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    Home » Recipes » Seafood

    Beer Battered Perch - The Classic Wisconsin Fish Fry

    Published: Feb 26, 2020 by Fox Valley Foodie · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Beer battered perch

    If you are looking to make your own deep fried fish, no meal reigns supreme quite like beer battered perch and the classic Wisconsin fish fry!

    Wisconsin may be famous for beer, cheese, and brats but ask any resident and they will tell you the reverence we hold for the classic Wisconsin Friday night fish fry is only surpassed by our passion for the Packers. Stop by any eatery in the state on a Friday night and, once you are finally able to get a table, you will be likely to find their menu featuring beer battered perch or simply proclaiming, "Friday Fish Fry."  

    Beer Battered Perch

    Wisconsin Friday Night Fish Fry

    People eat deep fried fish everywhere, so why the big deal in Wisconsin?  The history of the Wisconsin Friday night fish fry is two-fold. It stems back to the 1800's when an influx of Catholic Germans, Polish, and Irish arrived in the state.  They were forbidden from eating meat on Fridays so eating fish was a popular alternative. 

    Fast forward to prohibition, and bars were looking for alternative ways to make money and found selling food to be an attractive solution. In particular, deep frying fish was cheap and easy so it was an ideal way to market to their Catholic patrons.

    As anyone who knows anything about drinking can contest, Wisconsin certainly knows its way around a bar; so when all the bars start doing something it doesn't take much for it to turn into a statewide tradition.  To this day the most popular Wisconsin Friday night fish frys are found in the local taverns. Many, if not most, of these establishments only offer this menu item one day a week.

    Wisconsin Friday Night Fish Fry

    What Fish is Served at a Fish Fry

    The Friday night fish fry is traditionally deep fried perch or walleye, although beer battered perch is most popular. You will also find cheaper fillets of fish, like Whitefish, offered at a lower price point. You can substitute any of these fish in my beer battered perch recipe. However, just serving deep fried fish with any ol' sides will not be a true Wisconsin fish fry.

    Wisconsin Fish Fry Sides

    Any traditional Wisconsin fish fry will be served along with sides of coleslaw, buttered rye bread, and a potato (most commonly French fries).  Without these items, you just have fried fish.  If you really want to cap off your experience grab a Wisconsin craft beer or a Brandy Old Fashioned!

    Beer Battered Perch

    The best fish fry in each community is a highly contentious debate.  I would argue the best fish fry is right here with your own homemade lightly beer battered perch fillets. Flavorful and flaky, the perch fillets are dipped in a beer batter that fries up crisp and golden. There are no long waits for seating, crabby waitresses, or expensive drinks, so pony on up to the dinner table and bite into your own Friday night tradition!

    Beer battered perch recipe with french fries, coleslaw, and rye bread,

    How to make Beer Battered Perch

    To make beer battered perch you first need to create a dredging station. Add ⅓ cup of flour to one bowl and 1 cup of flour with ½ teaspoon of salt to another bowl along with approximately 12 ounces of beer. The perch will be dipped in flour then dredged in the beer batter before going into the frying oil. At home I typically deep fry in a high walled cast iron skillet.

    Tip: I recommend using a cheap lager for your beer batter, such as a Bud, Miller, Pabst, etc... The exact amount of beer needed will vary, so add more or less as needed until it thinly coats the back of a spoon, but isn't soupy.

    When deep frying it is always important to use a thermometer to know when the oil is ready to fry. Rather than purchasing a separate deep frying thermometer, I just use my digitial meat thermometer to test the oil. You want to keep the oil around 375 for frying. The fish is done when the batter is golden brown, approximately 2-4 minutes.

    Beer battered perch recipe - Wisconsin Fish Fry

    Beer Battered Perch - The Classic Wisconsin Fish Fry

    If you are looking to make your own deep fried fish, no meal reigns supreme quite like beer battered perch and the classic Wisconsin fish fry!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Wisconsin
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 minutes
    Total Time: 14 minutes
    Servings: 3 servings
    Calories: 383kcal
    Author: Fox Valley Foodie

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb Perch fillets
    • 1 ⅓ cups flour (divided)
    • 12 oz beer (recommend cheap lager)
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 Lemon (cut into wedges)
    • Tartar sauce for dipping
    • Peanut Oil

    Sides

    • French Fries
    • Buttered Rye Bread
    • Coleslaw

    Instructions

    • Add 2-3" of oil to a high walled skillet or fill a deep fryer. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
    • Place ⅓ cup of flour in a bowl.
    • Add 1 cup of flour and ½ teaspoon salt in a separate bowl and whisk in beer until the batter has a thin consistency that just coats the back of a spoon.*
    • Dip the fillets in flour, shaking off the excess and then dip evenly in the batter.**
    • Place battered fillets in hot oil, working in batches.
    • Fry fish 2-4 minutes, or until it reaches golden brown. The fish will cook quickly inside so don't be afraid to judge the doneness solely by the color of the breading.
    • Remove from oil and let drain on a cooling rack or paper towel prior to serving.
    • Plate with French fries, coleslaw, buttered rye bread, tartar sauce for dipping and lemon wedge.

    Notes

    *You don't want the batter to be thick, or you will have a thick and soggy breading on your fish. Using 12 ounces of beer will get you close to the right consistency, use more or less as needed.
     
    **It is OK if you dip the fish in the batter and you can still faintly see the fish through the thinness of the batter. That is a good consistency.
    IF YOU LIKED THIS RECIPE check out my Wisconsin Beer Brat Sauce recipe as well!

    Nutritional Information

    Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 540mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @FoxValleyFoodie or tag #foxvalleyfoodie!

    This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com August 7, 2015.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pete

      January 08, 2021 at 12:28 am

      Planning to try this soon but I have cod instead of perch. Would I need to change anything or would the cod work?

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        January 08, 2021 at 8:38 am

        Yes, cod should also work great!

        Reply
    2. Mitch

      August 28, 2020 at 12:03 am

      5 stars
      My husband was born and raised in Wi and likes perch fish fry A LOT! I have tried many diff recipes, but this recipe is the simplest yet had the best result! Thank you so much!

      Reply
    3. Jill Losko

      August 18, 2020 at 3:58 pm

      Can you use Corona beer?

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        August 18, 2020 at 5:25 pm

        Sure can!

        Reply
    4. Terry Parkinson

      July 10, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome results. This was my first try at beer battered perch and it was a huge success. Thanks for the recipe and the tips.

      Reply
    5. Nicoke

      June 11, 2019 at 6:23 pm

      Can this recipe be duplicated in the air fryer/

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        June 12, 2019 at 9:03 am

        I haven't tried it, however, there are air fryer fried fish recipes online.

        Reply
    6. Heidi Isakson

      June 04, 2019 at 5:42 pm

      Looks like a great recipe, and a great story about the Fish Fry tradition. When I moved from Wisconsin to Michigan and asked likely restaurants if they had "fish fry" - they all said we have fish and chips, every day. No, no. Not the same. Anyway I wanted to clarify one statement you made -"A prohibition bar can’t stay in business selling a lot of fish just during lent so it became popular to promote it every Friday, all year long." Actually, because I'm old and had many friends from Catholic families, I can remember a time when Catholics abstained from meat EVERY Friday throughout the year In 1966, the U.S. church relaxed the "rule" although they hoped people would continue to observe it... which most did not except during Lent. Anyway, my Catholic friends prior to 1966 always served meatless dinners on Friday throughout the year, or went out for "fish fry". Thanks again for a great read.

      Reply
    7. Carrie Moore

      May 18, 2018 at 3:10 pm

      Thank you for this recipe. If only we had perch here in Alabama. Everyone down here likes catfish. But there is nothing like Perch to me.... maybe it is just the memories. We use to visit my grandparents a couple times a year in Appleton and we would go to VFW on Richmond St. and have the fried perch. I see that picture and I can almost taste it. I can't wait to make it back up there to visit other family. Do you by chance have a recipe for the Old Grog Steak sandwich from Menasha? 🙂 yumms more good memories

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        May 19, 2018 at 8:07 am

        Thanks for the comment, I've had a fish fry at that VFW as well! Unfortunately I have never had the Old Grog Steak Sandwich, perhaps I should work on that!

        Reply
    8. MaryG

      July 28, 2017 at 7:02 pm

      5 stars
      This was just what I needed in a cloudy Tennessee Summer night. My Cincinatti born husband has never had a "fish fry" and after just one bite the look he gave me from across the table was pure love......I did not ask if it was the fish or me. Fish Fry Friday's will now start to be a common thing here.

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        July 28, 2017 at 7:46 pm

        Comments like this are why I love blogging.

        Reply
    9. Teri Giese

      January 11, 2017 at 9:48 pm

      5 stars
      Yum!Am born and raised Green Bay,Wisconsinite;and you have made my day!!Live in Arizona now.Was blessed to go back to visit my girls and families last June.AND to head up to Door County.There I had a WAY overpriced plate of fish and fries;as well as a few cocktails.No way in HELL,could I ever find a place in Arizona,that could even get there hands on such a fresh,perfectly fried specimen.Am a petite little lady,and my daughters could not believe I was able to clean my plate!!OMG!Gotta get on this recipe!Mucho Gracias!!

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        January 12, 2017 at 7:59 am

        Yeah it is probably hard to catch perch in the desert! I'm glad you like the recipe, I hope you can find some quality fillets to fry up at home!

        Reply
    10. Guy

      August 19, 2016 at 2:51 pm

      5 stars
      Visiting relatives last week in Wisconsin and had to have a fish fry. It was fantastic. This week cooking my own back at home.

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        August 26, 2016 at 8:55 am

        I'm glad you were able to experience the tradition!

        Reply
    11. Anthony Forcellini

      December 12, 2015 at 11:30 am

      I'm originally from Michigan and my wife from Wisconsin...We're on the west coast now and after seeing this my mouth is watering and the memories of fried perch are very fresh in my mind. Every little lake town in Mi had their own version of the fish fry and pretty much every one of them was tasty. Now I have to find some perch!...

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        December 13, 2015 at 8:14 am

        The Friday night fish fry has to be one of the greatest culinary traditions in the United States!

        Reply
    12. Meggan | Culinary Hill

      August 10, 2015 at 8:24 pm

      5 stars
      Now HERE is something I really miss about Wisconsin. Fish fries. They have Fish & Chips out here in California, but HELLO this isn't the UK! Fish & chips? Who cares! Plus you don't get all the really good stuff that goes along with a proper fish fry. Loved your post Ben. Thanks for making me homesick. 🙂

      Reply
      • Fox Valley Foodie

        August 10, 2015 at 8:26 pm

        Ha! Preach it!

        Reply
        • Missing WI

          October 11, 2020 at 9:32 pm

          5 stars
          I was skeptical with how simple this recipe was: flour, beer, salt, but it yielded perhaps the best fried fish I have ever made! Thanks for posting, I will be sure to make this one again!

          Reply

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