Fish: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sparkling water, beer, salt and pepper until it is completely combined.
Chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes or until ready to use.
Next, dredge the fish completely into the batter 1 to 2 at at a time and add it to a fryer, or pot with oil at 350° for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or golden brown and cooked throughout.
Once they are cooked, remove from the fryer and set on a plate lined with a paper towel or on a rack over a cookie sheet tray to drain any excess oil.
Repeat until all of the fish is cooked
Serve the fish with tartar sauce, fries, lemon wedges and malt vinegar.
Notes
Chef Notes:
To Keep Hot: Place on a rack over a cookie sheet tray and keep in the oven at 225° until ready to serve.
Make-Ahead: You can fry the fish up to 30 minutes before serving, just be sure to keep them warm in the oven.
How to Reheat: Place on a rack over a cookie sheet tray and bake in the oven at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until hot.
How to Store: Place in between layers of parchment paper in a container with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Now it certainly helps to have a deep fryer, but you can still pull this off if you have a pot, a thermometer and plenty of oil.
The cornstarch in the batter helps to make a thick outside crust, if you want you can use 2 cups of flour and 2 tablespoons of baking powder instead.
You can use just sparkling water or just beer or a combination of both if you choose.
Fish is cooked all the way though when it reaches 145° internally.
If cooking more than 1 fish at a time, be sure to keep the fish about 1″ to 2″ from each other or else they are going to stick together.
To keep the fish hot without being soggy, place them on a rack on sheet tray and keep hot in the oven at 225°.