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."
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.
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!
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 - The Classic Wisconsin Fish Fry
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
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com August 7, 2015.
Pete
Planning to try this soon but I have cod instead of perch. Would I need to change anything or would the cod work?
Fox Valley Foodie
Yes, cod should also work great!
Mitch
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!
Jill Losko
Can you use Corona beer?
Fox Valley Foodie
Sure can!
Terry Parkinson
Awesome results. This was my first try at beer battered perch and it was a huge success. Thanks for the recipe and the tips.
Nicoke
Can this recipe be duplicated in the air fryer/
Fox Valley Foodie
I haven't tried it, however, there are air fryer fried fish recipes online.
Heidi Isakson
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.
Carrie Moore
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
Fox Valley Foodie
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!
MaryG
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.
Fox Valley Foodie
Comments like this are why I love blogging.
Teri Giese
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!!
Fox Valley Foodie
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!
Guy
Visiting relatives last week in Wisconsin and had to have a fish fry. It was fantastic. This week cooking my own back at home.
Fox Valley Foodie
I'm glad you were able to experience the tradition!
Anthony Forcellini
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!...
Fox Valley Foodie
The Friday night fish fry has to be one of the greatest culinary traditions in the United States!
Meggan | Culinary Hill
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. 🙂
Fox Valley Foodie
Ha! Preach it!
Missing WI
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!