Photography © Brett Stevens

Golden battered fish

For me, the most crisp and delicious batters for fish are those containing some form of carbonation, and the easiest way to add this is in the form of an unsweetened fizzy liquid, such as soda water or beer. Clearly these two fizzy options have very different flavours — and while your fish won’t taste like ale, beer batter does provide a deeper, more savoury flavour than soda water. You could also use champagne, but why would you waste it?

Serves 4–6 as a main, with chips and salad

800 g (1 lb 12 oz) skinless, boneless fish fillets of your choice — I prefer snapper, flathead or ling as I like a mild-flavoured white fish, but choose your favourite seasonal variety

mild-flavoured oil, such as sunflower or safflower, for deep-frying

fine sea salt, for sprinkling

lemon wedges or malt vinegar, to serve

Tartare sauce, to serve (optional)

Batter

225 g (8 oz/1½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

a good pinch of ground spices or chopped fresh herbs (optional; see ‘Getting fancy with your fish’, left)

330 ml (11¼ fl oz/1¹/₃ cups) chilled soda water (club soda) or beer

If you choose a fish with a wide fillet, you may like to cut the fillets in half lengthways to form thin fillets. Ideally, each piece of fish should be about 4 cm (1½ inches) wide and about 15 cm (6 inches) long — but this is only a guide, as each fish will vary.

When you’re ready to cook, one-third fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan with oil and heat to 180°C (350°F), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds.

To make the batter, put the flour and salt in a bowl with the spices or herbs, if using, then gradually mix in the soda water or beer until the batter is smooth and liquid, but thick enough to coat the fish fillets. You may not need to add the full quantity of liquid, as flour can contain more or less liquid depending on the weather. You may also need to add a little extra liquid towards the end when the batter is running low, as it will thicken on standing.

Dip the fish fillets into the batter, allowing any excess batter to drip back into the bowl. Cook the fish in batches for 5 minutes, or until the batter is crisp and golden, and the fish is just cooked through. The timing may vary slightly depending on the thickness of your fish — a thicker fillet may take 1–2 minutes longer.

Drain on paper towel and sprinkle lightly with fine sea salt. Keep warm in a low oven while you finish cooking the remaining fish.

Serve with lemon wedges or malt vinegar for sprinkling over, and your choice of accompaniments, such as tartare sauce for dipping into, and hot chips and/or salad.

Add sparing amounts of the following herbs or spices to your batter, being careful not to mask the natural flavour of your fish. Accompany with the suggested sauces.

• Cayenne pepper + smoked sweet paprika. Serve with Aïoli.

• Curry powder; serve with minted yoghurt and lemon.

• Fresh oregano + ground cumin. Serve with a lime-spiked Mayonnaise.

• Ground celery seeds + aniseed. Serve with Mayonnaise seasoned with cider vinegar and dill.

• Nori flakes; serve with Mayonnaise seasoned with soy sauce and mirin.