Light & Crispy 20-Minute Gluten-Free Fried Fish
yields: 4 servings
This gluten-free fried fish is impossibly light, crispy, and golden, thanks to a seasoned batter made with white rice flour. The delicate batter fries up shatteringly crisp while keeping the fish inside tender and flaky. Serve it up with fries for classic fish and chips, or tuck it into warm tortillas for Baja-style fish tacos.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs firm white fish fillet, such as cod, rockfish, or tilapia (I highly recommend cod)
- 3-4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 cups white rice flour, plus ½ cup for dredging the fish
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1½ cups cold seltzer water*
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the fish into strips about 3-4 inches long by ¾-1½ inch(es) wide and pat them dry. Put ½ cup of rice flour on a plate and dredge each piece of fish in the flour. Set aside while you prepare the batter.
- Heat 1 to 1½ inches of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Adjust the heat to keep the oil at 350°F (I recommend clipping a candy thermometer to the pot to help maintain the temperature as you fry). Set a paper towel-lined wire rack near the stove.
- Whisk together the remaining 2 cups white rice flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, whisk together egg yolk and seltzer water until smooth and fizzy. Pour the egg and water into the flour and mix gently with a fork until just combined. Take care not to over mix - some dry clumps is okay, but just make sure to mix in the flour from the bottom of the bowl. If your batter seems too thick and clumpy, add 1-2 tablespoons more seltzer water as needed and gently mix. You want the batter to be thick enough that it sticks to the fish in a thin layer, but not too thin that it slides right off.
- Working three at a time, dip a piece of dredged fish into the batter, making sure to coat the fish all over in batter. Gently shake off any excess batter. Drop the fish in the oil (being careful not to burn yourself) and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning gently with a spoon until crispy and golden. If you have a candy thermometer, you'll know the fish is cooked when the internal temp is 140°F (but to be honest, I just eyeball it and it's never come out over or under cooked!).
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer each piece of fish to the paper-towel lined wire rack. Repeat with remaining fish. Serve warm with lemon slices, tartar sauce, and fries, atop your favorite salad, or nestled into a baja fish taco.
Video
Notes
Cold Seltzer Water: For that classic beer battered flavor, you can substitute the cold seltzer with cold gluten-free beer or hop water. The difference in flavor is minor, so unless you have it on hand, I'd just use seltzer water!
