This gluten-free fish batter produces crispy and flakey gluten-free fried fish pieces. Use whatever firm white fish you have on hand; my family prefers fresh halibut or rockfish.
Being the good Alaskan girl I am, I couldn’t let all my gluten-free peeps down by not providing you a killer gluten-free fish batter.
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.
The best flour for gluten-free fish batter
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.
In 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 recipe makes crisp pieces of tender halibut. Alternately, if you’re wanting to pan fry your halibut, vs. deep frying, you might try this recipe for gluten-free pan fried fish.
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!
Alcohol free variation for gluten-free beer batter
If you avoid alcohol, please feel free to substitute club soda for the gluten-free beer.
I hope you enjoy this gf fish batter as much as my family does!
Megan
Gluten-Free Fish Batter Recipe:
Gluten Free Fish Batter
This gluten-free fish batter produces crispy and flakey gluten-free fried fish pieces. Use whatever firm white fish you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cassava flour
- 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 12 ounces gluten-free beer, at room temperature (see recipe notes)
- 1 ½ pounds halibut (or another firm white fish), cut into 1 to 1 ½-inch pieces
- oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or deep fryer, preheat the oil to a temperature of 350-365 degrees (F). If using a Dutch oven, use enough oil to fill the pan by 3 ½ to 4 inches. If using a deep fryer, use the amount of oil suggested in the fryers directions.
- 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 soda 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.
Notes
If you avoid alcohol, feel free to replace the gluten-free beer with club soda or a plain seltzer water.
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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Michelle @My Gluten-free Kitchen says
This looks crazy good!! Also, I had no idea halibut would be that huge! What a neat photo!
Megan says
Thanks, Michelle!
Joanne Peterson says
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
Megan says
Hi Joanne!
Thank you! I hope this will be the recipe! 😉
Big, big hugs!
Megan
Jerre Repass says
I bet we should use a set of tongs, not thongs, to remove the fish. ha ha. I love you girl!
Megan says
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!
Juliet says
Is cassava flour the same thing as tapioca flour??? And that fish is amazing!!!
Megan says
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.
Lisa says
Would this recipe work with a flax egg or egg substitute?
Megan says
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! 😉
Jessica - The Novice Chef says
Love this! It looks so perfectly crispy and flaky!
Megan says
Thanks, Jessica! It definitely is! 😉
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
I think these would be a family favorite. Anything “mini” works with my daughter.
Megan says
I totally get that, Michelle! My girls like mini, too! 😉
Nutmeg Nanny says
Each little fish bite looks so crunchy and delicious
Megan says
They sure are! 😉 Thank you!
Cathy Trochelman says
These look like the most delicious little bites! Perfect for an at-home Friday night fish fry!
Megan says
I totally agree! Thanks Cathy!
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
Love that photo of the fish that you shared – that’s amazing! – and these gorgeous battered chunks of halibut look equally amazing!
Megan says
Thank you, Melanie!
Shirley @ gluten free easily (gfe) says
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
Megan says
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
Debra A Attinella says
I love the picture of your dad! These look perfect for the upcoming Lent season!
Megan says
Thank you, Debra! I do too.
Nancy says
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.
Erin in AK says
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!
Megan says
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. 😉
Jessa Fortaliza says
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 🙂
Suzanne Holt says
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?
Megan says
Hi Suzanne,
I think so! I think it would work with just about everything. 😉
Fayra says
Hi, just wondering which gluten free beer you use?
Megan says
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. 😉
Ilene says
I read through most of the comments but didn’t see this question asked; forgive me if it’s a repeat! Just wondering if this would work battering shrimp? I have some in the freezer and would love to have crispy shrimp for dinner! Looks delicious!!
Mēgan says
Yes! We’ve actually used it to batter shrimp and it works great.
Libby Liebig says
OH MY GOODNESS!!! I had to go gluten free a few months ago and my husband and I have been craving fish and chips – made this tonight and it was the best I have ever had, even from an English pub!!!! Love this recipe!!!!❤️❤️❤️
Mēgan says
Such high praise – totally made my day, Libby! Thank you so much! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it. 🙂
Bridget J Collins says
This is THE BEST recipe I have ever used for gluten free fish and chips. I used lemon seltzer instead of the gluten free beer. Super easy and so delish!
Thank you Megan 🙂
Mēgan says
You’re very welcome! Thank you for the glowing compliment – it made my day! 🙂