Get ready to dive into a mouthwatering meal with these beer-battered fish sandwiches! Picture this - tender, juicy halibut filets coated in a delicious beer batter, fried to crispy golden-brown perfection. These bad boys are served up on soft brioche buns, with a generous dollop of tangy lemon dill sauce, crisp lettuce, and juicy tomatoes. So get your taste buds ready and give them a try today!
Why This Recipe Works:
Halibut is a very versatile fish that can be used in a variety of recipes like this easy broiled miso halibut or halibut green curry or grilled halibut tacos. Beer-battered halibut sandwiches are a classic fish recipe. The use of beer in the batter enhances the flavor of the fish and adds a distinctive taste and lightness to the crispy breading.
The crispy golden-brown texture of the battered halibut filets pairs well with the soft bun and toppings, creating a perfect balance of flavors and textures. The combination of fresh lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and tangy lemon dill sauce makes every bite perfect. These beer-battered halibut sandwiches are a satisfying and flavorful dish that is perfect for any seafood lover!
Ingredient Notes:
- Halibut: Any white-fleshed fish can be used in place of the halibut in this recipe. Halibut filets work well because of their size and shape. Cod, haddock, rockfish, lingcod, etc. will all work.
- Beer: A light beer like a lager works well for beer-battered fish because it adds a light beer flavor without weighing it down. Any light, non-hoppy beer will work.
- Peanut Oil: Peanut oil is great for frying but other oils like sunflower, canola, safflower, etc. will work.
- Lemon Dill Sauce: This recipe uses a homemade lemon dill sauce, but you can use your favorite tartar sauce as well.
Equipment Notes:
- Deep Pan: A deep pan is necessary for frying to keep the oil from bubbling over the edge. Select a pan that is at least 3-4" deep since you will be using 1" of oil.
- High-Temperature Thermometer: A high-temperature thermometer or candy thermometer is necessary to make sure your oil is at the proper temperature. If it's too cold, the breading will become soggy. If the oil is too hot, the filets will burn.
- Filet Knife: You can cut fish filets with several types of knives, but a filet knife works best due to its unique shape.
Step by Step Instructions:
How To Cut Halibut Filets for Sandwiches:
Halibut filets for sandwiches should be cut in a specific way to ensure the perfect fish-to-beer batter ratio. Follow the simple steps below!
Pro Tip: Halibut filets need to be cut into thin pieces before frying. The batter puffs up and becomes thicker than you might expect so the filets need to be thin for the perfect fish-to-breading ratio.
How To Make Beer-Battered Fish:
Making beer-battered fish is a fairly simple process but there are a few key steps to ensure perfectly cooked, crispy, golden-brown filets. Follow the steps below and you're sure to succeed!
Pro Tip: Use cold beer for your beer batter. The shock of the cold batter hitting the hot oil is what gives beer-battered fish its signature light and crispy texture.
How To Make Lemon Dill Sauce for Fish:
This lemon dill sauce is bursting with bright flavors from the lemon zest and juice, and fresh dill. The tanginess in the sauce perfectly balances out the rich flavor of the fried fish. It's a must-have for these beer-battered fish sandwiches!
Pro Tip: Prepare the sauce a few hours in advance, allowing the flavors to blend and develop to perfection.
Selecting Halibut Filets for Sandwiches:
Fish filets must be a specific shape and size to work well for sandwiches. You can either select a thick filet and cut it into thinner pieces, or select a thin piece about ½" or so thick. Try to select uniform halibut filets that will cut into sandwich-size squares easily.
You can use the triangular tail-ends of the filet as well, but the squares will give you a more uniform sandwich. The pieces need to be cut into fairly thin pieces because the beer-batter puffs up quite a bit during the frying process and gives you a nice size piece of fish for your sandwich.
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Putting it All Together:
Once you have your perfectly cooked beer-battered fish, and delicious lemon dill sauce, all that's left to do is assemble your sandwiches and dig in!
Dollop a generous scoop of the lemon dill sauce on your sandwich and spread it on both halves of the bun. Add your halibut filet, a piece of lettuce, and sliced tomatoes, and dig in! Serve with some homemade potato chips and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ's:
Halibut is a very versatile fish that pairs well with many flavors. But, classic flavors like lemon and dill complement this delicious, flaky fish very well.
A light beer like a lager works best for beer-battered fish. But, any light, non-hoppy beer will work. Avoid dark beers like stout, porter, brown ale, etc.
Beer batter should be on the thinner side. It needs to be thin enough to coat the fish but not so thin that the batter runs off the fish. It can take a few tries to learn the perfect consistency.
White-fleshed fish like halibut, cod, haddock, rockfish, etc. work best for beer-battered fish.
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Recipe:
Beer-Battered Halibut Sandwiches with Lemon Dill Sauce
Ingredients
Beer-Battered Halibut
- 1 lb halibut filet
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoon lager beer
- 1 ½ tablespoon seafood seasoning (Old Bay)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- salt, to taste
- peanut oil, for frying
Lemon Dill Sauce:
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Other Ingredients:
- 4 brioche hamburger buns
- 8 slices tomato
- 4 pieces leaf lettuce
Instructions
Lemon Dill Sauce:
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Beer-Battered Halibut:
- Remove skin and bones from halibut filet, if needed.
- Cut the halibut filet into 4 pieces, about ½" thick and the size of your hamburger buns. The size and shape of your filet(s) will determine how you cut the pieces for sandwiches. If your filet is around 1-1.5" thick, cut it in half to make it thinner. If your filet is already ¾" thick or thinner, don't cut it in half to make it thinner. See recipe post for examples.
- Season halibut pieces with salt on both sides for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Combine flour, seafood seasoning, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Slowly add beer to the batter and stir with a whisk. The batter should be the consistency of a thin pancake batter. It needs to be thin enough to coat the fish well but not so thin that it doesn't stick.
- Add enough peanut oil to a deep skillet to make it about 1" deep. Heat over medium-high heat to 350-375°F.
- Lightly pat halibut filets with paper towel if moisture has accumulated on the surface.
- Dip halibut pieces in batter and let excess drip off. Add to pan of oil and cook for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway, until internal temperature reaches 145°F and breading is golden brown and crispy.
- If cooking larger batches, preheat oven to 200°F. Place a wire rack on a sheet pan. Once one batch of fish is finished cooking, place it on the wire rack in the oven to keep it warm.
Assembly:
- Spread lemon dill sauce on top and bottom buns. Place halibut on the bottom bun. Top with lettuce and tomatoes. Add the top bun and enjoy!
Reheating Instructions:
- This beer-battered fish reheats really well in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place a wire rack on a sheet pan. Place halibut pieces on wire rack. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway, or until breading is crispy and fish is heated through.
Notes
-
- Any white-fleshed fish can be used in place of the halibut in this recipe. Halibut filets work well because of their size and shape. Cod, haddock, rockfish, etc. will all work.
- A light beer like a lager works well for beer-battered fish because it adds a light beer flavor without weighing it down. Any light, non-hoppy beer will work.
- Peanut oil is great for frying but other oils like sunflower, canola, safflower, etc. will work.
- This recipe uses a homemade lemon dill sauce, but you can use your favorite tartar sauce as well.
- A deep pan is necessary for frying to keep the oil from bubbling over the edge. Select a pan that is at least 3-4" deep since you will be using 1" of oil.
- You can cut fish filets with several types of knives, but a filet knife works best due to its unique shape.
- A high-temperature thermometer or candy thermometer is necessary to make sure your oil is at the proper temperature. If it's too cold, the breading will become soggy. If the oil is too hot, the filets will burn.
Ben says
Didn’t make the sauce because we wanted tarter, but the batter was perfect and the frying time was too. The only thing we did that wasn’t in the recipe was toasting the buns in a buttered cast iron. Fish was 10/10 would recommend!
Annie Weisz says
I'm so glad you loved the fish, Ben! Toasting the buns is a great idea!
Mary says
Every single one of your recipes looks amazing. I can hardly wait to try one! The difficulty lies in which to try first. You make me hungry for fish!
Thank you, madam or sir
Annie Weisz says
Thank you for your kind words! I hope you enjoy the recipes!