Crispy Portuguese Beer-Battered Hake Fillets with Lime

Fried hake is one of the most beloved snacks in Portuguese cuisine! Hahaha, well, if it isn’t, then it should be, and this traditional recipe with beer batter is absolutely irresistible and done just right uhhh amazing! I usually like my batters soft and milky and all that, but for today i’m going for a really crispy batter, one with that gorgeous aroma of lime and cilantro, mmmmm! ;D

What makes this recipe special is the combination of really cold beer and cornstarch in the batter, which creates an even crispier, more golden texture, it’s literally finger-licking (trademark pending), cry-for-more good! Oh, and the very cold beer also adds a pleasant, more savory aroma to the batter instead of it just being plain batter with no real flavor. It’s a pretty neat recipe and a variation on a snack we Portuguese folks absolutely love, alright, let’s get to it!

Crispy Portuguese Beer-Battered Hake Fillets with Lime

Servings: 3
Time: 40mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Oh nothing beats some soft little hake fillets wrapped in a crackling crispy beer batter, super easy to make and delicious!!!!

Ingredients

Hake – 6 Medium Fillets
Garlic – 2 Cloves (Chopped)
Egg – 1 Large
Beer – 100ml (Very Cold)
Flour – 90g
Cornstarch – 20g
Cilantro – One Teaspoon (Chopped)
Lime – 1 (Juice)
Lime – For Serving
Sunflower Oil – For Frying
Garlic Powder – A Pinch
Pepper – A Pinch
Salt – A Pinch

Directions

Of course, you can fry the fillets whole, but if they are very large, cut them into pieces to have more fillets. Place these in a bowl and cover with lime juice, a pinch of garlic powder, the two chopped garlic cloves, and salt. Let it marinate for a few minutes.
Then prepare the beer batter. In a bowl, add the egg, followed by the very cold beer, and then the flour mixed with the cornstarch.

Mix without whisking too much, then add more chopped cilantro, pepper, and salt. You want a liquid but thick batter (similar to honey). If it’s too thick, add more beer; if it’s too liquid, add a little more of the flour and cornstarch mixture.
Prepare a frying pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat. To test the temperature, put in a little of the batter, if it starts to bubble, the oil is ready!

Dip each fillet in the batter, let it drain a little to remove excess batter, and add to the frying pan to fry. Don’t add too many fillets to the pan at once, otherwise the oil temperature will drop and the fish won’t get as crispy.
When the bottom of each fillet is golden brown, turn all the fillets over and fry until completely golden brown on both sides. Remove to a rack or kitchen paper to drain excess oil and repeat until you have no more fillets.

And that’s it, serve with lime wedges and a nice fried tomato rice hehehe! Enjoy!

Notes & Tips: The beer needs to be very cold, the colder it is, the better the batter turns out and the crispier the final result.

Cornstarch also makes a difference, it makes the batter a bit crispier than using just flour, and not only that, it stays crispy for longer.

You don’t need to whisk the batter much, just mix until smooth, otherwise you develop gluten and risk the batter turning out heavier.

If in doubt about the oil’s temperature, get a kitchen thermometer, you want a temperature around 190ºC (374ºF). Or instead of batter, drop in a small piece of bread, if it starts bubbling, the oil’s ready.

I like to put a bit of aluminum foil around the pan while frying, it’s fried fish after all, so the oil will splatter a bit, this way I don’t make a oily mess of the whole kitchen.

The hake I used was Cape hake, but the recipe works well with any skinless white fish with firm flesh, just make sure it’s a fillet, fish loins don’t fry well in batter, they tend to be too thick.

Oh, and this beer-battered fried hake holds up well for a few hours and is also tasty cold, so it’s perfect for sandwiches or picnics.

Pat the fillets dry before marinating so the batter sticks better and doesn’t turn soggy.

Stick to a neutral, high smoke point oil like sunflower or vegetable, olive oil will burn before it reaches frying temperature.

You can squeeze the lime over the fillets right before serving, not earlier, so the batter stays crisp. I tend to serve with lime quarters so anyone can do it themselfs.

This recipe for Crispy Portuguese Beer-Battered Hake Fillets with Lime was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Pescada Frita Crocante em Polme com Lima foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.