Beer Batter
Updated February 23, 2016 
Beer batter is my favorite coating for deep frying, not because I want my fried foods to taste like beer (in fact, the beer flavor in a fried batter is pretty faint), but because it produces the crispiest crust. I use it for Fried Clam Sandwiches, but I encourage you to use it for other dishes, including onion rings, zucchini sticks, and shrimp.
The beer batter will slither right off whatever you’re battering if you don’t first dust that item lightly with seasoned flour. So don’t omit that step.
Total time: 25 minutes
Preparation Time10 min
Preparation Time - Text10 minutes
CostInexpensive
Total Timeunder 30 minutes
Five Ingredients or LessYes
Taste and Texturecrisp
Ingredients
- 1 to 1½ cups beer, any kind; the darker the color the more beer flavor will come through
- 1½ to 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper
Instructions
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Whisk together 1 cup beer, 1 cup flour, and ½ teaspoon salt until almost smooth. Strain the batter through a sieve and let rest, covered, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. Check the consistency;it should resemble a slightly thick pancake batter. If it doesn’t, add more flour or beer.
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Combine the remaining ½ cup flour with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a soup plate or plastic bag. Dip the item to be fried in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess before coating it in the batter.
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Most items should be fried at a temperature of 365° to 375°F and sprinkled with salt right after they are removed from the hot oil.
2005 Sarah Moulton
