Instructions

1. Salt and pepper both sides of your fish. Regular table salt and finely ground pepper will work, but you can also use kosher salt, sea salt or lava salt and cracked mixed peppercorns on firmer fish such as swordfish, catfish or salmon.

2. Place a bit of cornstarch into a shallow dish. When breading or battering foods, dry to sticks to wet and wet sticks to dry. Fish is naturally moist, so in order to make the wet batter adhere, it’s a good idea to coat the fish with cornstarch first.

3. Roll your fish in the cornstarch. Hold them vertically and wiggle them gently to remove any excess cornstarch. Set the fillets aside on a plate.

4. Pour some pastry flour into a wide bowl. Season the flour with salt, pepper and the herbs and spices that best complement your overall meal. For example, garlic and ginger are good choices for an Asian meal, while lemon pepper, chili powder, coriander and oregano are traditional seasonings for fish tacos.

5. Whisk just enough liquid into the seasoned pastry flour to form a thick batter. This should be somewhere between the consistency of cake batter and pancake batter. Ice water, sparkling water and beer will all work, though the latter two will result in an airier coating. Don’t worry about getting the batter completely smooth – a few lumps are okay.

6. Fill a heavy skillet with 1 to 2 inches of oil. Canola oil or vegetable are best. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches about 350 degrees Fahrenheit or a bit of batter sizzles and pops when dropped into the pan.

7. Dip a cornstarch-coated fish fillet into the batter, making sure both sides are completely covered. Let the excess drip off and place the battered fillet into the hot oil. Repeat until the pan is full but not crowded. Cook the fish for five minutes per every 1 inch of thickness. Turn the fish carefully and cook it for an equal amount of time on the second side so that the cooking time adds up to 10 minutes per inch of thickness. The fish is done when it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145 F, but you can also tell by cutting a fillet open and checking to make sure that it is opaque throughout and flakes easily.

8. Remove the fillets to a plate lined with a paper towel. Continue until all of the fillets are cooked, allowing the oil to come back up to 350 F or so between batches to ensure a crisp crust.