No need to go down to your local chippy or search for a restaurant that makes the best beer-battered fish and chips. This British Fish and Chips recipe produces that perfectly crispy and flavorful result you’re craving!
Serve your homemade fish and chips with our authentic British Mushy Peas followed by a traditional British dessert like Sticky Toffee Pudding or Treacle Tart!
This homemade British fish and chips recipe has been a long time coming. Though I lived in England for several years it wasn’t until our two most recent trips to the UK that I was able to finally perfect the batter and technique. And so the time has come to share with you Great Britain’s most iconic dish: Fish and Chips!
Where Did Fish and Chips Originate?
What we know as fish and chips today originated in England but its earliest origins can be traced back to Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal where a popular dish known as pescado frito had been enjoyed at least a couple of centuries earlier and was made using a technique of battering and and frying fish in oil. And as for the chips, the credit goes to Belgium.
One of the earliest references to fish and chips in England comes from none other than my favorite author, Charles Dickens, who in 1838 noted the “fried fish warehouses” in Oliver Twist. The famous Victorian chef, Alexis Soyer, also noted in his 1845 cookbook a recipe for “Fried Fish, Jewish Fashion,” a nod to its Sephardic Jewish origins.  The first reference to the term “chips” for fries also came from Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities, where he referred to them as “husky chips of potatoes, fried with some reluctant drops of oil.” The first known fish & chips shop was opened by Joseph Malin, a Jewish immigrant, in London in the 1860’s.
Originally a dish of the working classes, fish and chips have remained a cultural icon in the UK for going on two centuries. An article in the Express a few years ago noted some interesting WWII history about the UK’s favorite dish: “During the Second World War Winston Churchill recognised the crucial role of fish and chips, referring to them as ‘good companions’. Fish and chips were two of the few foods not subject to rationing because the government feared the dish was so embedded in the nation’s culture that any limit would damage morale.  British soldiers identified one another during the D-Day landings by calling the word fish. The response was chips, signifying an ally.”
How to Make the Perfect Fish Batter
This is a divisive question that has probably led to more than a few fist fights. Opinions run strong in this arena and everyone has their own. Some say the coating should be thin and light and shatter into crispy shards when you bite into it (that’s what you get with a tempura-style batter but remember friends, tempura is Japanese, not British). Others argue the coating should be thick and puffy and the crispiness should be followed by a touch of chewiness. Some insist the batter should be dry while others are emphatic that if it isn’t seeping a bit of oil then it isn’t worth eating. In the end it all comes down to personal preference.
I lived in England for seven years and we go back every year to visit. From the northern to the southern tip of England, we’ve hit more fish and chip shops than I can number. Based on my experience of eating at dozens upon dozens of chippies throughout the country, the best fried fish is perfectly crispy and isn’t overly greasy or dripping with oil. It’s the kind of batter where you both hear and feel it crunch when you bite into it followed by your teeth sinking into the tender white flesh of the fish.
Fish Batter Ingredients
To make the best fish batter you’ll need flour, beer, baking power and salt. The beer and baking powder are key ingredients to achieving a light and airy batter.  Plus the beer gives the fish that indisputably irreplaceable traditional British flavor.
Some recipes call for adding an egg but unless you prefer a chewier, “cakier” texture, avoid it. (If you do prefer that, use this recipe and beat an egg into the batter). But we’re omitting the egg because what we’re aiming for is crispy perfection.
For the BEST tasting fish and chips, when it’s time t0 fry use beef tallow! Check out my tutorial on How to Make Beef Tallow.  It’s super easy!
Pro Tips for the Perfect Fish Batter
There are a few key elements for achieving the best fish batter:
- To achieve the best texture the beer must be very cold and you must use the batter immediately. If you let it rest for a while like some recipes recommend the fried coating will be heavier and denser.
- For the same reason, if possible chill the flour before using it to coat the fish.
- Absolute key is the correct temperature of the oil.
Oil Temperature for Fish Batter
I address this in my Schnitzel post where the same rule applies, only in the case of fish it cooks more quickly so you can raise the temp up a bit. The key is making sure the oil is hot but not too hot. If the oil is too hot the crust will burn before fish is done, and if the oil isn’t hot enough you’ll end up with a soggy, greasy coating. When the oil temperature is just right (this is beginning to sound like the story of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears) you’ll achieve that perfectly crispy coating with a tender and moist interior. The right temperature for fish batter should be between 350ºF and 375ºF. I usually aim for somewhere in the middle. If you’re not using a deep fryer with its own temperature gauge, test it with a thermometer.
Other Uses for Fish BatterÂ
You’ll likely have some fish batter left over or you can make a separate dedicated batch for other fried foods. Besides using the batter for your fish and chips you can also use it to make:
and you can use it to also make most amazing fried onions rings, calamari and shrimp. Feel free to throw in some other things and see what yummy battered-and-fried creations you come up with!
- Fish Tacos: cut your fish into bite-sized pieces, dip them in batter, and fry until cooked through, using the same guidelines. Serve on warm tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.
- Fried Shrimp, Clams, Scallops and Calamari:Â simply dip and fry.
- Vegetable Fritters:Â cut up your favorite vegetables, like broccoli, zucchini, or cauliflower and dip them in batter before frying.
- Onion Rings: thinly slice the onions, dip them in the batter, and fry. This beer batter makes the best fried onion rings!
Where to Find the Best Fish and Chips?
Tell us in the comments below where you’ve had the best fish and chips! There are many great fish and chip shops and I’d be hard-pressed to narrow it down. My husband Todd used to live in Liverpool and his vote goes to a chippy there that sadly closed down a couple of years ago and he’s been on the lookout for a new favorite.  (If anyone can recommend a great one in Liverpool specifically he would be elated.) But aside from once having had the best fish and chips, Liverpool is a great city with a rich history. One of our favorite things to do is to walk along the Albert Docks at dusk. And Todd and I are lifelong Beatles fans so there’s that connection too. (On a side note, growing up in Liverpool Paul McCartney was a huge fish and chips fan. Until he became a vegetarian. But that’s another story.) When I lived in England our family had a tradition of visiting Liverpool and while there would eat at the Harry Ramsden restaurant. Ramsden’s restaurant actually earned the Guinness Book of Records title for having served 10,000 portions of fish & chips in a single day!
WHERE HAVE YOU HAD THE BEST FISH AND CHIPS? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Fish and Chips Recipe
How to Make the Chips
Heat the oven to 200 F. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large heavy pan or Dutch oven until the temperature reaches over high heat until it reaches 325 degrees F. For the BEST tasting fish and chips, use beef tallow!  Check out my tutorial on How to Make Beef Tallow – it’s super easy!
Thoroughly drain the sliced potatoes and blot them with paper towels to remove excess water. Once the oil is 325 F carefully fry the potatoes in small batches to avoid overcrowding and fry for 2-3 minutes until pale and softened. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and let them cool to room temperature.
Increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Carefully add the fries again, frying in small batches, until they are golden brown and crispy, another 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, place them on a baking sheet or roasting rack, sprinkle with salt while they’re still very hot, and place them in the warmed oven while you’re frying the fish.
How to Make the Fried Fish
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large flat bowl. Pour in the cold beer and whisk until smooth. In another large flat bowl add some extra flour for dredging.
Blot the fish with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Thoroughly dredge all sides of the fish in the flour and shake off the excess.
Dip the fish into the beer batter to thoroughly coat all sides, allowing some of the excess batter to drip off (but not too much!). If you prefer an extra thick coating you can repeat the process of dredging the fish in flour followed by the batter.
For Frying: You can either use a deep fryer or you can use a medium-sized skillet and fill it with oil to a depth of at least an inch.
Heat the oil to between 350 F and 375 F, using a thermometer. Carefully lower the fish into the oil, waiting a few seconds before releasing it to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Fry the fish in the deep fryer for 5-8 minutes or until nicely golden. If using a frying pan fry the fish for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until nicely golden.
Remove the fish with a slotted spoon, letting the oil drop off, then place the fried fish on paper towels for a few seconds and serve immediately. If you wait too long to serve it the batter will lose its crispiness.
Serve the fried fish with the chips. It’s traditional to shake some British malt vinegar over everything.
The traditional side is mushy peas. Check out our recipe for authentic British Mushy Peas!
Serve hot while the fish is nice and crispy. Enjoy!
Prefer some tartar sauce with your fish? While it’s not traditional in the UK, feel free to serve it with our best homemade Tartar Sauce.
Watch How to Make It
For more authentic British recipes try our:
- Yorkshire Pudding
- Cornish Pasties
- Bangers and Mash
- Scotch Eggs
- Crumpets
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Beef and Guinness Stew
- Spotted Dick
- Toad in the Hole
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Pickled Onions
- Scottish Shortbread
- Treacle Tart
BEST British Fish and Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups light beer , VERY COLD **See NOTE
- extra flour for dredging , chilled
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh cod, haddock or halibut , (or other firm-fleshed white fish), cut into 4 pieces and patted dry (important for enabling the batter to adhere)
- oil for frying
- use beef tallow instead of oil for the best traditional flavor (click link for recipe - it's super easy to make!)
- For the Chips:
- 4 large Russet potatoes or other high starch/low moisture potato , peeled, sliced thickly and put in a large bowl of cold water until ready to fry
- salt for sprinkling
- oil for frying
- quality British Malt Vinegar , for serving
Instructions
- *See blog post for details on pro tips. To Make the Chips: Heat the oven to 200 F. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large heavy pan or Dutch oven until the temperature reaches over high heat until it reaches 325 degrees F (I use this instant read thermometer). Thoroughly drain the sliced potatoes and blot them with paper towels to remove excess water. Once the oil is 325 F carefully fry the potatoes in small batches to avoid overcrowding and fry for 2-3 minutes until pale and softened. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and let them cool to room temperature. Increase the temperature to 375 degrees F. Carefully add the fries again, frying in small batches, until they are golden brown and crispy, another 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, place them on a baking sheet or roasting rack, sprinkle with salt while they're still very hot, and place them in the warmed oven while you're frying the fish.
- To Make the Fried Fish: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large flat bowl. Pour in the cold beer and whisk until smooth (use the batter immediately, do not let it rest for a while). In another large flat bowl add some extra flour for dredging.Blot the fish with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Thoroughly dredge all sides of the fish in the flour and shake off the excess.Dip the fish into the beer batter to thoroughly coat all sides, allowing some of the excess batter to drip off (but not too much!) If you prefer an extra thick coating you can repeat the process of dredging the fish in flour followed by the batter. Â
- To Fry the Fish: You can either use a deep fryer or you can use a medium-sized skillet and fill it with oil to a depth of at least an inch. Heat the oil to between 350 F and 375 F, using a candy thermometer. Carefully lower the fish into the oil, waiting a few seconds before releasing it to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Fry the fish in the deep fryer for 5-8 minutes or until nicely golden. If using a frying pan fry the fish for about 2 minutes on each side or until nicely golden. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon, letting the oil drop off, then place the fried fish on paper towels for a few seconds and serve immediately. (If you wait too long to serve the batter will lose its crispiness.)Serve with the chips, a sprinkling of quality British malt vinegar and if desired a serving of authentic British Mushy Peas. Though not traditional in the UK, you can also eat the fish with our homemade Tartar Sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet August 3, 2019
Rick Townend says
When I was last in the UK ( four years ago) there were three excellent fish and chip shops in East Sussex: Marinos in Rye, The Blue Dolphin in Hastings, and Mini-Bertha’s in Bexhill. Not saying these are the only ones, but whenever I patronised them, they came up with the goods!
Supriya Kutty says
Fish and chips bring back fond memories of my travels, and your recipe allowed me to relive those moments. Thank you for sharing the British fish and chips recipe. It’s a dish that never goes out of style.
Wayne B Lindgren says
My fish was great. I used Gunness for the beer. Deep fryer, the only thing is fried for 6 minutes at 360o, and the pieces stuck to the stainless basket! New fryer, and not sure if I am going to have this problem with other food. Was it the batter, or should I stir the pieces a bit while frying?
Wayne in Maine LOL
guness for eer.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Wayne, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, that’s a common problem with deep fryers and there’s a couple of ways to avoid that. When you put the fish in the deep fryer don’t let it drop in immediately, first hold it with a pair of tongs or fork halfway in the oil and lower it in slowly, letting it fry for a few seconds before letting it go in all the way. Also, many people don’t use the basket at all when frying battered foods for the very reason you described. You can fry the fish without it and then just use a slotted spoon to take it out.
Rachel U says
Best fish and chips (with mushy peas) are to be had at Abbey Wharf in Whitby. You also need a a slice of bread and butter for your chip butty and mint sauce for your peas. A very close second is Franky’s in Nettleham, Lincolnshire UK, a small village next to the village where I live. I don’t buy their mushy peas as I make my own to my late grandmother’s 90 year old recipe and always have cartons of them in the freezer. We always have scraps too which is the crispy bits of batter removed from the fryers. Beef dripping always makes the best chips. Cut them quite thick almost wedge thickness for best results.
Dave says
Will people stop calling the chips “fries”! So damn annoying. This is fish and chips, not fish and fries. I am english but have lived in Canada for 15 years. Fries and chips are not the same thing. I know the difference. It bothers me to no end. If you want fish and chips, then you need to make CHIPS, NOT FRIES
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m not sure what exactly it is that you’re taking issue with, Dave.
Distinguishing differences between chips and fries:
British chips: Sliced thickly and double fried, first at a lower temperature then at a higher temperature.
Fries: Sliced thinly and generally single fried.
Now note the instructions in this recipe to cut the potatoes thickly and to double fry them at a lower and then higher temperature.
Henry Robson says
No ordinary British fish and chip shop uses beer for their batter. Only high end fancy posh restaurants would use beer. This is totally not autthentic. You should change the title of the recipe to reflect this.Fed up with foreigners trying to do British recip[es and not having a clue what they are doing.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Soooo not true, Henry! Several generations ago perhaps, but not in recent decades. Get outside of your town and check out other fish and chips shops throughout the country. And no, I’m not referring to “high end fancy posh restaurants” :)
Cuck Cod says
The best battered English style fish I ever had came from a white food trailer at the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival at Jefferson Patterson State Park on the last Saturday in April . All I know is they have been there a number of times they are from New Jersey have signs English Fish And Chips and their fried cod is totally out of sight good , crisp not greasy and a large piece . I watched the cook in the trailer and he made it look so easy . Wish I had his batter recipe
Susan Hall says
I grew up on the West coast and recently moved a couple states inland. It is now so hard to find good fish & chips where we live, and I was so grateful to find your recipe. We tried it last night and it was DELICIOUS! It reminded us of the fish & chips we use to get at the beach. Thank you! Love your site!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Yay!! Thank you, Susan, I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Pete Morris says
Before I left my home town of Aberystwyth back in the mid 60’s, every fish and chip shop were owned by Italians who settled there after the war! They were the best! However, having gone home a few years ago, I found that one of them was owned by a Filipino family and their food was excellent. The cod were huge and with mushy peas and chips it was a feast! Being weird, I enjoy Cross and Blackwell’s mint sauce whenever I have chips! Try it sometime and you’ll be hooked!
Yoho Heho says
Several years ago a fish and chip called ‘Something’s Cooking’ in West Wales served excellent fish and chips, well worth the drive to get there. But if you are undecided how you would like your fish and chips served, Whitby is the place (yes the home of Dracula). There is fish and chip shop after fish and chip shop. Decide the one you want and join the queue, yes there is a queue outside the many vying to be the best and each in its own way, deserves the title. My top tip, do not be tempted to have then wrapped to eat on the pier wall, however tempting it might seem, but take a window seat inside and while you wait, watch how the crafty seagulls pinch the chips from those who thought the sea wall was the place to enjoy them.
denise chatelier says
Very happy to see a recipe for fish and chips. I was born in Cheshire and really miss the possibility of getting it from a chippy. A couple of places in Montreal make it but it’s not that easy to get to them. Haven’t tried the recipe yet but have awarded five stars based on previous recipes from the Daring Gourmet which I have made and found very good. Your site is one of my favourites along with Serious eats. Thank you.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you very much for the generous compliment, Denise, and I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as the previous ones! <3
Edith Plummer says
Just came back from Great Britain (our sixth trip since 2014 – wow, didn’t realize how addictive GB could be!) and we had fantastic fish and chips at Old Salty’s, in Glasgow Scotland. Looking forward to recreating the experience with your recipe; so tired and disappointed with the frozen fried fish choices in the supermarkets.
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m excited for you to give this recipe a try, Edith, I think you’ll be very happy with the results! :) Please let us know how it goes!
Rayne says
Fish was excellent. My husband from England loved it. But the fries….not so good. Did them up according to the recipe, and after the second frying, most came out too hard to bite or chew, yet they weren’t even browned yet…so they weren’t burnt or overcooked. Not sure what went wrong.
Tanya says
Absolutely love this recipe. Easy to follow and always great result.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much, Tanya!
Jane Grimshaw says
Honestly? In UK I don’t know many who bother making fish n chips!?! No point when you can get superb from any local chippy, there can be 20 chippies in and around any northern town all making great fish n chips and other stuff like Holland’s meat pies and puddings! Basically ok to try out but simply not worth the bother and expense! Leave it to the pros !😉
S says
in the us you have to resort to doing on your own unless you are amoung the luck few to live near a real UK chippy. Its pretty rare.
Dave Nichols says
Sadly, not all fans of good fish and chips live in the UK, so we have to reply on making them ourselves.