweet potato flour, and also using hard cider rather than GF beer (since that is what I had in the fridge). Other than not having my oil quite hot enough to start, it turned out pretty great! Thanks for the inspiration Megan!
Hi Erin!
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy this recipe still worked for you with the substitutions! I’ve never worked with sweet potato flour, so that’s great to know it worked well. 😉
I love how you grew up halibut fishing in Kodiak 🙂 my dad recently sent me 126 lbs of fresh salmon and some halibut fillets (that he also caught in Kodiak ;)) Super glad to come across this recipe! it looks delicious and I’m excited to try it 🙂
I’ve had such a hard time finding good gluten-free beer batter recipes. Could you use this with other beer-battered foods as well?
Hi Suzanne,
I think so! I think it would work with just about everything. 😉
Hi, just wondering which gluten free beer you use?
Hi Fayra,
I use whatever I have on hand. Sometimes I use my brother’s gluten free home brew, but if I’m looking to purchase GF beer, New Grist is my favorite. 😉