Catfish Beer Batter Recipe With Zatarain’s

Everyone loves a crispy golden fried fish fillet. The best way to get that golden crispy coating is with a beer batter recipe. I have been experimenting with beer batter catfish recipes and one day decided to use my Zatarains Breading Seasoned Fish Fry mix in my beer-battered recipe for some nice catfish fillets my friend caught in deep cold water. My favorite. This beer batter catfish recipe is a work in progress so feel free to add or subtract whatever you like. I will mention a couple of things I am going to try in the future.  The goal was to find a catfish recipe that was golden brown and crispy with some seasoning to it. There are a couple of things that I learned through reading other beer batter recipes that I incorporated into this catfish recipe that helps the overall flavor and crispiness.

Beer Batter Ingredients

• 1 cup of Zatarains Breading Seasoned Fish Fry
• 1 cup of very cold beer 
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2  teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 cup of Zatarains Breading Seasoned Fish Fry (for sprinkling the fish)
• Peanut oil

Instructions For Beer Battered Catfish Recipe

Cutting the catfish fillets- I like to cut my fillets into bite-sized pieces for three reasons. First I like each bite to have plenty of the seasoning and beer batter. Second, they are easier to handle in the deep fryer as I like to turn the pieces while they fry. The third reason is I prefer to eat my beer-battered catfish with my fingers.

Rinse and pat dry- Rinse the catfish pieces one last time and lay them on some paper towels. Pat the fillets so that any visible water is gone. Let them air dry while you prepare the oil. Fish will absorb a lot of water. If left full of water it will be sealed into the beer batter and cause the inside to become mushy. Especially when re-heated.

Sprinkle the fillets- One of the tricks I learned to help get a crispy piece of beer batter catfish is to sprinkle the fillet pieces with the same Zatarain’s breading used in the beer batter mix. This will further aid in absorbing the water from the fillet pieces before dipping them into the beer batter. If you like your beer-battered catfish with a lot of seasoning add your favorite if you like. I add cajun seasoning to the 1/4 cup of Zatarain’s and put it in a cheese shaker and use it to easily sprinkle the fish all over.

Mix the beer batter- in a bowl mix the breading, salt, and baking powder. I like to use a whisk to mix these ingredients together before adding the very cold beer. The measurements are just a guide. They are close to getting the right texture but just add a little beer to thin it or add a little breading to thicken. The texture should be about like pancake batter or maybe a touch thicker. Whisk in the beer to get to the proper thickness. Double recipe for more fish.

NOTE: Be sure the beer is very cold. This is another trick to a crispier breading. Leave the dark beer and stouts for drinking. These will be a little too heavy and can cause a chewy coating. You can put the beer in the freezer a few minutes before using it. This makes sure it is very cold.

Cooking the beer batter catfish- Heat the oil to around 350 degrees. Use a temperature probe for good results. Dip the fillet pieces into the beer batter and coat well. Use a fork to pick the pieces up from the batter and allow them to drain a few seconds before placing them into the hot peanut oil. Make sure the oil is bubbling and if it slows too much when you add fish then wait until it builds back up to a good bubble. If you put the beer batter fish into the oil when it isn’t hot enough the batter will soak up the oil before it can harden and create that crispy shell. Enjoy The Harvest

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