Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Beer Battered Tilapia

I have had my fill of the plain old fried tilapia.  And I also don't like it if I happen to get one that smells like moss (lumot) and I get a sharp taste of than when get a bite of that milky flesh.  Despite the risk of getting some additional and unwanted flavors, tilapia still remains for me one of the most delicious-tasting fresh water fish.  So, I decided to change the usual or traditional dish and add a little zing to it by using beer batter.

Beer battered tiliapia is not fish that you will beat to death using the beer bottle.  Have pity on the poor fish, it has done you no harm. You simply create your own batter using beer instead of the iced water for added flavor.  And don't worry if you have kids because the alcohol content of the batter will evaporate during the cooking process.

Ingredients

5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp rice flour (if you don't have rice flour, just substitute it with corn starch)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp paprika (optional)
4-6 Tbsp ice cold beer
3/4 kg tilapia, cleaned and prepped to fillets

Filleting your Fish

You can have your fish prepared for you by your fish monger. However, I do not trust how close to the bone my favorite fish monger will cut my fish so I just do the fillets myself.


The secret to filleting a fish is a really sharp and thin knife. Special fillet knives are made so you can bend the blade as close to the bone as possible. If you use a thick chef's knife, filleting a fish this small will definitely be a challenge, and you won't get that much of a meat from the fish. I lost my fillet knife so I just use this thin utility knife that I have, which I sharpened and honed until I can almost cut myself just by dragging my fingers through the edge of the blade... it's sharp, but not wickedly sharp yet.

Your fillets will have a section that will have large fish bones in them, right at the fatty stomach area.  I did not remove that part because slicing those bones off will mean getting rid of the fish fat, which I love.

Preparing Your Fillets

Once you have your fillets done, wash and blot them really dry with paper towels.  You have to make sure to get all the water off the fillets so that the batter will stick like glue to them.  Season them lightly with salt and pepper then set them aside as you prepare the batter.

The Batter
The batter is the tricky part.  Others like their batters thin, while I personally prefer my batter to be thick. I want to enjoy the contrast of the crunchiness of the batter as I bite through the soft and silky flesh of the tilapia fillets.

Mix first all the dry ingredients really well then add just 3 tbsp first of the beer, gradually adding the rest until you get your desired consistency.  I  prefer my batter to be slightly thicker than pancake batter so I just use only up to 4-5 tbsps of beer.  If you like it runny, you have to add up to 6 tbsp of beer and no more beyond that.  Be careful of overmixing. Your batter should be lumpy for it to be really light and crispy. If are preparing a runny batter, do dust your fillets with flour lightly so that your batter will cling to your fillets.

Cooking Beer Battered Tilapia
The best and easiest way to cook your beer battered tilapia is to deep fry it. Shallow frying will not work as efficiently especially if you have a thin batter because it will just run off your fish as you fry the bottom part first. If you must shallow fry, take the time to baste the top with hot oil every now and then to keep the batter in place, or prepare a thick batter instead.

Your oil should be hot when you fry your fish.  A cold oil is always absorbed by the batter, and you definitely don't want to eat an oily, soggy mess.  Medium or medium-low heat will be good. Test your batter by dropping a small amount in your hot oil.  If it floats and sizzles but does not change color too quickly, then you're good. If it sinks, your oil is too cold.  If it floats, sizzles, then turns brown in just 2-3 seconds, then your oil is too hot.

Cooking fish is not rocket science, and your batter should be your indicator.  Deep fry your fish until the batter is golden brown in color, probably about 3-5 minutes depending on how thick your fillets are.  Mine took about 3-4 minutes per side as I shallow fry.  Another indicator if your fish is done is the crispiness of your batter.  Keep your temperature constant and you will get consistent results in each batch that you cook.  Do not over-cook as you do not want to eat anything that is dry on the inside as well as the outside.

Once done, place the fish on paper towels or a wire rack to remove excess oil.A wire rack will be much better to prevent condensation at the bottom of your fish.

What Can Go Wrong
There are ways for you to "mess up" cooking your beer battered tilapia
  1. There's so little to no batter on the fish after cooking - your batter is too thin. If you can, thicken up your existing batter by adding more flour or cornstarch a little at a time.  Be sure to adjust the seasoning as well as adding flour can dull the flavor of your batter.
  2. The batter is progressively getting thin with each dip of fish - your fish is too wet. It is very important to have your fish a bit dry without any pooling of water on the fillets, under the fillets, or on the container that is holding your raw fillets.  You will be adding water with every dip of fish, and your batter will be very thin and fluid like even before you're done with the entire batch.
  3. Burned my fillets - oil is too hot. Make sure that your pan is not smoking when you fry your fish.  If it is, turn the heat off for several seconds or a couple of minutes until the smoke starts to thin out before you fry your fish.  
  4. My fish is taking too long to cook - your heat is too low. Crank it up just a notch or two to speed things up.
  5. My batter is breaking apart - your heat is too low and you're moving the fish unnecessarily.  Increase the heat of the flame just a bit and refrain from touching and turning the fish.  If you are shallow frying, look at the edge of the fish. If it's getting dark in color, then that is the time to flip the fish. Also, if your batter is sticking, it means your batter is not cooked yet.  Your batter will give way like magic if it's cooked at the right temperature so relax. ;)
  6. My batter is not getting crispy - again the problem with low heat.  Crank it up a notch and see what happens.
  7. Top batter is crispy, bottom is soggy upon serving. - oil and moisture collected at the bottom. Keep in mind to use that expensive wire rack you bought at your kitchen supply store. ;)
Condiments for Beer Battered Tilapia

You can eat the fish as is, or you can have tartar sauce on the side.  If you're out of mayo, or simply cannot be bothered to make one, then you can use calamansi juice with fish sauce as your dip.  Personally, the latter is better - and quicker.

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