Beer batter is perfect for apple fritters and fish, preferably carp fillets when in Bavaria. It would be criminal to ignore beer as it one of Bavaria’s greatest industries and it would be unfair to you if we didn’t provide a really simple recipe for this most delicious and simple batter on earth. It can be made at a moment’s notice and is so versatile that it can be used with both sweet and savoury foods. When using the batter for desserts, merely substitute the salt and pepper with sugar and lemon zest or cinnamon. For those of you that are worrying about your weight because it’s fried … make an exception, it’s too good to miss.

Ingredients

• 225 g self raising flour
• 300 ml cold lager beer
• 4 x 175 g carp fillets
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Ordinary sunflower oil for frying

Method

Preheat the oil to 120 C

• Season the fish and dust lightly with flour as this enables the batter to stick to the fish.

To make the batter:

• Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and whisk in the lager to give a thick batter, adding a little extra beer if it seems too thick.
• It should be the consistency of very thick double cream that should coat the back of a wooden spoon.
• Season with salt and thickly coat 2 of the fillets with the batter.
• Carefully place in the hot oil and cook for 8 -10 minutes until golden and crispy.
• Remove from the pan, drain and sit on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper to keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining 2 fillets in the same way.
• That’s how  simple it is!