This Recipe Begins the Best Way Possible: With Beer

For the perfect beer-battered fried fish, it’s no surprise you have to start with really good beer. Luckily, Ed Reavis has that in spades: The chef of All Set Restaurant & Bar and Money Muscle BBQ taps into the premium lager from Denizens Brewing Co. to make the fried fish sliders that have been a hit in the brewery’s Riverdale Park tap room since day one.

To prepare the sliders, Reavis first seasons the batter with smoked paprika and Old Bay before coating the fish filets and frying them to perfection using a technique known as the “swimming method” (described below). The result is a perfectly even coating of batter on each filet. Once fried, the fish is served on brioche slider buns, smothered in a simple slaw made from shredded iceberg lettuce and your favorite tartar sauce.

If you’ve got access to Denizens beer, Reavis recommends the lager or pilsner, either of which boasts great flavor and a good bang for your buck. Either way, be sure also you have some icy cold bottles on-hand for serving: You’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect pairing.

Beer Battered Fish Sliders

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup rice flour
2¼ tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons Old Bay
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 cups Denizens PGC Premium Lager
3 to 4 cubes of ice
4 2-ounce squares of hake or cod
Frying oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 brioche slider buns
Chopped iceberg lettuce
Tartar sauce of your choice

Instructions:

Combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk until blended. Whisk in the beer and ice cubes until mixture is smooth, and keep cold until ready to use.
In a medium pot, heat the frying oil to 350º F. Using tongs, coat the fish in the batter, then add it to the fryer, using a back-and-forth motion so that the fish will begin to float. Release it to finish cooking. (This is known as the swimming method). While the fish is frying, toast the buns and prepare the slaw.
For the slaw, in a bowl, combine the chopped iceberg lettuce, a few dashes of Old Bay and your go-to tartar sauce. (If you like your slaw on the crunchier side, add just a little bit of tartar sauce to the bowl, and add more to your toasted bun.)
Pull your fish from the oil, season with salt and pepper, and allow to drain on a paper towel. Build the sandwich as follows: bottom bun, fish filet, slaw, and then the top bun. Serve with your favorite potato chips or fries.